Justice Hans Linde interrupted a distinguished academic career to serve on the Oregon Supreme Court, where he came to be viewed as one of the two or three most important state court judges in this century. Now in retirement from the bench, Linde continues to make significant scholarly contributions that are vitally enriched by his judicial experiences.In this carefully selected collection of Linde's academic articles and legal opinions, Robert Nagel focuses on the implications of Linde's views and practice for defining a realistic and useful role for judges in helping to preserve the institutions of liberal democracy. In particular, Linde has struggled like few others to conceive of constitutional interpretation in a way that avoids both crimped, irrelevant formalism and unrounded, overly ambitious flights of fancy.This volume makes available for the first time in one place a rich offering of the most important writings of this giant of contemporary jurisprudence. It should be a part of any legal library and will be essential reading for legal scholars, students, practicing lawyers, and judges alike.