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7 - The Master of Himself

from Part II - The Journey to the Pole

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 December 2019

Catharine Pierce Wells
Catharine Pierce Wells
Affiliation:
Boston College, Massachusetts
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Summary

This chapter considers Holmes’s tenure as a judge – his twenty years on the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court and his thirty years on the US Supreme Court. It makes no attempt to run through all Holmes's notable decisions. Rather it selects a few that illustrate his technique. After a discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of his approach, the chapter ends with an appraisal of his legacy.

Keywords

Oliver Wendell HolmesMassachusetts Supreme Judicial CourtUnited States Supreme CourtLamson v. American Axe and ToolVegelahn vGuntnerNorthern Securities v. U.S.Lochner v. New YorkBuck v. BellGiles v. Harristhe peonage casesBailey v. Alabama
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Oliver Wendell Holmes
A Willing Servant to an Unknown God
 , pp. 162 - 204
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2020

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