Today in Supreme Court History: September 10, 1949

9/10/1949: Justice Wiley Rutledge dies.

Justice Wiley Rutledge

Comments

[Dan Schiavetta]

Williams v. Rhodes, 89 S.Ct. 1 (decided September 10, 1968): Stewart, after conferring with other Justices, directs that George Wallace and his "American Independent Party" be put onto the Ohio ballot; the full Court then held that Ohio laws making it almost impossible for third party candidates to get onto the ballot violated Equal Protection, 393 U.S. 23 (Oct. 15, 1968)

Meredith v. Fair, 83 S.Ct. 10 (decided September 10, 1962): Black vacates numerous stays issued by the same judge and allows Meredith, whom the Circuit Court had ruled was wrongfully excluded because of his race, to enroll in the University of Mississippi (Meredith, a Republican from the days when it was still the Party of Lincoln, stayed in the party and served as advisor to people like Jesse Helms; I wonder how much they listened to him)

[The Margrave of Azilia]

Meredith: You have to be a bit eccentric to try to be the first black guy at a Jim Crow college in the "mostly peaceful" Jim Crow South. His memoir was most interesting.

"Ohio laws making it almost impossible for third party candidates to get onto the ballot violated Equal Protection"

And ballot access for third-party and independent candidates has never been a problem again, thanks to the Warren Court.

[Drbusybody]

I appreciate these daily historical tidbits. You should distinguish between a justice dying in office and a retired justice dying.