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Abe Fortas
Abe Fortas (1910-1982) was a Justice on the Supreme Court of the United States. He joined the court in 1965 after being nominated by Lyndon Johnson. Prior to joining the court, Fortas was a private practice attorney. Fortas served during The Warren Court. He resigned on May 14, 1969, and passed away on April 5, 1982.[1]
Fortas was one of two nominees of President Johnson's confirmed to the Supreme Court. Fortas was a confidant of President Johnson and was nominated Chief Justice of the Supreme Court in 1968. Support for the nomination was withdrawn after it was revealed in the Senate Judiciary Committee that Fortas received a significant sum to teach a summer course at American University. The nomination was ultimately filibustered and Fortas asked Johnson to withdraw the nomination.[2]
Fortas resigned from the court after a deal made with the foundation of Louis Wolfson, a former client who was later convicted of security violations, became public. For providing advice, Fortas received a $20,000 annual retainer for life. According to Politico, Fortas was the first Supreme Court Justice to resign under the threat of impeachment.[3]
Education
Fortas received his A.B. degree from Southwestern College in Memphis in 1930 and his LL.B. from Yale Law School in 1933.[1]
Professional career
- 1969-1982: Attorney, private practice
- 1965-1969: Justice, Supreme Court of the United States
- 1946-1965: Attorney, private practice
- 1942-1946: United States Undersecretary of the Interior
- 1941-1942: Director, Division of Power, United States Department of the Interior
- 1939-1941: General Counsel for the Bituminous Coal Division, Public Works Administration
- 1937-1939: Assistant Director of the Public Utilities Division, Securities and Exchange Commission
- 1935-1937: Assistant Director of the Corporate Reorganization Study, Securities and Exchange Commission
- 1934-1939: Assistant professor of law, Yale Law School
- 1933-1934: Assistant Chief of the Legal Division, Agricultural Adjustment Administration[1]
Judicial nominations and appointments
Supreme Court of the United States
Fortas was nominated to the Supreme Court by Lyndon B. Johnson on July 28, 1965, to a seat vacated by Justice Arthur Goldberg. Fortas was confirmed by the Senate on August 11, 1965, and received his commission that same day. He resigned from the Court on May 14, 1969.[1] He was succeeded to this post by Justice Harry Blackmun.
See also
External links
- Research Collections of Abe Fortas from the Federal Judicial Center
- Fortas Oral History Information from the Federal Judicial Center
Footnotes
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by: Arthur Goldberg |
Supreme Court 1965–1969 Seat #3 |
Succeeded by: Harry Blackmun
|
| |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 |
Anderson • Bratton • Christie • Collins • Cowen • Davis • Ely • Freedman • Gordon • Higginbotham • McNichols • Muecke • Nichols • Port • Rabinovitz • Robinson • Simons • Suttle • Weber • Whelan • Zampano | ||
| 1965 |
Bryant • Celebrezze • Coffin • Coleman • Collinson • Corcoran • Doyle • Eubanks • Fortas • Frankel • Gasch • Gibson • Gordon • Harris • Hemphill • Hill • Hunter • Landis • Langley • Leventhal • Maxwell • McEntee • Mehrtens • Nichol • Reynolds • Russell • Smith • Tamm • Thornberry • Young | ||
| 1966 |
Ainsworth • Atkins • Boyle • Cabot • Cassibry • Copple • Craven • Cummings • Dyer • Fairchild • Feinberg • Ferguson • Fullam • Garrity • Godbold • Goldberg • Goodwin • Gray • Guinn • Harvey • Hauk • Heaney • Heebe • Hickey • Hogan • Kaufman • Kinneary • Krentzman • Lay • Leddy • Lord • Lynch • MacKenzie • Mansfield • McCree • McRae • Mitchell • Motley • Napoli • Nichols • Noland • Peck II • Peckham • Pettine • Pittman • Porter • Real • Roberts • Robinson • Robinson • Rubin • Russell • Scott • Seals • Seitz • Simpson • Singleton • Skelton • Smith • Smith • Taylor • Thomas • von der Heydt • Watson • Winter • Wise | ||
| 1967 |
Arnow • Beckworth • Belloni • Butzner • Cancio • Carter • Clayton • Combs • Comiskey • Curtin • Eaton • Edenfield • Fernandez-Badillo • Gesell • Gordon • Jones • Keith • Kellam • Lambros • Maletz • Marshall • Masterson • Merhige • Morgan • Murray • Neville • Pollack • Pregerson • Theis • Troutman • Van Dusen • Waddy • Weiner • Weinstein • Whipple • Williams | ||
| 1968 |
Aldisert • Baldwin • Bownes • Bright • Green • Gubow • Henderson • Holloway • Hufstedler • Judd • Justice • Keady • Kerner, Jr. • Lasker • Latchum • Lawrence • McMillan • Morgan • Newman • Nixon • Pratt • Re • Rosenstein • Schwartz • Smith • Stahl • Travia • Woodward | ||
