A greater affront to the ideal of protecting robust criticism of government could scarcely be imagined

In October, it looked like the Fisher decision would fiercely split the Court. Instead, today's compromise will make race-conscious admissions slightly harder, but not impossible.

HAROLD J. LASKI was for twenty-four years Professor of Political Science at the University of London, and for eleven of those years a member of the Executive Committee of the British Labor Party. In his political activities Mr. Laski became involved in a libel suit which proved to be one of the most notable in the long history of British law. Among his papers after his death was found this unforgettable account which Mr. Laski had written of his days in court. For a proper understanding of the circumstances that led up to the trial we have turned to Judge Charles E. Wyzanski, Jr., of the U.S. District Court of Massachusetts, whose foreword follows.