Amsterdam

Anthony Amsterdam is an incredible lawyer who has tirelessly, (com)passionately, and masterfully battled the death penalty for over four decades. He successfully argued Furman v. Georgia, in which the Supreme Court held that the state's arbitrary and inconsistent (read: capricious and racially discriminatory) application of capital punishment violated the Eighth Amendment. My law journal recently dedicated its annual dedication issue to him. It was inspiring to hear various colleagues and students of his pay tribute. It made me wish I'd prepared for a career in appellate litigation. Amsterdam began his acceptance speech with one of many attempts at modestly stemming the tide of praise, roughly: "In the story of Paul Bunyan, which the panelists have reworked, he was accompanied by Babe the Blue Ox. So it is not surprising that they have given you such a load of bull!" Far from it, apparently.