A Conversation Among Legal Biographers

In the most recent issue of Focus on Law Studies, there is a feature entitled, “A Conversation Among Legal Biographers.”

Both Jill Norgren (Belva Lockwood’s biographer) and Joan Biskupic (Sandra Day O’Connor’s biographer) are interviewed in the article.

Norgren describes the difficulties of her work: “As with all projects, this one had elements of good news — no biographer had yet succeeded in the research necessary to produce a serious work — and bad news — no writer had produced a biography because, at the time of her death, many of her papers were apparently given to the Salvation Army to be made into pulp paper.  No diaries, no law office logbooks,  and no transcripts of interviews with people who knew Lockwood survived her.”

And, Biskupic has a funny story to share:  “Since writing the first biography, I have remained in touch with Justice O’Connor — I thought she would be intrigued by the fact that I was now focusing on someone who could be considered her judicial rival.  But when I told her that I was writing about Justice Scalia, she said, “Can’t you just wait until we’re dead!?”

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