Back in 2010 we started titling some of our posts "
There'll Always Be Posner," in mimicry of the
"There'll Always Be an England" squibs in The
New Yorker. Just as there is something uniquely charming,
majestic and, occasionally, flat-out weird about news from the
quirky island that formerly ruled over us, there is something
uniquely charming, majestic, and, occasionally, flat-out weird in
legal opinions authored by Seventh Circuit Judge Richard Posner.
Or, we should say, former judge, as he stepped down from the bench
this past weekend.
When we arrived at the University of Chicago Law School 35 years
ago this month, Posner had recently vacated his full-time
professorship at U of C in favor of an Article III position.
Nevertheless, he continued to teach classes in Hyde Park. His
influence on campus remained ubiquitous. Some professors (e.g.,
William Landes and Frank Easterbrook) continued to develop
Posner's law and economics analysis. Even professors who
