Justice Brennan, Judge Souter and Supreme Court
The retirement of Supreme Court Justice William Brennan triggers the shocking reminder that, at the constitutional level, the law is merely an art form, which, through the medium of opinion, endeavors to give expression to what is right and good. So much slack exists in constitutional law that it is, in fact, the personal biases and prejudices of the justices, masquerading as reason and logic, that control the ultimate decisions.
Justice Brennan stood out as a beacon in this turbulent subjective sea of opinion, guiding us away from the rocks and shoals that would destroy individual freedom and derogate the dignity of human life. With his retirement the invocation of the Supreme Court might well be changed from: “God save this Honorable Court” to “God save the American people.”
GEORGE V. HALL
Torrance
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