The Totalitarianism of Mr. Justice Holmes: Another Chapter in the Controversy

The debate between the adherents of the natural law and the advocates of positive law is perennial. Much of the controversy has centered about the legal philosophy of Justice Holmes, who has perhaps become the best-known and most beloved jurist in American history. Holmes the man and judge is universally admired, but Holmes the philosopher has been the object of much criticism. Mr. Palmer, who has been one of the leaders of the party attacking Holmes' skepticism and disbelief in an absolute moral law, answers two of Holmes' defenders in this article.