Judge Richard Posner, mentioned here before, is a Senior Judge on the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, where he has served for almost 33 years. He still teaches at the University of Chicago, part-time, and he’s written almost 40 books and hundreds and hundreds of articles. The Journal of Legal Studies says he’s the most cited legal scholar of the 20th century.

Appellate court judges like Judge Posner are charged with making sure that in lower court proceedings, rules got followed. Months or a year or more later, they function as the instant replay. They check the trial judge, making sure he or she called things properly, and that any missed calls matter with respect