Rookie on the Bench: The Role of the Junior Justice

When Samuel Alito took his seat on January 31, 2006, Stephen G. Breyer finally moved up a rung in seniority, ending the longest reign as a junior Justice in modern Supreme Court history. Breyer served as the rookie Justice for eleven years and 181 days, just twenty-nine days short of breaking the record achieved by Joseph Story in 1823. It was not until the appointment of Smith Thompson to replace Brockholst Livingston that the Marshall Court accommodated a new Justice, altering the cosy boarding-house living arrangement that had existed for nearly twelve years (see Table 1 ).

Table 1. Longest-Serving Junior Justices

Louis D. Brandeis: Advocate Before and On the Bench

On January 3, 1916, members of the Chicago Bar Association listened attentively as one of the country's best-known attorneys and reformers rose to speak to them. No one in the audience, not even their guest of honor, knew that within a few days the President of the United States would nominate him to become a member of the United States Supreme Court. In his speech that day, Louis Dembitz Brandeis spelled out his views on the problems confronting law in a rapidly changing society, and placed much of the blame for social unrest and popular disrespect for the law on judges who refused to recognize the economic and social developments taking place all around them:     

A Voice from behind the Bench: Recollections of a Supreme Court Page

Frank Lyman was 13 years old when he was selected as a Supreme Court page. He served five years, from September 1923 until the spring of 1928, when he became too tall and was forced to leave the page corps. Mr. Lyman served his last two years at the Court as Head Page, supervising the other three pages he worked with.     

The Archbishop of Canterbury,the Episcopal Bench,and the Passage of the 1911 Parliament Act

The passage of the 1911 Parliament Bill ended the power of the British house of lords to veto any legislation passed by the house of commons. Henceforth, it could only delay the passage of a measure. The bill was carried by a mere 17 votes and friction between Unionists who took up die‐hard opposition, advised abstention, or actively sought to aid passage was bitter. The role which the archbishop of Canterbury played in canvassing the episcopal bench and helping to ensure final passage of the bill has not attracted much attention. Prior to the debate, the archbishop advised abstention but did not dissuade others from encouraging bishops to support the bill to help ensure passage. Before the vote, therefore, ‘die‐hards’ opposing any concession to the government, ‘hedgers’ advising Unionist abstention in the vote, and ‘rats’, Unionists willing to vote for the bill to ensure passage despite personal reservations, attempted to sound out and pressure the bishops in their direction. At the debate, the archbishop changed his mind and decided he must support the bill in order to avoid a greater crisis, and 12 other bishops joined him in the government lobby, helping to create the final majority of 17 by which the measure passed. Consideration of the role of the bishops adds to the understanding of the mechanics by which the bill passed, amidst considerable intrigue, pressure and acrimony, as well as further illuminating the extent and intensity of the divisions within the Unionist party at this critical moment.     

《后西游记》与晚明文人价值观的变化趋势

《后西游记》是《西游记》续书中影响较大的一部,虽然沿袭了神魔小说的题材,但是它却和现实贴得很近。作者利用西游故事传达了对现实生活的真切感受,代表着晚明文人的价值观。小说抨击虚伪道德．否定救世的可能性,价值观的最终走向是消极的,而经济发展、社会风气以及思想界的活跃是促成这一变化的主要原因。     

宅兹中国:周人确定“地中”的地理和文化依据

"中国"称谓的形成,当与"地中"(即所谓"天下的中心")这个表述地理方位的概念有关。周代"天下"的范围大致南起广东番禺、北至内蒙阴山、东起山东半岛、西至甘肃渭源,而登封告成恰为其中。这就是周公通过"夏至正午,表长八尺,景尺有五寸"得到的结果,以此判定"地中"的思路是科学的,得到的结果也是可信的。对于"中"的重视来自文王及夏商时期"建中于民"的理念。上古时代形成的"建中于民"的思想深刻影响后世的诸子百家,它甚至在很大程度上成为中国传统文化及其价值观的核心。     

祥和吉庆 如意康宁——浙江翰越堂藏古代艺术品精粹展览侧记

2013年1月18日,“吉祥如意——浙江翰越堂藏古代艺术品精粹”展览在西子湖畔的浙江省博物馆孤山馆区开幕。这是浙江省博物馆近年举办的浙江私人收藏精品系列展览之一,主办方选取了王永良翰越堂3万余件文物艺术品中含有较明确吉祥寓意的精减143件,以为贺岁特展。     

Speaking the Truth to the Power of the Presidency

Abstract

Instead of focusing on what characteristics the next president of the United States should have, we need to focus on the institutional realities of the presidency. Those realities consistently reflect a system dedicated to maintaining the dominance of the United States through economic and military power, and maintaining the ruling elite's control of economic and political power in this country. Persons committed to the practice of the Gospel, especially in solidarity with the poor, must name, confront and resist those institutional and cultural realities. This truth-telling can take many forms, such as life in community with the poor, public speaking, preaching, writing, demonstrations, civil disobedience, and some involvement in electoral politics. All of these will be informed by a realism that struggles faithfully without placing undue hope on presidential politics.     

朝野纠葛:北京政府时期的舆论与外交--以关税特别会议为个案的考察

关于北京政府时期的外交,尽管学术界近来已开始有了较为客观的评价,不过对于其背后因素的考察还有待深入。实际上,在北京政府时期,由于特殊的时代背景,各种社会舆论被全面动员起来,以汹涌澎湃之势冲击着外交这一特殊的政治领域,从而形成了近代史上国民外交的黄金时期。于是,由于中央政府统治的虚弱,在其决策者进行外交运作时,就处处受到来自舆论界的影响,这是一个极为明显的历史特色,通过对当时舆论的考察,就会更深层次地探究北京政府外交的两难境地。笔者在考察时,主要以关税特别会议为个案,以上海舆论为核心,以《申报》、《东方杂志》等报刊为第一手资料。     

论明清之际东北边疆城镇的衰落

文章对明清时期东北边疆城镇兴衰过程进行了探讨。认为由于战略地位的重要和军事斗争的需要 ,明在辽东兴建了大批城镇 ,但至明清之际 ,因后金 (清 )采取了“毁城迁民”的政策 ,明代以来在辽东地区兴起的城镇遭到了毁灭性打击。至康熙中期 ,辽东城镇仍未恢复元气 ,其原因主要在于大量人口的外迁和清在东北实行封禁政策。     

明末清初青花花觚鉴定

觚,新石器时代马家浜化遗址即有陶制品出土,其用途为酒器。夏商较流行,西周后逐渐减少。部分器型仿青铜礼器,多用作陪葬冥器。     

从意大利庞贝古城坍塌事故看龙门石窟的保护

2010年,意大利庞贝古城发生了三次坍塌事故。本文阐述了庞贝古城发生事故原因以及存在的问题,并联系龙门石窟实际,对其存在问题进行了分析,探讨了解决思路,强调了日常保养维护在文物保护工作中的重要性。     

巩固党在农民群众中的执政基础

我们党要扩大社会基础,不仅要关注新的枉会阶层,更要重视农民阶级。在现代化进程中,执政党如果没有农民的支持,其执政地位就不可能巩固。改革开放以来,我国的农民阶级内部出现分化,面临着一系列新的问题,特别农民的生存状况和农村自办组织的发展,对党的执政基础提出了挑战。因此,党要在农村巩固自身的执政基础,就必须采取有效措施减轻农民负担,加强农村党支部建设,吸收优秀农民入党,并引导农村自办组织健康发展。     

想像他者：西方文化视野中的非西方

西方是在与非西方社会的比较中得到更为明确的界定的。在西方的文化视野中,对非西方固然有着某种程度的理性认知,但也不乏充满错觉的想像,即以一种与“自我”不同的“他者”形象不断建构非西方的历史身份,从而创造出一个与真实存在不尽相同的非西方。西方的非西方想像体现了西方对他者的控制与重构,是西方表达自我优越意识的一种霸权话语。文章考察了古典时代至18世纪西方表述他者的话语体系,分析了产生这种想像的文化和社会原因,由此说明西方是怎样逐步形成与非西方对立,并最终取得对后者的优势地位。