Louis Brandeis

“Harvard University Library Open Collections Program. Women Working, 1870-1930, Louis Brandeis (1846-1941). A full-text searchable online database with complete access to publications written by Louis Brandeis.”

“The Collected Supreme Court Opinions of Louis D. Brandeis”

“Whitney v. California (1927) (concurring)”

“United States ex rel Milwaukee Social Democratic Publishing Co. v. Burleson (1921) (dissenting)”

“Sugarman v. United States (1919) (majority)”

“Ruthenberg v. Michigan (1927) (unpublished dissent)”

“Olmstead v. United States (1928) (dissenting)”

“New State Ice Co. v. Liebmann (1932) (dissenting)”

“Gilbert v. Minnesota (1920) (dissenting)”

“Erie Railroad Co. v. Tompkins (1938) (majority)”

“Ashwander v. Tennessee Valley Authority (1936) (concurring)”

“There is nothing cold or detached or aloof about the private Brandeis, but it is perfectly in keeping with his views of privacy that while he was alive he kept . . . his life and personality hidden from public view.”

“Brandeis was the first Jewish member of the Supreme Court and brought a sociological view to his interpretation of law. He is justly famous for establishing the precedent that the right to privacy is, in his words, "the right to be let alone" (something right-wing extremists, libertarians, and anti-government activists seem to think they invented).”

“[Brandeis] did not believe with the evangelist that . . . truth could be found by abiding in the Word or in becoming the disciple of any leader. Neither did he think it came from intuition or from speculation in metaphysics. He thought it could and would come only from the relentless, disinterested and critical study of facts.”

“Every case that fell to him for opinion gave fresh occasion for the application of his principle that knowledge must precede understanding, and understanding should precede judging.”

“To Brandeis, as to Jefferson, the key to a successful democracy lies in the spirit, the vitality, the daring, the inventiveness of its citizens.”

“In a time of moral and intellectual anarchy, he handed on the great tradition of faith in the mind and spirit of man.”

“With deepest veneration and fellow feeling, I clasp your hand on the occasion of your eightieth birthday. I know of no other person who combines such profound intellectual gifts with such self-renunciation while finding the whole meaning of his life in quiet service to the community. We -- all of us -- thank you not only for what you have accomplished and brought about, but also because we feel happy that such a man should exist at all in this time of ours, which is so lacking in genuine personalities. With reverent greetings....”

“True human progress is based less on the inventive mind than on the conscience of men such as Brandeis.”

“Go down to City Hall and see what is on the agenda for the next council meeting—garbage collection, water supply, it does not matter which one—then go and learn everything you can about it. Read past reports, talk to people, learn the topic until you know it as well as anyone. Then when you get up to speak, or to make a suggestion for change, your voice will be heard because you are knowledgeable. That is how reform works.”