Dr Laurance Jerrold’s recent article and commentary (Jerrold L. Limits to the standard of care. Am J Orthod Dentofacial Orthop 2011;139:858-9) was, as always, most thoughtful and timely. I very much appreciate his special expertise in the law and his talent for making legal topics relevant and even approachable to non-attorney readers.

I noticed a minor misstatement that found its way into the published text of this article. Although it is undoubtedly true that Judge Learned Hand is one of the most noted legal authorities in this nation’s history, he was not one of “the most famous US Supreme Court justices.” Learned Hand never served on the highest court in the land, although he did serve on the US District Court for the Southern District of New York and later on the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Hand’s reputation is such that he has been quoted more often than any other lower-court judge by legal scholars and by the Supreme Court of the United States.

Thank you for the opportunity to clarify this point of history.