Jeff Rosen Reviews Wilkinson’s Cosmic Constitutional Theory

March 18th, 2012

The review in the Times is here.

Nevertheless, this modest book is an invaluable reminder of the lost virtues of bipartisan judicial restraint. For law students and citizens who are frustrated with the way that all the constitutional methodologies fail, in practice, to deliver on their promise of helping judges separate their political views and judicial decisions, Wilkinson’s primer offers a diagnosis of the problem and a self-effacing solution. As he suggests, the great proponents of restraint in the past, like Holmes and Brandeis, embodied a spirit of humility rather than a grand theory; they displayed “modesty” about their own views “and respect for the opinions and judgments of others.” For embodying the same sensibility, Wilkinson’s book is both unusual and inspiring.

Rosen is a BIG FAN of Wilkinson, so no surprise this review is so glowing.