In the penultimate chapter of this excellent book, Steven M. Teles contrasts the prevailing moods at two public interest law fi rms which he regards as among the top achievements of the conservative legal movement (or CLM, as I shall abbreviate it). At the Center for Individual Rights (CIR), the founders “d[o] not believe that history [i]s on their side,” liberalism having “already corrupted the fundamental forms of law, politics, and society.” This “dark, sardonic” mood contrasts markedly with the “sunny optimism” at the Institute for Justice (IJ)...