Deeper Than God: Ronald Dworkin's Religious Atheism - NYTimes.com

Dworkin had some influence on my jurisprudential thinking in law school but ultimately even though I was fond of his attitudes and goals I found him less than satisfyingly.

"Ronald Dworkin, a professor of law and philosophy at New York University, was arguably the most influential legal philosopher of the past 50 years. Dworkin, who died in February, was (and will continue to be) known for his critique of positivism, a view of law that locates its authority in what is “on the books” — what has been enacted by those who are in a position to back up their pronouncements with sanctions and penalties, including the loss of property and life. Dworkin argued that here must be more than that; there must be an underlying or overarching set of values in relation to which legal particulars are intelligible and have meaning."