Summary of Thomas Healy's The Great Dissenter

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Sample Book Insights: #1 The story of Holmes's journey toward enlightenment is a tale of how he spent the majority of his life as a judge, and how he enjoyed it. He was a judge because it gave him the opportunity to indulge his taste for abstraction, while still being able to keep his hands clean. #2 Holmes's reputation was mixed in 1918.
He was a great judge, but he was also a bit obscure, and he provided insufficient guidance to lower courts. He was beginning to feel as though his life's work had been worthwhile. #3 The war was a source of strain for Holmes, as he had no qualms about the United States' entry into the European conflict. He avoided the newspapers, and tried not to talk or write about the war. He spent his time renewing his boyhood passion for art. #4 The second case was an appeal from a Toledo newspaper that had been convicted of contempt by a federal judge for questioning his handling of a pending case.
Holmes argued that the conviction was unjustified, but his argument was that federal law required the judge to submit the matter to a jury rather than render the verdict himself.