The Myth of Neutrality: Hidden Moral and Political Choices in Law

Constitutional and political discourse in the United States often upholds the ideal of judicial neutrality as a virtue. But recent legal scholarship has begun to question this idea as a cover for hidden visions of economic and power distribution in the United States, particularly under the ideology of “neoliberalism.” 

Can legal decisions truly be neutral? What are some important cases or doctrines that are just choosing sides under the pretext of impartiality? What unexpressed moral and political choices are being made by lawmakers today? How should we as future lawyers, judges and government officials think about such choices? 

Join Columbia Law ACS Student Chapter and the Law & Political Economy Society as we welcome Professors Jed Purdy and Kendall Thomas as they seek to answer these crucial legal questions.