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NEW YORK, NY, November 26, 2003— New York Law School Professor Edward Purcell has been selected to receive the Order of the Coif Triennial Book Award from the Association of American Law Schools for his book, Supreme Court Justice Louis D. Brandeis’s opinion in the 1938 landmark case Erie Railroad Co. v. Tompkins resulted in a significant relocation of power from federal to state courts. Purcell’s book examines how the Erie case provides a window on the legal, political, and ideological battles over the federal courts in the 20th century. It also offers an in-depth study of Brandeis’s constitutional jurisprudence and evolving legal views. This award recognizes works published during the designated three-year period that evidence creative talent of the highest order. Purcell will share this honor with Professor Charles W. McCurdy of the University of Virginia, for his book, The Anti-Rent Era in New York Law and Politics, 1839-1865. Purcell’s book previously was awarded an American Bar Association Silver Gavel Certificate of Merit, as well as the Triennial Griswold Prize from the Supreme Court Historical Society in 2001. This award is considered a tremendous honor and achievement, and is awarded only to a very select group of legal scholars. Purcell joins the ranks of illustrious past recipients including G. Edward White, Gerald Gunther, Robert Ellickson, Ronald Dworkin, Guido Calabresi, Lawrence Tribe, James Willard Hurst, John Rawls, Grant Gilmore, Brainerd Currie, and John Hart Ely. The award will be presented at the AALS Annual Meeting in Atlanta in January. One of the nation’s foremost authorities on the history of the United States Supreme Court and the federal judicial system, Purcell first became intrigued by Justice Brandeis almost 30 years ago when he wrote a review of the first two volumes of the Justice’s letters. Purcell is the Joseph Solomon Distinguished Professor of Law, a chair established by the family and friends of the late Joseph Solomon, a 1927 graduate of New York Law School. # # # |
