Learned Hand

Billings Learned Hand (1872–1961) was an American jurist widely regarded as one of the most influential federal judges never to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court. Appointed in 1909 to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, he later joined the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, where he served for decades and became chief judge. Hand was known for lucid, pragmatic opinions on constitutional law, free speech, antitrust, and administrative regulation, and his writings helped shape modern American legal reasoning. His judicial philosophy emphasized restraint, careful statutory interpretation, and respect for democratic governance.