Professor Edward Morrison, Former Law Clerk to Justice Antonin Scalia, Remembers His Boss
Justice Scalia's "Decisions and Jurisprudential Philosophy Will Echo in the Law for Generations, If Not Centuries"
New York, February 13, 2016—Columbia Law School Professor Edward R. Morrison served as a law clerk to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia during the 2001-02 term, and upon learning of his passing, offered the following remembrance:
"Whatever your political views, Justice Scalia was a fiery intellectual force. He inspired us to be more careful, creative, and analytically rigorous when we talk about courts as a force for social change. His decisions and jurisprudential philosophy will echo in the law for generations, if not centuries.
What I remember most? He once said to me: "What's the half-life of the typical academic article? 2 years? 4 years, if you're lucky? Compare that to the impact you have as a teacher. That lasts generations."