William J. Brennan Jr.

William J. Brennan Jr.
Official portrait of United States Supreme Court justice William J. Brennan Jr.
Official portrait, 1972
Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
In office
October 16, 1956 – July 20, 1990[1]
Nominated byDwight D. Eisenhower
Preceded bySherman Minton
Succeeded byDavid Souter
Associate Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court
In office
April 1, 1951 – October 13, 1956
Nominated byAlfred E. Driscoll
Preceded byHenry E. Ackerson Jr.[2]
Succeeded byJoseph Weintraub
Personal details
Born
William Joseph Brennan Jr.

(1906-04-25)April 25, 1906
Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
DiedJuly 24, 1997(1997-07-24) (aged 91)
Arlington, Virginia, U.S.
Resting placeArlington National Cemetery
Political partyDemocratic
Spouses
  • Marjorie Leonard
    (m. 1927; died 1982)
  • Mary Fowler
    (m. 1983)
Children3
Education
Signature
Military service
AllegianceUnited States
Branch/serviceUnited States Army
Years of service1942–1945
Rank Colonel

William Joseph Brennan Jr. (April 25, 1906 – July 24, 1997) was an American lawyer and jurist who served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1956 to 1990. He was the seventh-longest serving justice in Supreme Court history, and was known for being a leader of the Court's liberal wing.[3]

Born in Newark to Irish immigrant parents, Brennan studied economics at the University of Pennsylvania and then attended Harvard Law School. He entered private legal practice in New Jersey and served in the U.S. Army during World War II. He was appointed in 1951 to the Supreme Court of New Jersey. Shortly before the 1956 presidential election, President Dwight D. Eisenhower used a recess appointment to place Brennan on the Supreme Court. Brennan won Senate confirmation the following year. He remained on the Court until his retirement in 1990, and was succeeded by David Souter.

On the Supreme Court, Brennan was known for his outspoken progressive views, including opposition to the death penalty as he dissented in more than 1,400 cases in which the Supreme Court refused to review a death sentence, and support for abortion rights and gay rights. He authored numerous landmark case opinions, including: Baker v. Carr (1962), establishing that the apportionment of legislative districts is a justiciable issue; New York Times Co. v. Sullivan (1964), which required "actual malice" in libel suits brought by public officials; Eisenstadt v. Baird (1972), which established a legal right to contraception for unmarried people and helped solidify the sexual revolution; and Craig v. Boren (1976) which established that laws which discriminate on the basis of sex are subject to heightened scrutiny under the Equal Protection Clause.

Due to his ability to shape a wide variety of opinions and bargain for votes in many cases, he was considered to be among the Court's most influential members. Justice Antonin Scalia called Brennan "probably the most influential Justice of the [20th] century."[4][5]

  1. ^ "Justices 1789 to Present". Washington, D.C.: Supreme Court of the United States. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  2. ^ "HENRY ACKERSON OF JERSEY COURT". The New York Times. December 11, 1970. Archived from the original on October 21, 2017. Retrieved October 20, 2017.
  3. ^ Liptak, Adam (May 7, 2009). "Souter's Exit Opens Door for a More Influential Justice". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 17, 2023.
  4. ^ Brennan, Patricia (October 6, 1996), "Seven Justices, On Camera", The Washington Post, archived from the original on November 19, 2018, retrieved April 21, 2010
  5. ^ Antonin Scalia - Charlie Rose, retrieved October 17, 2022