Professor Yale Kamisar: "awesome".

• Author: Edwards, Harry T.
• Position: Testimonial

Yale Kamisar arrived in Ann Arbor in the fall of 1965, just after I graduated from the University of Michigan Law School, so I never had him as a teacher. We were colleagues, however, for almost ten years during the 1970s when we were both members of the Michigan faculty. And we have remained good friends ever since.

When the editors of the Michigan Law Review asked me if I would submit a "tribute" to Professor Kamisar commemorating his retirement from the faculty, I was happy to accept the invitation. Yale is one of my heroes in the academy--he is the consummate "Law Professor" in all the best senses of the title. And he has been a loyal and caring friend, cheering me on at every stage of my career even when I left Ann Arbor, first to teach at Harvard Law School and then to join the bench. There is no way that I would have passed up an opportunity to pay tribute to my friend and colleague.

Our lives have been intertwined for many years. We have been allies on numerous policy issues (curriculum, faculty hires, and student admissions) that came before the law school faculty. Yale never shied from a good battle in a faculty meeting, so he was great to have on your side. We have played tennis together. Yale wasn't very good, but he beat me regularly because he had the advantage of practicing with his three sons, all of whom were outstanding players. We have argued endlessly over the fortunes of Michigan's football and basketball teams, neither giving quarter to the other. We have enjoyed delightful lunches and dinners together, laughing over some of the follies of teaching and debating world affairs. We have shared the stage at conferences addressing the work of the Supreme Court. And we have traded numerous articles and ideas over the years. In all of our encounters, I have always learned from Yale.

The moments I remember most are the occasions when Yale would barge into my office at the law school yelling something like: "Did you see what the Supreme Court just did!" or "Have you read that editorial in the New York Times today!" or "That faculty meeting was terrible!" Almost everything he said ended with an exclamation mark. Questions were merely rhetorical. His energy was boundless. He cared deeply about his teaching, about his scholarship, about the law school as an institution, about his colleagues on the faculty, about his students, about his family, and all manner of things--especially with respect to criminal justice--that affected the welfare of society.

I have always believed that Yale Kamisar has had an inestimably great impact on his students and that he is seen to be an extraordinary teacher, scholar, and commentator. I decided to test my assumptions by surveying some of my former law clerks and one close friend, all of whom graduated from the University of Michigan Law School. My survey included fourteen respondents who graduated from Michigan between 1975 and 2001. One respondent graduated in the 1970s, seven graduated in the 1980s, four graduated in the 1990s, and two graduated after 2000. Eight of the fourteen respondents were Editorsin-Chief of the Michigan Law Review; most graduated at or near the top of their class; nine served as law clerks at the Supreme Court; ten are now practitioners; and four are law professors. I asked each respondent to answer three questions:

(1)Tell me whether you had Professor Kamisar as a teacher when at the University of Michigan.

(2) Give a "'one word" description of Professor Kamisar-the word that, in your view, best captures the man.

(3) Write a short paragraph telling me how you would assess Professor Kamisar's contributions as a teacher, and/or scholar, and/or criminal law commentator, and/or leader at the University of Michigan.

Twelve of the fourteen respondents had Professor Kamisar for at least one law school class. The two respondents who did not have Yale as a teacher knew him well in connection with their work on the Michigan Law Review. The words used by his former students to describe Professor Kamisar were, not surprisingly, very similar: passionate (cited five times); provocative; exuberant; forceful; unforgettable; unyielding; intellectually rigorous; endearing; institution; hilarious; intense; kitten; and, my favorite, awesome.

The paragraphs assessing Professor Kamisar's contributions as a teacher, scholar, criminal law commentator, and leader at the University of Michigan are wonderfully revealing. With their comments listed in the order of their dates of graduation--starting with the earliest graduate--here is what some of Professor Kamisar's former...