Litowitz, Douglas. Review of Peter Goodrich, et al., eds. DERRIDA AND LEGAL PHILOSOPHY. NDPR (February 2009).

Goodrich, Peter, Florian Hoffmann, Michel Rosenfeld, and Cornelia Vismann, eds. Derrida and Legal Philosophy. London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2008. This book brings together fifteen essays on Jacques Derrida's approach to justice, law, and politics. It succeeds in demonstrating that Derrida, who died from pancreatic cancer in October of 2004, was not a political nihilist. In fact, he spent much of the last two decades of his life writing about law and justice, and he was deeply concerned about persons who were disempowered and marginalized. This concern was evidenced in his theoretical writings and in his personal commitment to progressive causes. Derrida is not widely considered a major figure in the philosophy of law, but he has definitely impacted the field in two ways. First, during the 1980s, his "deconstructive" strategy for textual analysis was picked up by scholars associated with the critical legal studies movement. Second, a small but devoted group of scholars was profoundly influenced by his 1989 lecture at Cardozo Law School entitled "Force of Law," as well as subsequent books on Marxism, forgiveness, friendship, gifts, and international politics. Therefore a compendium of essays on Derrida's legal philosophy is a laudable project, and this book will be useful for those who are interested in, or already committed to, Derrida's position. . . . Read the rest here: http://ndpr.nd.edu/review.cfm?id=15145.