Supreme Court Justice Breyer Discusses His New Book on Democracy, Oct. 13
September 26, 2011
Contact: University Relations
Phone: 410.837.5739
United States Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer will discuss his most recent book, Making Our Democracy Work: A Judge's View, on Thursday, Oct. 13 at 6 p.m., in an evening presented by the University of Baltimore School of Law. The event, free and open to the public (attendance details below), will take place at the Patricia and Arthur Modell Performing Arts Center at The Lyric, adjacent to the UB campus at 140 W. Mount Royal Ave.
Breyer has been an associate justice on the Supreme Court since 1994, when he was appointed by President Bill Clinton. He generally aligns himself with the more liberal side of the court. Prior to his appointment there, Breyer served as a law professor and lecturer at Harvard Law School, as well as a special assistant to the United States Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust and assistant special prosecutor on the Watergate Special Prosecution Force in 1973.
Publishers Weekly said Making Our Democracy Work contains "insight into how a democracy works, and sometimes fails." The Washington Post noted that "Breyer wants courts to interpret the Constitution by considering many factors, including how to make judicial decisions workable. The complexity of this pragmatic constitutional theory makes it compelling, but that same complexity makes Breyer's approach difficult for the public and politicians to accept."
Breyer received a Bachelor of Arts degrees in philosophy from Stanford University and from Magdalen College at Oxford University as a Marshall Scholar. He also holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from Harvard Law School.
Breyer's first book, Active Liberty, encouraged rank and file citizens' involvement in government decisions by way of the judiciary.
To attend the Oct. 13 discussion, fill out this brief online R.S.V.P. If you have questions, send an e-mail to lawevents@ubalt.edu.
The University of Baltimore is a member of the University System of Maryland and comprises the School of Law, the Yale Gordon College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Public Affairs and the Merrick School of Business.