Today in Supreme Court History: December 27, 1771

12/27/1771: Justice William Johnson's birthday.

Justice William Johnson

Comments

[Dan Schiavetta]

Socialist Workers Party v. Attorney General of the United States, 419 U.S. 1314 (decided December 27, 1974): Marshall denies stay of Circuit Court order; as a result FBI agents are allowed to attend/monitor SWP’s national youth convention; Marshall notes that convention was open to the public, agents would not be disruptive, and if agents were excluded “the potential injury to the FBI’s continuing investigative efforts would be apparent” (unclear what they were investigating) (I wonder how that changed the tone of the convention, with everyone knowing FBI agents were present?)
P.S. Some of the “radicals” at my undergrad college flattered themselves by thinking the FBI was in our midst. If that was really true, it would have been a waste of taxpayer dollars. We were no threat to anything, let alone national security. We were just a harmless, disorganized bunch of idiots. Half of us couldn’t even spell.
My friend (we called him “Rasta John”) was absolutely convinced. Supposedly one could tell a wiretap by a “click” on the phone line. I would be casually talking to him on some mundane matter, and then I would tap my pen against the receiver. “Did you hear that??!” “No. Anyway . . . “ And then I tapped my pen again. He went stark raving nuts. With some people, it’s almost as if you’re being dared.

[SMP0328]

Did he ever find out about your "clicking"?

[Dan Schiavetta]

I don’t think so.

It would have been mean-spirited to do so.

[not guilty]

George Carlin's "Filthy Words" monologue (the subject of FCC v. Pacifica Foundation, 438 U.S. 726 (1978)) included, "A guy who used to be in Washington knew that his phone was tapped, used to answer, Fuck Hoover, yes, go ahead."

[Dan Schiavetta]

We can assume these were children of white families fleeing from the slave revolt of 1804.

[Mr. Bumble]

They had eight biological children. Apparently two died early in life (not uncommon at the time).
No mention is made of who and why they adopted the children from Santo Domingo.

[F.D. Wolf]

William and Sarah Johnson had eight biological children, with only two, Anna and Margaret, surviving into adulthood. Needless to say, this was the cause of much grief for the Johnsons. The two adopted children were John and Madeleine L'Engle. John would end up going to West Point and serve as the executor of Johnson's will.

The Haitian Revolution began as a slave revolt in 1791 against their French masters. By 1804, Haiti had achieved its independence. In that year, Jean-Jacques Dessalines, who would become Emperor Jacques I under the new nation's constitution of 1805, ordered the massacre of the white population, particularly the French. (Certain whites were given amnesty, namely the Germans and the Poles who had assisted the black Haitians in their revolution. Dessalines referred to the Poles as the "White Negroes of Europe.")

Between three and five thousand people were killed, essentially the entire white population of Haiti. Dessalines made no attempt to hide the massacre, choosing instead to proudly advertise it to the world. This did not exactly endear the new country to the community of nations. Haiti has still never really recovered.

The phrase "the horrors of Santo Domingo" became common currency for decades in the American South, including by Chief Justice Roger Taney who said the 1860 presidential election would determine whether they would repeat themselves in this country. Of course, that was highly unlikely as, in Haiti, blacks had greatly outnumbered whites, unlike in the United States. Additionally, the abolition of slavery in other countries, including those of the Caribbean, had largely been achieved peacefully.

[Mr. Bumble]

Thanks for the more complete information.