"Contracted" biographies and other obstacles to "truth."(Symposium: National Conference on Judicial Biography)

Article Abstract:

Contract, or authorized, biographers faced additional challenges in ensuring that biographies do not shy away from criticism of the subject. No biographer can be truly objective, and the selection of a particular person as the subject of study often reflects the biographer's personal interest in the subject. Attempts at objectivity are important, particularly in judicial biographies, to reflect the contributions of the subject accurately. Nonetheless, judicial biographies must also captivate the interest of readers not already well-versed in intellectual history.

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Judicial biography: amicus curiae

Article Abstract:

Authorized or contract judicial biographies can suffer when the biographer is unwilling to seriously address the weaknesses or failures of the biographer's subject. Biographies of Justice Hugo Black, Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. and Judge Learned Hand all suffer to varying degrees because of the biographer's advocacy. While judicial biographies do not need to focus solely on the negatives that occurred during a judge's life, some unflattering experiences are relevant to judicial decision-making and misguided decisions often warrant further study.

Powell, Lewis F., Jr., Black, Hugo

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Commentary

Article Abstract:

Gerald Gunther's biography of Judge Learned Hand does not emphasis the more negative traits that the judge may have possessed, though he does note his compulsiveness and insecurity. Gunther's reluctance to tread on such ground could be attributed by some to the fact that he was an authorized biographer, but to say so would be inaccurate. Learned Hand lead an ordinary life outside the court because of his exemplary committment to the law. The focus on the side of Hand that enjoyed his work is why Gunther's biography is so valuable.

Similar abstracts:

• Abstracts: Judicial biography. Objectivity and hagiography in judicial biography. "Contracted" biographies and other obstacles to "truth." (response to article by Gerald Gunther in this issue, p. 697)(Symposium: National Conference on Judicial Biography)(Panel Discussion)
• Abstracts: The canonization of Holmes and Brandeis: epistemology and judicial reputations. The creation of a usable judicial past: Max Lerner, class conflict, and the propagation of judicial titans
• Abstracts: Beneath the titans. The secular search for the sacred

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