Herbert Wechsler (1909–2000) was a legal scholar and former director of the American Law Institute (ALI). He is most widely known for his constitutional law scholarship and for the creation of the Model Penal Code. 1909 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Jump to: navigation, search This article is about the year 2000. ... The American Law Institute (ALI) was established in 1923 to promote the clarification and simplification of American common law and its adaptation to changing social needs. ...

Wechsler entered City College in New York City at the age of 15, graduated at age 18 and enrolled at Columbia Law School, where (at age 20) he served as editor-in-chief of the Columbia Law Review (graduated 1931). After graduation he joined the faculty, then took a one year leave to clerk for Justice Stone of the Supreme Court. Jerome L. Greene Hall, home of the Arthur W. Diamond Library. ... History and Background The Columbia Law Review is a leader in legal scholarship in the United States and around the world. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1931 is a common year starting on Thursday. ...

In 1940 Wechsler went to Washington D.C. to work for the Justice Department. He argued five cases in front of the Supreme Court during that period. After World War II, Wechsler served as "chief technical adviser" to the American judges at the Nuremberg war crimes tribunals and returned to Columbia, where he remained for the rest of his life. Jump to: navigation, search 1940 was a leap year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... Jump to: navigation, search World War II was a truly global conflict with many facets: immense human suffering, fierce indoctrinations, and the use of new, extremely devastating weapons such as the atom bomb World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a mid-20th-century conflict that... Nuremberg coat of arms Location of Nuremberg Nuremberg (German: Nürnberg) is a city in the German state of Bavaria, in the administrative region of Middle Franconia. ...

In 1959 Wechsler delivered a lecture at Harvard Law School entitled Toward Neutral Principles of Constitutional Law, which is one of the most heavily cited pieces in legal scholarship. Jump to: navigation, search 1959 was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Jump to: navigation, search Harvard Law School (HLS) is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. ...

In 1964 Wechsler argued the seminal case New York Times v. Sullivan in front of the U.S. Supreme Court, in which Justice Brennan, writing for a unanimous Court, held that the First and Fourteenth Amendments barred awards of damages to a public official for defamation relating to his official conduct unless he proves "actual malice." Jump to: navigation, search 1964 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Holding The First Amendment, as applied through the Fourteenth, protected a newspaper from being sued for libel in state court for making false defamatory statements about the official conduct of a public official, because the statements were not made with knowing or reckless disregard for the truth. ... The Supreme Court Building, Washington, D.C. The Supreme Court Building, Washington, D.C., (large image) The Supreme Court of the United States, located in Washington, D.C., is the highest court (see supreme court) in the United States; that is, it has ultimate judicial authority within the United States... William Joseph Brennan (April 25, 1906 - July 24, 1997) was an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. ...

Wechsler then became director of the ALI. During his tenure at the ALI, Wechsler oversaw the creation of the Model Penal Code.

Works

Herbert Wechsler, Toward Neutral Principles of Constitutional Law, 73 Harv. L. Rev. 1 (1959)