When William J. Brennan stepped down from the Supreme Court in 1990, he received a chorus of extravagant praise not heard since Earl Warren retired in 1969. And when Brennan died last year, there was bestowed upon him the rhetorical equivalent of a state funeral. The general sense of these glowing…

When William J. Brennan stepped down from the Supreme Court in 1990, he received a chorus of extravagant praise not heard since Earl Warren retired in 1969. And when Brennan died last year, there was bestowed upon him the rhetorical equivalent of a state funeral. The general sense of these glowing…