Voice for Justice

About this book

""A Voice for Justice" reveals how David Schuman's unique jurisprudence came to be. The short stories, speeches, op-eds, articles, legal opinions, and dissents selected for this volume constitute a call to action for all of us to become voices for justice. Many know that Hans Linde convinced David, among others, to turn first to the Oregon Constitution, rather than the federal one, to protect individual rights. But even some of David's closest friends were unaware of his fiction, which provides a window into his empathy and his ability to write elegant, sometimes funny, judicial opinions. Many were also unaware of the deep roots of David's legal thinking in literature and political theory. As an educator, speaker, Deputy Attorney General, and judge, David was known for his ability to clarify difficult concepts. According to James Egan, chief judge of the Oregon Court of Appeals, he was the "intellectual giant of our generation." More than just brilliant, David was also committed to writing in such a way that any citizen who wants to understand his 672 judicial opinions can do so. Like Ruth Bader Ginsberg, he knew there was nothing to gain and everything to lose in communicating only to specialists. He wanted citizens to be able to make up their own minds about important issues. This volume brings together for the first time writings that span over fifty years. Lawyers and non-lawyers alike will appreciate David's lucid, engaging, observations, which are highly relevant to our current anxieties about institutional racism and to our democracy under stress"--