In 1940, Attorney General Robert H. Jackson gave a speech about federal criminal law that remains a classic of criminal law, and, I would argue, about the legal system generally. It’s just a wonderful speech, and I’ve been a fan of it for years. (Indeed, when I was at DOJ, I used most of the last paragraph of text as my screensaver for a while.)
Anyway, I didn’t realize that a copy of the address was available online, so I’m happy to say that Jackson scholar John Q. Barrett has posted a copy with a brief introduction: Robert H. Jackson, The Federal Prosecutor, 31 Am. Inst. Crim. L. & Criminology 3 (1940-1941). Worth a read and a re-read.
Incidentally, very long-time readers of this blog may remember that I posted excerpts of the speech here before, back in February 2003. (Wow, have I really been blogging for more than 5 years?)