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Richard Posner, Federal Judge and University of Chicago Law Scholar, Dies at 87
Richard Posner, a former federal appellate judge and University of Chicago law scholar who authored nearly 3,300 opinions and more than 60 books, died Tuesday at 87. Known for his plain-language approach and rulings on same-sex marriage and abortion, he left a lasting mark on American law.
Richard Posner, a former federal appellate judge and University of Chicago law scholar who became one of the most cited legal minds of the 20th century, died Tuesday. He was 87.
The University of Chicago confirmed his death. No cause was given.
During a 36-year tenure on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, Posner wrote nearly 3,300 legal opinions, many of them marked by a plainspoken style and a pragmatic approach to complex questions. He also authored more than 60 books and dozens of legal journal articles, continuing to publish after his retirement from the bench in 2017.
âThere has never been a legal scholar quite as prolific, influential, and endlessly curious as Dick Posner,â said Adam Chilton, dean of the University of Chicago Law School, in a statement. âHe was a giant whose influence on our legal system, the field of law and economics, and on our law school cannot be overstated.â
Posnerâs legal career began with a clerkship for Supreme Court Justice William J. Brennan from 1965 to 1967. He then served as an assistant to Thurgood Marshall, who would later join the Supreme Court. In 1969, Posner joined the University of Chicago law faculty, and four years later published âEconomic Analysis of Law,â a book widely regarded as foundational to the law and economics movement.
In 1978, he was named the Lee and Brena Freeman Professor of Law, a position he held until President Ronald Reagan appointed him to the Seventh Circuit in 1981. He served as chief judge from 1993 to 2000.
Among his notable rulings were decisions overturning same-sex marriage bans in Indiana and Wisconsin in 2014 and a 2013 decision blocking a Wisconsin abortion ban. He also wrote the majority opinion striking down an Illinois ban on concealed carry on public transit, a decision state lawmakers later circumvented. In a 2012 dissent, he sharply criticized federal firearms âstash houseâ sting operations.
Posner announced his retirement in 2017, saying he looked forward âto continuing to teach and publish, with a particular focus on social justice reform.â
âI am proud to have promoted a pragmatic approach to judging during my time on the Court, and to have had the opportunity to apply my view that judicial opinions should be easy to understand and that judges should focus on the right and wrong in every case,â he said at the time.
He is survived by his wife, Charlene, two sons and four grandchildren. Service details are pending.