Richard Posner, a former federal appellate judge and University of Chicago law scholar who became one of the most cited legal scholars of the 20th century, died Tuesday.
His death was confirmed by the University of Chicago. He was 87.
Posner made it known he detested jargon-filled legal writing and leaned into practical solutions for complex legal questions in the nearly 3,300 legal opinions he penned during his 36-year stint on the bench. In his lengthy career, and even into retirement, Posner authored more than 60 books and dozens more legal journal articles.
University of Chicago Law School Dean Adam Chilton said: “There has never been a legal scholar quite as prolific, influential, and endlessly curious as Dick Posner.”
“He was a giant whose influence on our legal system, the field of law and economics, and on our law school cannot be overstated,” Chilton said in a statement. “As a law and economics scholar and torts professor, I doubt there has been a week that’s gone by since I started teaching at the Law School where I haven’t talked about one of Dick’s ideas or opinions. We will mourn his loss deeply, and on behalf of the entire Law School community, I extend our deepest condolences to his family.”
Posner’s law journey began as a clerk for Supreme Court Justice William J. Brennan. From 1965 to 1967. He served as assistant to future Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall.
Posner joined the University of Chicago’s law school in 1969, and just four years later, wrote “Economic Analysis of Law,” largely held as an extremely influential book in the field.
By 1978, he was made the Lee and Brena Freeman Professor of Law, a role he held until he was appointed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit by President Ronald Reagan in 1981. Posner served as the chief judge from 1993 to 2000.
Among his thousands of legal opinions were rulings overturning same-sex marriage bans in Indiana and Wisconsin in 2014, along with a 2013 decision to block a Wisconsin abortion ban.
Posner also wrote the majority opinion in a ruling that struck down an Illinois ban on concealed carrying on public transit, a decision state lawmakers later worked around. He also made his disdain for ATF stash house raids known in a 2012 dissent.
He later retired from the bench in 2017, saying he looked forward “to continuing to teach and publish, with a particular focus on social justice reform.”
“I 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,” Posner said in a statement at the time of his retirement.
He is survived by his wife Charlene, two sons and four grandchildren. The details of services are pending.
IUSTITIA.BG – Investigations 2009-2026 2026-11-11 17:58:58
Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law
