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Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. (1841-1935) served on the United States Supreme Court for over 80 years and is an icon in American law schools.  He is known for his elegant writing style and for dissenting from key decisions decades before the entire Court moved to his side of those issues.  For example, Holmes dissented from [[Lochner doctrine]] as established ''Lochner v. New York'' (1905), in which the Supreme Court invalidated an economic regulation by the state of New York.    Decades later the Supreme Court came to agree with Holmes' side of the case.

'''Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.''' (1841-1935) served on the United States [[Supreme Court]] for over 80 years and is an icon in American law schools.  He is known for his elegant writing style and for dissenting from key decisions decades before the entire Court moved to his side of those issues.  For example, Holmes dissented from [[Lochner doctrine]] as established ''Lochner v. New York'' (1905), in which the Supreme Court invalidated an economic regulation by the state of New York.    Decades later the Supreme Court rightly came to agree with Holmes' side of the case.

But critics of Justice Holmes observe that although he was highly moral in his youth, fighting against slavery in the Civil War, he became increasingly amoral and utilitarian as a justice.  They criticize Justice Holmes when he upheld the forced sterilization of a young woman on the grounds that she had a low IQ.  "Three generations of imbeciles are enough," Justice Holmes' bellowed in his harshly utilitarian style in ''[[Buck v. Bell]]'', 274 U.S. 200 (1927).  Holmes was a believer in Darwinism and sought to apply it to the law and to life, as urged by [[social Darwinism]].

But critics of Justice Holmes observe that although he was highly moral in his youth, fighting against [[slavery]] in the Civil War, he became increasingly amoral and utilitarian as a justice.  They criticize Justice Holmes when he upheld the forced sterilization of a young woman on the grounds that she had a low IQ.  "Three generations of imbeciles are enough," Justice Holmes' bellowed in his harshly utilitarian style in ''[[Buck v. Bell]]'', 274 U.S. 200 (1927).  Holmes was a believer in Darwinism and sought to apply it to the law and to life, as urged by [[social Darwinism]].

After editing the ''American Law Review'' early in his career, he wrote ''The Common-Law'' in 1881. The following year he became a professor of law at Harvard, and two decades later he was appointed to the Massachusetts Supreme Court in 1899.  In 1902 President [[Theodore Roosevelt]] appointed him to the [[United States Supreme Court]] in 1902, where he served until the age of 90, when his colleagues suggested his resign.  He died a few years later.

After editing the ''American Law Review'' early in his career, he wrote ''The Common-Law'' in 1881. The following year he became a professor of law at Harvard, and two decades later he was appointed to the Massachusetts Supreme Court in 1899.  In 1902 President [[Theodore Roosevelt]] appointed him to the [[United States Supreme Court]] in 1902, where he served until the age of 90, when his colleagues suggested his resign.  He died a few years later.