All Topics  
Richard Epstein

 
Richard Epstein

   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link






 

Richard Epstein



 
 
Richard Allen Epstein (born April 17, 1943) is the James Parker Hall Distinguished Service Professor of Law
LAW

LAW may refer to:* Anti-tank warfare, e.g. the US Army M72 LAW or the British Army LAW 80*Palestinian Society for the Protection of Human Rights ...
, the Faculty Director for Curriculum, and the Director, Law and Economics Program at the University of Chicago Law School
University of Chicago Law School

The University of Chicago Law School, having recently celebrated its centennial in the 2002-2003 school year, has established itself as a high profile part of the University of Chicago....
. He is also an Adjunct Scholar at the Cato Institute
Cato Institute

The Cato Institute is a libertarian think tank headquartered in Washington, D.C.The Institute's stated mission is "to broaden the parameters of Public policy debate to allow consideration of the traditional United States principles of limited government, individual liberty, free markets, and peace" by striving "to achieve greater involveme...
, and the Peter and Kirsten Bedford Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution
Hoover Institution

The Hoover Institution on War, Revolution and Peace is a public policy think tank and library founded in 1919 by future U.S. president Herbert Hoover....
. Since 2007, he has been a visiting professor of law at New York University School of Law
New York University School of Law

The New York University School of Law is the law school of New York University. Established in 1835, the school offers the Juris Doctor, LL.M., and J.S.D....
, and will be joining as a permanent faculty member in 2010.






Discussion
Ask a question about 'Richard Epstein'
Start a new discussion about 'Richard Epstein'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum



Encyclopedia


Richard Allen Epstein (born April 17, 1943) is the James Parker Hall Distinguished Service Professor of Law
LAW

LAW may refer to:* Anti-tank warfare, e.g. the US Army M72 LAW or the British Army LAW 80*Palestinian Society for the Protection of Human Rights ...
, the Faculty Director for Curriculum, and the Director, Law and Economics Program at the University of Chicago Law School
University of Chicago Law School

The University of Chicago Law School, having recently celebrated its centennial in the 2002-2003 school year, has established itself as a high profile part of the University of Chicago....
. He is also an Adjunct Scholar at the Cato Institute
Cato Institute

The Cato Institute is a libertarian think tank headquartered in Washington, D.C.The Institute's stated mission is "to broaden the parameters of Public policy debate to allow consideration of the traditional United States principles of limited government, individual liberty, free markets, and peace" by striving "to achieve greater involveme...
, and the Peter and Kirsten Bedford Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution
Hoover Institution

The Hoover Institution on War, Revolution and Peace is a public policy think tank and library founded in 1919 by future U.S. president Herbert Hoover....
. Since 2007, he has been a visiting professor of law at New York University School of Law
New York University School of Law

The New York University School of Law is the law school of New York University. Established in 1835, the school offers the Juris Doctor, LL.M., and J.S.D....
, and will be joining as a permanent faculty member in 2010. Epstein is considered one of the most influential legal thinkers of modern times.

Born in New York
New York

The State of New York is a U.S. state in the Mid-Atlantic States and Northeastern United States regions of the United States and is the nation's List of U.S....
, he has written on a wide variety of legal topics, and is known for a generally libertarian approach to issues in legal theory. Epstein is well-known for his arguments against anti-discrimination
Discrimination

Discrimination toward or against a person or group is the treatment or consideration based on class or category rather than individual merit. It is usually associated with prejudice....
 laws, among other positions. At the Law School, Epstein is known for his cheerful, talkative manner as well as his confident views.

Books authored

Perhaps his most well-known work is Takings: Private Property and the Power of Eminent Domain, published by Harvard University Press
Harvard University Press

Harvard University Press is a publishing house, a division of Harvard University, that is highly respected in academic publishing. It was established on January 13, 1913....
 in 1985. In that book, Epstein argues the government should be regarded with the same respect as any other private entity in a property dispute. Though U.S. Senator Joseph Biden denounced the book during the confirmation hearings
Clarence Thomas Supreme Court nomination

On July 1, 1991 President George H.W. Bush nominated Clarence Thomas for the Supreme Court of the United States to replace Thurgood Marshall, who had announced his retirement....
 of Clarence Thomas
Clarence Thomas

Clarence Thomas is an American jurist. He has served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States of the Supreme Court of the United States since 1991, the second African American to serve on the nation's highest court ....
 for Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States

Associate Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States are the members of the Supreme Court of the United States other than the Chief Justice of the United States....
, the book served as a focal point in the argument about the government's ability to control private property.

The book has also influenced how some courts view property rights and has been cited by the United States Supreme Court in four cases, including Lucas v. South Carolina Coastal Council
Lucas v. South Carolina Coastal Council

Lucas v. South Carolina Coastal Council, Case citation , was a case in which the Supreme Court of the United States established the "total takings" test for evaluating whether a particular regulatory action constitutes a regulatory taking that requires compensation....
 from 1992.

Education

Epstein graduated summa cum laude
Latin honors

Latin honors are Latin phrases used to indicate the Grade with which an academic degree was earned. This system is primarily used in the United States, though some institutions also use the English translation of these phrases rather than the Latin originals....
 from Columbia
Columbia University

Columbia University in the City of New York , is a private university in the United States and a member of the Ivy League. Columbia's main campus lies in the Morningside Heights, Manhattan neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan, in New York City....
 with a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts

Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin language Artium Baccalaureus, is an Undergraduate education bachelor's degree awarded for either a course or a program in either the liberal arts, the sciences or both....
 in 1964. He received a B.A. in jurisprudence
Jurisprudence

Jurisprudence is the theory and philosophy of law. Scholars of jurisprudence, or legal philosophers, hope to obtain a deeper understanding of the nature of law, of legal reasoning, legal systems and of legal institutions....
 from Oxford in 1966 (with first-class honours
British undergraduate degree classification

The British undergraduate degree classification system is a grade scheme for undergraduate degrees in the United Kingdom. The system has been applied in other countries, such as India, the Republic of Ireland, Kenya, South Africa, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Malta and Canada....
). He graduated cum laude from Yale Law School
Yale Law School

Yale Law School, or YLS, is the law school of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1843, the school offers the Juris Doctor, Master of Laws, Doctor of Laws#United States, and Master of Studies in Law degrees in law....
 with an LL.B. in 1968. He began his teaching career at the University of Southern California Law School
University of Southern California Law School

The University of Southern California Law School , located in Los Angeles, California, is a graduate school within the University of Southern California....
.

Politics

Epstein has said that when voting, he chooses "anyone but the Big Two" who are "just two members of the same statist party fighting over whose friends will get favors"; he has voted Libertarian. Epstein says he is "certainly a Calvin Coolidge
Calvin Coolidge

John Calvin Coolidge, Jr. was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States . A Republican Party lawyer from Vermont, Coolidge worked his way up the ladder of Massachusetts state politics, eventually becoming governor of that state....
 fan; he made some mistakes, but he was a small-government guy."

Books Epstein has written or edited

  • 2007 (editor, with Michael Greve
    Michael Greve

    Michael Greve is the John G. Searle Scholar and Director of the Federalism Project at the American Enterprise Institute. He is also a member of the board of directors of the Competitive Enterprise Institute....
    ). Federal Preemption: States' Powers, National Interests. AEI
    American Enterprise Institute

    The American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research is a Conservatism in the United States think tank, founded in 1943. According to the institute its mission is "to defend the principles and improve the institutions of United States Freedom and democratic capitalism — limited government, Private sector, individual liberty an...
     Press.
  • 2006. How Progressives Rewrote the Constitution. Cato Institute.
  • 2006. Overdose: How Excessive Government Regulation Stifles Pharmaceutical Innovation. Yale University Press
  • 2004. Cases and Materials on Torts, 8th ed. Aspen Law & Business., 7th. ed. Aspen Law & Business. 1995, 6th ed., Little, Brown & Co. 1990, 5th ed., Little, Brown & Co.
  • 2003. Skepticism and Freedom: A Modern Case for Classical Liberalism. University of Chicago Press
    University of Chicago Press

    The University of Chicago Press is the largest university press in the United States. It is operated by the University of Chicago and publishes a wide variety of academic titles, including The Chicago Manual of Style, dozens of academic journals, including Critical Inquiry, and a wide array of advanced monographs in the academic field...
    .
  • 2001 (with Cass Sunstein
    Cass Sunstein

    Cass R. Sunstein is an United States law scholar, particularly in the fields of constitutional law, administrative law, environmental law, and law and behavioral economics....
    ). The Vote: Bush, Gore & the Supreme Court. University of Chicago Press.
  • 2000 (editor). Liberty, Property and the Law (5 Volumes, with series introduction and volume introductions). Garlard Press.
  • 1999. Torts. Aspen Law & Business.
  • 1998. Principles for a Free Society: Reconciling Individual Liberty with the Common Good. Perseus.
  • 1997. Mortal Peril: Our Inalienable Right to Health Care? Addison-Wesley.
  • 1995. Simple Rules for Complex World. Harvard University Press.
  • 1993. Bargaining with the State. Princeton University Press
    Princeton University Press

    The Princeton University Press is an independent Academic publishing with close connections to Princeton University. Its mission is to disseminate scholarship within academia and society at large....
    .
  • 1993. Torts Supplement for Epstein, Cases and Materials on Torts. Little, Brown Inc.
  • 1992. Forbidden Grounds: The Case Against Employment Discrimination Laws. Harvard University Press.
  • 1992 (edited with Geoffrey R. Stone
    Geoffrey R. Stone

    Geoffrey R. Stone is an American law professor. He is currently the Edward H. Levi Distinguished Service Professor of Law at the University of Chicago Law School....
     & Cass R. Sunstein). The Bill of Rights in the Modern State. University of Chicago Press.
  • 1987. Supplement to Cases and Materials on Torts. Little, Brown & Co.
  • 1985 (edited with Jeffrey Paul). Labor Law and the Employment Market. New Brunswick: Transaction Press.
  • 1985. Takings: Private Property and the Power of Eminent Domain. Harvard University Press.
  • 1984 (with C. Gregory and H. Kalven). Cases and Materials on the Law of Tort, 4th ed. Little, Brown.
  • 1981. Supplement to Cases and Materials on the Law of Tort. Little, Brown.
  • 1980. Modern Products Liability Law. Quorum Books of the Greenwood Press.


See also

  • Brigham-Kanner Property Rights Conference
    Brigham-Kanner Property Rights Conference

    The Brigham-Kanner Property Rights Conference began in 2004 at the Marshall-Wythe School of Law at the College of William & Mary. Annually the Brigham-Kanner Property Rights Conference awards the Brigham-Kanner Property Rights Prize to an individual whose work has advanced the cause of property rights and has contributed to the overall aware...
  • Libertarian theories of law
    Libertarian theories of law

    Libertarian theories of law build upon liberalism#classical liberalism and individualist anarchism doctrines.The defining characteristics of libertarian legal theory are its insistence that the amount of government intervention should be kept to a minimum and the primary functions of law should be enforcement of contracts and social order,...


External links

  • , interview in Reason
    Reason (magazine)

    Reason is a libertarianism monthly magazine from the Reason Foundation.Reason was founded in 1968 by Lanny Friedlander as a more-or-less monthly Mimeograph machine publication....
     by Steve Chapman
  • Epstein discusses Overdose: How Excessive Government Regulation Stifles Pharmaceutical Innovation on EconTalk
    EconTalk

    EconTalk is a weekly podcast hosted by professor Russell Roberts at George Mason University. The talk consists of Roberts interviewing a guest--often a professional economist--while discussing topics in economics....
  • Epstein discusses Wal-Mart
    Wal-Mart

    Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. is an American Public company that runs a chain of large, discount department stores. It is the world's largest public corporation by revenue, according to the 2008 Fortune Global 500....
     on EconTalk
  • Epstein discusses organ donation on EconTalk
  • , Hoover Institution's Uncommon Knowledge with Peter Robinson, October 29, 2006