Founder
The legal community lost a giant this week. Judge Richard Posner died on November 10, 2026, at the age of 87. President Reagan appointed him to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, where he served from 1981 to 2017.
The man was a machine. In 36 years on the bench, he wrote more than 3,300 opinions, along with dozens of books. He also taught at the University of Chicago Law School. He is considered the most-cited legal scholar of the twentieth century, and many consider him among the most influential judges in the country outside the Supreme Court.
I had the honor of clerking for Seventh Circuit Judge William J. Bauer, and I encountered Judge Posner on numerous occasions in chambers. While he certainly suffered no fools, his approach to cases-for all his intellectual brilliance-was cemented in common sense. Much like Judge Bauer. Often, Judge Posner rankled lawyers because his approach to issues would bypass the complexities and intricacies of laws, regulations, and precedent, and be a distilled to a simple question-“does this make sense.” His real-world approach to judging was refreshing. I also had the honor of arguing a number of times before Judge Posner. I always felt like David challenging Goliath. And while he was tough, he was fair. Judge Posner left an indelible mark on the Seventh Circuit and his legacy will live on for generations. He will be missed.