Louis Dembitz Brandeis

author

Louis Dembitz Brandeis

1856–1941

A brilliant lawyer, reformer, and Supreme Court justice, he became one of the most influential American legal minds of the early twentieth century. He is especially remembered for championing privacy, free speech, and the idea that the law should serve ordinary people as well as powerful institutions.

2 Audiobooks

The Right to Privacy

The Right to Privacy

by Louis Dembitz Brandeis, Samuel D. (Samuel Dennis) Warren

Other People's Money, and How the Bankers Use It

Other People's Money, and How the Bankers Use It

by Louis Dembitz Brandeis

About the author

Born in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1856, Louis Dembitz Brandeis built a reputation as an unusually gifted lawyer before rising to national prominence as a public advocate for reform. He was known for taking on cases involving workers' rights, fair business practices, and government accountability, earning the nickname "the People's Lawyer."

In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson appointed him to the U.S. Supreme Court, making him the first Jewish justice on the Court. During his years on the bench, he became famous for careful, deeply reasoned opinions and for ideas that shaped modern American law, especially in areas involving privacy, free speech, and limits on concentrated economic power.

Brandeis remained a major public figure even beyond the courtroom. His writings and judicial opinions continued to influence debates about democracy, individual liberty, and the responsibilities of both government and business long after his death in 1941.