Richard Posner

Richard Posner is a renowned American legal scholar and retired federal judge, born in 1939. He had a distinguished career in the judiciary, serving on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit from 1981 to 2017. During his tenure, he held the position of chief judge from 1993 to 2000, having been initially appointed by President Ronald Reagan. Prior to his judicial career, Posner was a law professor at the University of Chicago, where he developed his academic expertise.

Posner's scholarly work has had a profound impact on the legal field, earning him recognition as the most-cited legal scholar of the 20th century, according to The Journal of Legal Studies. As of 2021, he retains this distinction, being the most-cited American legal scholar of all time. His influence on legal scholarship is widely acknowledged, and he is regarded as one of the most influential legal scholars in the United States. Although his work has intersected with economics, his primary field of expertise is law, where his contributions continue to be highly regarded.