Baseball and the Rule of Law

Most cultures have a new year of some kind; a season of beginning. For lawyers who are baseball fans, there are two beginnings, two seasons. The first season begins in April, and begins to wind down in October. That is of course, the baseball season. But, with baseball finished, we can turn to the Court, and watch it with a keen eye. The Court\u27s season continues to build to its climax in the Spring. Just as the baseball season is beginning its slow opening, the Court overwhelms us in the spring with what sometimes seems to be an avalanche of opinions. And, the Court closes down just in time for baseball to pick up again. I begin with two large propositions: first, that Americans, whatever we may think of the government or authority, develop an abiding respect for judges and the courts through our national pastime. Second, that the game of baseball, as played and watched in the United States, fosters both an understanding of the rule of law and a respect for that system. Baseball fans who have never heard of common-law adjudications or constitutional jurisprudence nevertheless have an appreciation for both