5 Reasons We'll Miss Judge Posner
There are some judges that the internet and general public just love. Here at FindLaw, it's pretty clear that we have had two favorites for some time -- the Notorious RBG and Judge Posner -- and one of those two is retiring.
Over the years, we've written 40 blogs where Judge Posner's name appeared in the title, while RBG just barely beat him with 42 blogs with her name in the title (though that number jumps to 53 when you add in the number of times we've used the RGB moniker in a title). Surprisingly, the two are neck and neck in terms of overall site mentions, with RGB coming in at 1,313 and Posner peaking at just over 1,390.
To honor and celebrate our second favorite judge, here are the top 5 reasons why we'll miss the honorable, and awesome, Judge Richard Posner.
1. The Posner Benchslap
If the Pos was known for one thing only, it would likely be his incredible benchslaps. He surely did not tolerate bad lawyering, but so long as it wasn't you getting the judicial opinion-lashing, his benchslaps will like remain the pinnacle and gold standard for generations of judges to come.
2. Calling BS Theories BS
Judge Posner did what we wished we could do sometimes, especially in court: actually call out BS using the proper terminology. If only affluenza teen and the Twinkie defense made it to his courtroom.
3. SCOTUS-who?
Sure, you might disagree with SCOTUS, and even say so publicly. But your opinion doesn't really hold the same weight as a federal circuit court judge. Lucky for you, Posner has likely publicly expressed any negative thoughts you had about the High Court. For instance, he has called the Court "awful" and he even claimed that only a couple justices were qualified to be there. He's also not a fan of the number nine, as he has noted that a larger SCOTUS could be a good thing.
4. Cats!
Um ... we write content on the internet and Judge Posner is a crazy cat person. Nuff said.
5. Solid Analysis
While also being entertaining, Judge Posner's actual legal analysis is consistently spot on, as well as easy to read and understand. He really makes stating the obvious seem both fun and easy.
From all of us here at FindLaw.com: Enjoy retirement Judge Posner, and keep it honorable!
Related Resources:
- Posner Plays With Pro Se Litigant Before Dismissing His Appeal (FindLaw's U.S. Seventh Circuit Blog)
- Posner Scolds Lawyers for Verbosity, 250 Pages of Briefing (FindLaw's Strategist)
- Posner on Academics, SCOTUS, and the Constitution: They All Suck (FindLaw's Greedy Associates)