FORTAS: The Rise and Ruin of a Supreme Court Justice

Captures the saga of a brilliant career gone sour in a chronicle of the nation's first Jewish Supreme Court Justice, who was forced to resign in disgrace, and examines newly acquired evidence concerning the case

Abe Fortas (1910-1982) was one of Washington's most powerful lawyers when President Lyndon Johnson appointed him to the Supreme Court in 1965. After serving three years as an associate justice, Fortas was nominated by Johnson to replace retiring Chief Justice Earl Warren. The 1968 confirmation hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee (which biographer Murphy calls a witch hunt) became the political spectacle of the year as Fortas's conflict-of-interest/extrajudicial activities were exposed to the limelight, and he became the focal point for long-simmering liberal vs. conservative resentments. The Senate refused to vote on the nomination, and Fortas was forced to resign from the Court following the disclosure of a compromising financial arrangement with convicted millionaire Louis Wolfson. Ironically, Fortas had firmly declined both the 1965 and 1968 nominations but was overwhelmed by LBJ's powers of persuasion. His reputation in tatters (his old law firm, which he co-founded, refused to take him back), Fortas practiced private law until his death. Murphy is also author of The Brandeis-Frankfurter Connection. Photos. First serial to the Washingtonian.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Murphy ( The Brandeis/Frankfurter Connection ) offers a fascinating political biography of Fortas's governmental and private legal careers. The author carefully explores critical junctures in Fortas's career, his intuitive knowledge of federal government operations, and his intimate political relationship with Lyndon Johnsonas representative, senator, and president. Murphy gives revealing evidence about President Johnson's negotiations to nominate Fortas for the Supreme Court, and about Fortas's role in Johnson's decisions concerning the Vietnam War. He describes his subject's forced resignation from the Supreme Court with compassion. An outstanding analysis of Fortas and the Washington political environment. Highly recommended. Steven Puro, St. Louis Univ.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.