Associate Justice of The Supreme Court
In 1965, Lyndon Johnson, then President, persuaded Supreme Court Justice Arthur Goldberg to resign his seat to become Ambassador to the United Nations so that he could appoint Fortas, his longtime friend, to the Court. Johnson thought that some of his Great Society reforms could be ruled unconstitutional by the Court, and he felt that Fortas would let him know if that was to happen. Johnson and Fortas did collaborate while Fortas was a justice; Fortas co-wrote Johnson's 1966 State of the Union speech.
On the Court, Fortas was particularly concerned with children's rights. Fortas dissented when the Court upheld some public intoxication laws.
In 1968, Fortas authored a book titled, Concerning Dissent and Civil Disobedience which was criticized by historian Howard Zinn in his book Disobedience and Democracy: Nine Fallacies on Law and Order.
Among Fortas's legal clerks were:
- Walter B. Slocombe, future under-Secretary of Defense.
- John L. Ray, future lawyer, Democratic party politician in Washington, D.C., and at-large member of the Council of the District of Columbia.
- Martha A. Field, future Langdell Professor of Law at Harvard Law School. Noted scholar of constitutional law, family law, and issues bioethics.
Read more about this topic: Abe Fortas
Famous quotes containing the words supreme court, associate, justice, supreme and/or court:
“The Supreme Court would have pleased me more if they had concerned themselves about enforcing the compulsory education provisions for Negroes in the South as is done for white children. The next ten years would be better spent in appointing truant officers and looking after conditions in the homes from which the children come. Use to the limit what we already have.”
—Zora Neale Hurston (1891–1960)
“To associate with other like-minded people in small, purposeful groups is for the great majority of men and women a source of profound psychological satisfaction. Exclusiveness will add to the pleasure of being several, but at one; and secrecy will intensify it almost to ecstasy.”
—Aldous Huxley (1894–1963)
“Through tattered clothes great vices do appear;
Robes and furred gowns hide all. Place sin with gold,
And the strong lance of justice hurtless breaks:
Arm it in rags, a pigmy’s straw does pierce it.”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)
“We must know, if only in order to learn not to know. The supreme lesson of human consciousness is to learn how not to know. That is, how not to interfere.”
—D.H. (David Herbert)
“In the court of the movie Owner, none criticized, none doubted. And none dared speak of art. In the Owner’s mind art was a synonym for bankruptcy.... The movie Owners are the only troupe in the history of entertainment that has never been seduced by the adventure of the entertainment world.”
—Ben Hecht (1893–1964)