Laughing at the Gods: Great Judges and How They Made the Common Law - Softcover

Hutchinson, Allan C. C.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1107662761 ISBN 13: 9781107662766

Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 2012

Synopsis

Any effort to understand how law works has to take seriously its main players - judges. Like any performance, judging should be evaluated by reference to those who are its best exponents. Not surprisingly, the debate about what makes a 'great judge' is as heated and inconclusive as the debate about the purpose and nature of law itself. History shows that those who are candidates for a judicial hall of fame are game changers who oblige us to rethink what it is to be a good judge. So the best of judges must tread a thin line between modesty and hubris; they must be neither mere umpires nor demigods. The eight judges showcased in this book demonstrate that, if the test of good judging is not about getting it right, but doing it well, then the measure of great judging is about setting new standards for what counts as judging well.

About this title

Review:

'A fascinating book, as much about the nature of greatness as about what makes for a great judge. Maverick and stubborn, greatness seems to lie also in the ability to make the innovative and previously unforeseen solutions seem absolute common sense. A persuasive account of eight great judges, providing food for thought about their legacies.' Rebecca Huxley-Binns, The Times Higher Education Supplement

Book Description:

This book showcases eight judges that the author argues exemplify judicial greatness and looks at what role they play in law and society, postulating qualities of judges who in their judicial tenures have shown vision and inventiveness that has fundamentally influenced the impact of law on society.

About this edition

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 1107662761
• ISBN 13: 9781107662766
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 330