The University of Chicago Law School Faculty Blog

German Law Journal Publishes David Currie Memorial Issue

Readers of this blog may be interested to know that the December issue of the German Law Journal is a memorial issue in honor of David Currie.

Reprinted below is the editorial introduction to the issue by Russell Miller:

On October 15, 2007, long-time University of Chicago law professor David P. Currie passed away.  He has been rightly celebrated in the intervening year as one of the great lights of his generation in the American legal academy.  He was best known for his comprehensive and highly respected work in American constitutional law, federal courts, conflict of laws and environmental law.  Professor Currie’s work with American law was lovingly recalled in the Chicago Law Review (vol. 75 - Winter 2008) and the Autumn 2007 issue of the Green Bag 2d (the engaging journal he helped reestablish in 1997).  But for a generation of Americans and other English speakers who have come under the thrall of German constitutional law Professor Currie is better known as one of the two great American interpreters of the German Basic Law.  As Peter Quint points out in his contribution to this memorial collection, Currie and Notre Dame’s Donald Kommers produced the definitive scholarly treatments of German constitutional law in English.  Their work remains essential today.  It primarily was the publication of the 1994 book, The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Germany (University of Chicago) that earned Currie his place amongst our leading comparativists.  German Law Journal publishes this memorial to Professor Currie in recognition of this historic contribution.  We are proud to publish two original notes on German constitutional law both of which reflect on Currie’s influence in the field.  We also are proud to republish Markus Dubber’s review of Currie’s book The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Germany.  Finally, it is our honor to republish two of Professor Currie’s seminal articles on German constitutional law.  We have relied upon and admired Professor Currie’s work and we hope to acknowledge with this memorial that the work of the German Law Journal, in no small degree, stands on his shoulders.

David Currie on Military Tribunals

Continuing our series of posts remembering David Currie, we'd like to direct you to a recording of a panel that Professor Currie participated in, entitled "The Legitimacy of Military Tribunals," in 2002. In his presentation, Professor Currie looked at military tribunals during the Civil War and World War II to ask whether such tribunals are constitutional. The recording was archived by the Fathom academic consortium.

David Currie and the Green Bag

As we remember David Currie this week, we've been thinking a lot about his scholarship and teaching. Among his projects in the past decade has been his involvement with the Green Bag 2d, an "entertaining journal of law" created by his students shortly after their graduation from the Law School. Professor Currie has served on the board of advisors of the Green Bag since its inception, and the Green Bag founders acknowledge him as their inspiration in creating it.

A lovely tribute to Professor Currie currently appears on the Green Bag's home page, along with links to two of his celebrated articles from that publications - "Green Bags" (with the inagural citation of 1 Green Bag 2d 1) and "Choosing the Pilot: Proposed Amendments to the Presidential Selection Process, 1809-29," an excerpt from The Jeffersonians volume of his much-lauded Constitution in Congress series.  Both pieces are, needless to say, well worth your time.

David P. Currie, 1936-2007

It is our terribly sad duty to inform you of the death of David Currie on October 15, 2007. Professor Currie had been ill, and a recent turn for the worse brought about hospitalization and his sudden passing.

This is a very sad day for the Law School. Professor Currie taught here for some forty-five years. In that time he did great work, taught many generations of students in magnificent fashion, and exhibited kindness and common sense from the first day to the last. In many ways, David Currie represented all that was good about us. He was a fabulously successful teacher who made his mark not by making things too easy for his students (or colleagues) but rather by holding us all to the same high standards to which he held himself. That he did this with warmth and a twinkle and an occasional reference to Gilbert & Sullivan make his passing especially sad, or perhaps inspiring.

A formal obituary is available at the Law School's website. We hope all who knew him find some comfort in good memories. Those wishing to spend some time with Professor Currie's words today may want to read his address on the occasion of the Law School's Centennial. Those wishing to hear his voice can listen to his wonderful reading of the Constitution of the United States. All are welcome to share their memories of this extraordinary teacher and scholar in the comments.

A Podcast of a Different Color: Currie and the Constitution

Here at the Law School we are ever striving to provide something new, interesting, and fun for you. In this podcast, we think we might have found something unique as well. Our very own David Currie, to mark the occasion of his retirement from the Law School faculty after 44 years, has kindly read the entire text of the United States Constitution aloud for us to record. We have created a web page where you can listen to the recording in its entirety (which you may also do by clicking here), or listen to its component parts. We hope that this page will serve as a resource for educators wishing to enhance their teaching of the Constitution. We could think of no better person to bring this document to life than David Currie - constitutional scholar and actor extraordinaire. The Law School Class of 2006 (who graduated today - see below) received as their graduation gift from the Law School a USB flash drive loaded with this recording. We hope you, and they, will enjoy it.