Today in Supreme Court History: October 9, 1954

10/9/1954: Justice Robert H. Jackson dies.

Justice Robert H. Jackson

Comments

[F.D. Wolf]

Between 1946 and 1954, five justices died in office: Stone (1946), Murphy (1949), Rutledge (1949), Vinson (1953), and Jackson (1954).

Fifty-one years would pass until another justice died in office, Rehnquist in 2005. Since then, two other justices have died in office, Scalia in 2016 and Ginsberg in 2020.

[Malika la Maize]

According to his Wiki:

Jackson was the most recent U.S. Supreme Court justice who did not earn a law degree. He was admitted to the bar via the older tradition of an internship under an established lawyer ("reading law") after studying at Albany Law School for a year.

[Frank Drackman]

So you’re saying I’ve got a chance?!
Has a Sawbones ever served with the Surpremes? Alot of the Founding Fathers were “Renaissance Men” like Moi, of course I already know the answer to my question, as I “read” Law with the great Perry Mason, Ben Matlock, and Denny Crane (Denny Crane!)

Frank

[Bob from Ohio]

Yes, Dr. Samuel Freeman Miller.

Lincoln appointment.

[Stupid Government Tricks]

Denny Crane was the only reason I had for watching that show. He was a hoot!

[JoeFromtheBronx]

Many people, including Robert Jackson, thought he would play a more significant role on the Court. He was a leading legal figure in the FDR Administration. The Court instead broke into competing camps. Jackson often was in the Frankfurter camp.

Jackson assumed FDR promised him a Chief Justice position if it opened. Things turned out differently. Jackson was overseas, being a Nuremberg prosecutor, when the CJ died. He feared his rival, Hugo Black, would get the position.

Truman went with a third option. As noted in the first comment, multiple justices died over a relatively short time. They were not old. It would be interesting to imagine what would happen if they continued to serve like Douglas and Black.