In Memoriam: Norval Morris (1923-2004)

Perhaps Norval Morris' most important example for an aspiring criminal law professor was how he regarded his field and his work. He believed in the importance and integrity of academic work. Unlike some academic lawyers, he never treated academic work as a game or as a vehicle for showing off his brilliance. He cared passionately about justice, about our justice institutions, about the people who work in the criminal justice system, and especially about those on the receiving end of the criminal justice system. Norval Morris was, and still is, an important element in American legal culture. His vision, his perspectives, his concerns, and his tenderness are part of our legal learning and our legal thinking. In the legal academy, being practical and experience-based are not usually regarded as cardinal virtues. In the imaginative hands of Norval Morris, however, such worldly insights were at the core of brilliantly original scholarship.