Oral Argument

Episode 146: Somehow in the Middle

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With Charles Barzun, we discuss Justice Souter and the nature of legal justification. But we take the long way around to get there, starting with some of Souter’s opinions, moving on to philosophy – the nature of moral reasoning and its relation to fact and intuition – and then back to legal theory and Charles’s insight concerning Justice Souter’s jurisprudence.

This show’s links:

  • Charles Barzun’s faculty profile and writing
  • Charles Barzun, Justice Souter’s Common Law
  • Justice Souter’s discussion of Plessy and the role of history in judging (watch from minute one until about minute fourteen) and his Harvard Commencement speech on Plessy
  • Some Souter opinions Joe loves: Campbell v. Acuff-Rose Music, Markman v. Westview Instruments, and California Dental Assoc. v. Federal Trade Commission
  • Old Chief v. United States; Oyez’s Old Chief page, including links to the oral argument and hand-down
  • Planned Parenthood v. Casey; Oyez’s Casey page, including links to the oral argument and hand-down
  • John Burnett, Border Patrol Arrests Parents While Infant Awaits Serious Operation
  • Noah Feldman’s Constitution Day interview of Justice Souter

    • Special Guest: Charles Barzun.

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    Oral ArgumentBy Joe Miller and Christian Turner
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