R.I.P. Ran Hirschl

Ran Hirschl was a pathbreaking scholar, an even better human being, and an even better friend. Words cannot capture his impact on scholarship and on the lives of the numerous scholars he touched. The excerpts from a letter on his behalf are a weak attempt to do justice to him and his legacy. They remain in the present tense because through his works, example, and encouragement, Ran will always be with him.Hirschl is the leading thinker on comparative constitutionalism in the world. No political scientist in the public law field, no political scientists in the comparative government field, no law professor, and no member of any other discipline has come close to his achievements. Each of Professor Hirschl’s books is acknowledged as path-breaking. No one knows more about constitutional developments in different parts of the world. No one has done more to inspire the contemporary renaissance in comparative constitutionalism. No one has played a greater leadership role in this comparative…