John Marshall Harlan bio is Nov. 12 topic for Lives in the Law series
United States Circuit Judge Thomas Lee Ambro and author Peter S. Canellos will join the Lewes Public Library’s Lives in the Law lecture series for an online discussion of Canellos’ new biography “The Great Dissenter” at 5 p.m., Friday, Nov. 12, via Zoom.
Spanning from the Civil War to the civil rights movement and beyond, “The Great Dissenter” is a definitive biography of an American hero who stood against all the forces of Gilded Age America to fight for civil rights and economic freedom: Supreme Court Justice John Marshall Harlan (1833-1911). As Harlan saw the country changing and cases challenging his core values, he made a fateful decision to break with his colleagues in fundamental ways, thus becoming the nation’s prime defender of the rights of Black Americans and immigrant laborers. His dissents offered a source of hope for decades – and ultimately built the foundation for the New Deal and civil rights-era legal revolutions.
The event is co-sponsored by Browseabout Books, and hosted by legal scholar and Lewes Public Library Distinguished Lecturer Ronald Collins.
“Much in our consciousness of racial justice under law sprang from the mind and resolve of Supreme Court Justice John Marshall Harlan. In his sobering yet poignant biography, Peter Canellos brings the man and his mission back to life with lessons yet to be learned. Federal Circuit Judge Thomas Ambro, a longtime history buff, will engage Mr. Canellos in a dynamic conversation about his book,” said Collins.
Canellos is an award-winning writer, former editorial page editor of the Boston Globe and executive editor of Politico. He is the editor of the New York Times bestseller, “Last Lion: The Fall and Rise of Ted Kennedy.”
Ambro has served on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit for more than 15 years. Prior to that, he was in private practice for 24 years at the law firm of Richards, Layton & Finger, focusing on bankruptcy and business law.
The discussion is free to the public. Registration is required. To sign up, go to lewes.lib.de.us and visit the adult programs page.
Participants also are encouraged to support the author by purchasing a copy of the book from local independent bookstore Browseabout Books. Each copy purchased comes with an archival bookplate signed by the author. Orders may be placed online at browseaboutbooks.com, by calling the store at 302-226-2665, or in person at 133 Rehoboth Ave., Rehoboth Beach.
