Legal Commentary

We are building, at Notre Dame, a really nice new law-school building.  The building has occupied, for the 9 years I've been here, an almost religious place in the life and conversations of the faculty ("Someday, my child, there will be a new building, and then the lion will lie down with the lamb," etc.).  It was sometimes hard to resist -- as it must have been for those religious enthusiasts who spent the night out in the cold, expecting the Second Coming -- losing the faith.  Anyway, it's really happening, and we are moving in over the Christmas break. 

Our new offices will be smaller.  And, our stuff is being moved by a moving company.  So . . . we are being encouraged to be ruthless in recycling / throwing stuff out.  It's fun, but hard.  How many Criminal Law casebooks do I need?  What about the 20 or so linear feet of friends' reprints?  My bar-review notes?  Ten years of The Green Bag?  Research files on writing projects that -- let's be honest -- I abandoned 8 years ago?  It's really tempting just to dump it all, and start over.  ("I don't need any of this . . . except this ashtray, this paddle game . . .  that's all I need.)