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Spring 2015

ISSN 0890-913X

Volume 30, Number 1

Categories: Spring 2015 | Law

Bruno Leoni's Legacy and Continued Relevance

Todd Zywicki , George Mason University School of Law

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TheJournalofPrivateEnterprise30(1),2015,131–141BrunoLeoni’sLegacyandContinuedRelevanceToddZywicki∗GeorgeMasonUniversitySchoolofLaw______________________________________________________AbstractInhisfamousbookFreedomandtheLaw,originallypublishedin1961,ItalianlawyerandeconomistBrunoLeoniaskedwhether,overthelongrun,asocietyandlegalsystempremisedprimarilyonlegislativelawmakingcouldsustainasystemofindividualliberty,orwhethersuchasystemrequiredacommon-law-stylefoundationtosupportit.Inthisarticle,IevaluateLeoni’schallengeandfindthathispredictionsaboutthenatureofalegislative-centeredlegalsystemnotonlyaremorerelevantthanever,butthatrecenttendenciestowardextremeandarbitrarylaw-makingbyexecutiveedictareconsistentwiththetrendsandintellectualprinciplesthatLeoniidentifiedmorethanfiftyyearsago.BecausemodernlegaldevelopmentsreflecttheworkingoutofthejurisprudentialprinciplesthatLeoniidentifiedfiftyyearsago,Leoni’swarningsaremorerelevanttodaythaneverbefore.______________________________________________________JELCodes:B3,K00,K1Keywords:BrunoLeoni,F.A.Hayek,commonlaw,legislation,spontaneousorder,judicialprocessI.IntroductionThisyearmighthavebeenBrunoLeoni’s101stbutforhistragicmurderin1967.1LeoniwasanItalianlawyer-cum-academicwhowasoneofEurope’sleadingclassicalliberalthinkersinthepostwarera.Friendtotheleadingclassicalliberalsoftheage—includingF.A.Hayek,JamesM.Buchanan,andArmenAlchian—Leoniwasnot∗IwouldliketothankLibertyFundforitssupport;AlbertoMingardi,RichardReinsch,andJeremyShearmurforcomments;andChaimMandelbaumforresearchassistance.ThisarticleisadaptedfromToddZywicki,“WhenFriedrichHayekMetBrunoLeoni,”publishedJuly17,2014,attheLibraryofLawandLibertywebsite.1Leoni,asanattorney,lookedaftertheinterestsofafriend’sfamily.Leonidiscoveredthatoneofhisfriends’employeeswasstealingfromhisfriend.OntheeveningofNovember21,1967,hewenttoseetheemployeeandtoldhimtoreturnthemoneyorbedenounced.TheemployeerespondedbykillingLeoni.“L’incredibilestoriadiBrunoLeoniraccontatadasuafigliaDidi”[“TheincrediblestoryofBrunoLeonitoldbyhisdaughterDidi”],inIlFoglio,November30,2007.131

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Title	Bruno Leoni's Legacy and Continued Relevance
Authors/Creators:	Todd Zywicki , George Mason University School of Law
Year:	2015
Volume:	30
Number:	1
Pages:	131 - 141
Publisher:	The Association of Private Enterprise Education
ISSN:	0890-913X
Document Type:	Articles
Keywords:	Bruno Leoni, F. A. Hayek, common law, legislation, spontaneous order, judicial process

Citation:
Zywicki, Todd / 2015. "Bruno Leoni's Legacy and Continued Relevance." The Journal of Private Enterprise, 30(1): 131-141.