As an observer of this remarkable conversation, one could not help but sense that the bicentennial gathering at Harvard Law School was far more than a celebration of age. It was, instead, a meditation on what the law has been, what it is, and what it must continue to become.
Setting And Atmosphere: Sanders Theatre
Held at Sanders Theatre, the dialogue unfolded not as a scripted ceremony but as a living exchange of memory, wit, self-doubt, and conviction.
Voices And Legacy Of Legal Education
Deans, scholars, students, alumni, and an extraordinary assembly of sitting and retired justices of the Supreme Court of the United States collectively traced a two-hundred-year journey of legal education that has shaped constitutional democracies far beyond the borders of the United States.
From a Radical Experiment to a Global Institution
When Harvard Law School opened its doors in 1817, it was a fragile experiment—six students, two faculty members, and an uncertain future. The United States itself was still an experiment: nineteen states, a Constitution under stress, and institutions finding their voice after revolution and war.
Listening to the reflections shared during the bicentennial, one realizes that the school’s survival was never guaranteed. There were years when the faculty dwindled to one and the student body to a single enrollee.
Yet, perseverance transformed vulnerability into vision. Today, Harvard Law School stands as a global legal crossroads, educating students from dozens of countries and influencing courts, legislatures, and public life worldwide.
Early Fragility: Key Facts
| Aspect | Early Years | Contemporary Status |
|---|---|---|
| Students | As few as one enrollee | Students from dozens of countries |
| Faculty | Dwindled at times to one | Large, diverse, global faculty |
| Institutional Role | Uncertain experiment | Global influence on law and public life |
Law as an Intellectual and Moral Calling
What emerged repeatedly in the conversation was a shared belief that law is not merely a technical craft. From Justice Joseph Story in the nineteenth century to modern jurists, the school has insisted that a lawyer must understand history, literature, economics, human emotion, and moral consequence.
This idea was powerfully reinforced by reflections on “disinterestedness”—not indifference, but the capacity to argue fiercely while listening generously.
- The law teaches disagreement without hostility.
- It enables confrontation of ideas without personal animus.
- It encourages the search for truth without arrogance.
That ethos explains why Harvard’s influence has never been confined to a single ideology. Graduates of the school have often stood on opposing sides of the most contentious constitutional debates—yet shared a common respect for reasoned dialogue.
Diversity, Memory, and Institutional Self-Correction
One of the most striking moments in the conversation was the acknowledgment of history’s shadows alongside its triumphs. The memorialization of enslaved persons whose labor helped fund early professorships, and the recollection of exclusion faced by women and minorities, underscored a crucial truth: great institutions endure not by denying their past, but by confronting it honestly.
The journey from exclusion to inclusion—from denied admissions to leadership by women and racial minorities—illustrates how legal institutions evolve alongside constitutional morality.
Harvard Law School’s story here mirrors the broader arc of constitutional democracies striving, imperfectly, toward equality.
The Supreme Court Connection: Debate and Doubt
The presence of multiple Supreme Court justices on the same stage was symbolic, but their remarks were revealing in a deeper sense. They spoke less about power and more about humility—about doubt as a virtue rather than a weakness.
Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. emphasized that the free exchange of ideas and intellectual humility are the twin pillars of constitutional adjudication. Justice Elena Kagan, drawing from her experience as a teacher and advocate, highlighted the importance of clarity, listening, and candor—qualities essential not only in courtrooms, but in democratic life itself.
For an observer trained in another constitutional tradition, these reflections resonate deeply. Courts do not command legitimacy by certainty alone, but by restraint, openness, and respect for disagreement.
Students, Service, and the Law in Action
Equally compelling was the discussion of students—not as passive recipients of elite education, but as active participants in public service. Through legal aid clinics, human rights advocacy, veterans’ assistance, and community engagement, students were portrayed as custodians of law’s moral purpose.
This emphasis aligns with a universal constitutional insight: the legitimacy of law depends not only on doctrine, but on service to real people. Behind every case file lies a human story—a principle that judges and lawyers alike must never forget.
Nearly Old, Yet Always Becoming
Perhaps the most profound takeaway from the bicentennial conversation was the idea that age, in law, is relative. Two hundred years does not signify exhaustion, but proximity—closer to reason, closer to justice, closer to the ideals that law aspires to serve.
As an observer, one is left with the sense that Harvard Law School’s true legacy lies not in numbers or prestige, but in cultivating a habit of mind: debate over dogma, doubt over certainty, humility over hubris.
In an era of polarized discourse and institutional skepticism, that habit may be among civilization’s most precious gifts.
Written By: Adv. Tarun Choudhury is an advocate and legal commentator associated with the Supreme Court of India, and the founder member of LegalServiceIndia.com. He writes on constitutional law, legal institutions, and comparative legal traditions.
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