Hon. Richard S. Arnold, R.I.P.

I was blessed, after law school, with the opportunity to work for a brilliant and decent man, Judge Richard S. Arnold of the United States Court of Appeals. He died late last night, after a long struggle with cancer and related complications.

The Judge was humane, wise, and devout. I'd encourage any MOJ readers who are law students to track down (on Westlaw, etc.) one of the many tributes to the Judge that have been written over the years. There are few like him. In terms of the law, he was an old-school liberal who admired both Justice Black and Justice Brennan, and a textualist with originalist leanings who loved and respected Justice Scalia; he was a "strict separationist" who really did believe that such a legal regime was essential to preserving religious freedom; he was passionately committed to fairness and to the dignity and rights of litigants and defendants; he knew that the law should be just, yet knew also that judges cannot right every wrong. His writing was at the same time elegant and simple, clear and memorable.

On a more personal level, he was a southern gentleman -- dignified, unfailingly gracious, and inspiringly considerate. He studied scripture daily, took long retreats with monks, saw God at work in the world. He advised and taught my wife and me about law, but also about faith and family.

God bless him.

Here is Howard Bashman's post on the news, with a link to the local paper's story.

Rick