Professor of law at the University of Chicago
See also: FreedomPedia

Richard Allen Epstein (born 17 April 1943) is an American legal scholar best known for his writings and studies on classical liberalism, libertarianism, torts, contracts and a wide variety of topics in law and economics. Epstein is currently the Laurence A. Tisch Professor of Law and director of the Classical Liberal Institute at New York University, the Peter and Kirsten Bedford Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, and the James Parker Hall Distinguished Service Professor of Law emeritus and a senior lecturer at the University of Chicago.
Home Page
Reference
Epstein, Richard A. (1943-), by Aaron Steelman, The Encyclopedia of Libertarianism, 15 Aug 2008
Biographical essay
Biographical essay
"Richard A. Epstein, a law professor and legal theorist, teaches at the University of Chicago Law School and is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. He is one of the leading legal scholars in the United States and a prominent libertarian author. Epstein's work on eminent domain brought him fame when Senator Joseph Biden held up a copy of Epstein's book Takings during the 1991 confirmation hearings of Clarence Thomas to the U.S. Supreme Court. ... Epstein also has challenged established wisdom on employment discrimination laws, arguing that government intervention in employment contracts is unnecessary and even undesirable."
Images
TheAdvocates.org - Richard Epstein
200x274 JPEG, grayscale
200x274 JPEG, grayscale
Awards Received
1992 Szasz Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Cause of Civil Liberties, granted by Center for Independent Thought, Thomas S. Szasz Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Cause of Civil Liberties, 1992
Associations
Adjunct Scholar, Cato Institute
Peter and Kirsten Bedford Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution
Research Fellow, Independent Institute
James Parker Hall Distinguished Service Professor of Law, University of Chicago
Web Pages
Richard Epstein - Libertarian
Advocates for Self-Government
Advocates for Self-Government
Articles
An End to Eminent Domain Abuse?, by George Leef, Future of Freedom, Apr 2005
Published just two months before the unfortunate Kelo v. City of New London U.S. Supreme Court decision, expressed hope that the court would rectify the 1954 Berman v. Parker ruling
Published just two months before the unfortunate Kelo v. City of New London U.S. Supreme Court decision, expressed hope that the court would rectify the 1954 Berman v. Parker ruling
"A devastating amicus curiae brief has been submitted by three Cato Institute legal scholars and University of Chicago law professor Richard Epstein, a long-time critic of eminent domain whose book Takings was first published in 1985. ... The Cato/Epstein brief hits the bull's eye in observing that eminent-domain cases like this one 'result in a systematic unfairness to the individuals who are forced to sacrifice their property to some fuzzy vision of the public good.'"
Law, Property Rights, and Air Pollution, by Murray Rothbard, Cato Journal, 1982
Examines the principles of tort law, how to determine what is just property and how to deal with invasions of property such as air pollution
Examines the principles of tort law, how to determine what is just property and how to deal with invasions of property such as air pollution
"In a brilliant analysis of causation in the law, Professor Epstein has demonstrated that his own theory of strict tort liability is intimately connected to a direct, strict, commonsense view of 'cause.' Causal proposition in a strict liability view of the law takes such form as, "A hit B,' 'A threatened B,' or 'A compelled B to hit C.'"
Related Topics: Randy Barnett, Cancer, Ethics, Law, Personal Responsibility, Property, Property Rights, Freedom of Speech
On the Origins of the Modern Libertarian Legal Movement [PDF], by Roger Pilon, Chapman Law Review, 2013
Historical survey of libertarian influences on constitutional and other areas of law, from the mid-1970s to recent decisions
Historical survey of libertarian influences on constitutional and other areas of law, from the mid-1970s to recent decisions
"But the lawyers also were at work at their end of the project, and none more productive or insightful than the man who arrived across the Midway a year after I got to Chicago, Richard Epstein. No stranger to philosophy—his undergraduate major at Columbia, my own alma mater—Epstein was at the time developing his theory of strict liability in torts, which dovetailed nicely with the Lockean understanding of rights, even as it contrasted with his colleague Richard Posner's negligence approach to torts."
Writings
Life of Liberty: Robert Nozick, R.I.P., National Review Online, 24 Jan 2002
Memorial tribute, comparing Nozick to Hayek and discussing some of the arguments he made in Anarchy, State and Utopia
Memorial tribute, comparing Nozick to Hayek and discussing some of the arguments he made in Anarchy, State and Utopia
"As teacher, friend, and colleague in no particular order, he was a restless intellectual capable of enlivening every discussion with a bewildering blitz of questions that always left you one step behind. ... Nozick was, as far as I know not trained as a lawyer ..., but his ceaseless curiosity and imagination allowed him to develop by intuition a theory of justice in holdings that followed closely on the legal approach to these problems."
Interviews
Takings Exception: Maverick legal scholar Richard Epstein on property, discrimination, and the limits of state action, by Richard Epstein, Steve Chapman, Reason, Apr 1995
Questions range from libertarian ideas, Epstein's book Takings, the Dolan v. City of Tigard case and more
Questions range from libertarian ideas, Epstein's book Takings, the Dolan v. City of Tigard case and more
"We know that in the old days of the Polish parliament, which required unanimous votes, they often got unanimity by taking the lone dissenter and throwing him out the window. On the other hand, rampant majoritarianism means that 51 percent can indeed confiscate the wealth of all 49 percent, which is what you get under the New Deal."
Books Authored
Bargaining With the State, 1993
Partial contents: Theoretical Foundations: The Problem of Coercion - Government Relations Within a Federal System - Economic Liberties and Property Rights - Positivie Rights in the Welfare State
Partial contents: Theoretical Foundations: The Problem of Coercion - Government Relations Within a Federal System - Economic Liberties and Property Rights - Positivie Rights in the Welfare State
Related Topic: The State
- ISBN 069104273X
: Hardcover, Princeton University Press, 1993
- ISBN 0691001553
: Paperback, Princeton University Press, New edition, 1995
Forbidden Grounds: The Case Against Employment Discrimination Laws, 1992
Related Topic: Labor
- ISBN 0674308085
: Hardcover, Harvard University Press, 1992
- ISBN 0674308093
: Paperback, Harvard University Press, Reprint edition, 1995
Free Markets Under Siege: Cartels, Politics and Social Welfare, 2003
Contents: Modern Justifications for Classical Liberalism - Between Socialism and Libertarianism - Competition and Cartels - Agricultural Markets, Protectionism, and Cartels - Cartels in Labor Markets - The Importance of Getting the Easy Cases Right
Contents: Modern Justifications for Classical Liberalism - Between Socialism and Libertarianism - Competition and Cartels - Agricultural Markets, Protectionism, and Cartels - Cartels in Labor Markets - The Importance of Getting the Easy Cases Right
Related Topic: Free Market
- ISBN 0255365535
: Paperback, Institute for Economic Affairs, 2003
- ISBN 0817946128
: Paperback, Hoover Institution Press, 2005
Mortal Peril: Our Inalienable Right to Health Care?, 1997
Related Topic: Health Care
- ISBN 0201136473
: Hardcover, Addison Wesley Publishing, 1997
- ISBN 0738201898
: Paperback, Perseus Books Group, 2000
Principles for a Free Society: Reconciling Individual Liberty With the Common Good, 1998
Partial contents: Natural Law: The Utilitarian Connection - Social Norms versus Legal Commands - Harm: The Gateway to Liability - The Benefit Principle - Altruism: Its Uses and Limits - Forfeiture: The Flip Side of Rights - Boundaries: Firm and Fuzzy
Partial contents: Natural Law: The Utilitarian Connection - Social Norms versus Legal Commands - Harm: The Gateway to Liability - The Benefit Principle - Altruism: Its Uses and Limits - Forfeiture: The Flip Side of Rights - Boundaries: Firm and Fuzzy
Related Topic: Individual Liberty
- ISBN 0201136465: Hardcover, Addison-Wesley, 1998
- ISBN 0738200417
: Hardcover, Perseus Books, 1998
- ISBN 0738208299
: Paperback, Perseus Publishing, New edition, 2002
Simple Rules for a Complex World, 1995
Related Topic: Law
- ISBN 0674808207
: Hardcover, Harvard University Press, 1995
- ISBN 0674808215
: Paperback, Harvard University Press, New edition, 1997
Skepticism and Freedom: A Modern Case for Classical Liberalism, 2003
- ISBN 0226213048
: Hardcover, University Of Chicago Press, 2003
- ISBN 0226213056
: Paperback, University Of Chicago Press, 2004
Takings: Private Property and the Power of Eminent Domain, 1985
Related Topic: Eminent Domain Protections
- ISBN 0674867289
: Hardcover, Harvard University Press, 1985
- ISBN 0674867297
: Paperback, Harvard University Press, Reprint edition, 2005
The introductory paragraph uses material from a Wikipedia article, which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.