Judge Robert Hanson should be impeached Sep 27, 2007
" Justice William O. Douglas: "The right to be let alone, is indeed the beginning of freedom. " Jefferson said, "Let me hear no more about about having trust and confidence in men of government, but rather bind them down by the chains of the Constitution. (Sioux City Journal, IO)
Court Bashing Aug 6, 2007
signs sprang up like crabgrass attacking the Chief Justice who made the ruling in Brown possible and then-House Minority Leader Gerald Ford suggested that Justice William O. Douglas ought to have been impeached for having allowed excerpts from a book written by the Justice to appear alongside pornographic material. But politicization of the judiciary is contrary both to Constitutional principle and -- at its most basic level -- contrary to the fundamental basis of democracy. (Human Events Online)
High Court has no rules governing health Aug 3, 2007
The clearest example of a justice's declining health affecting the workings of the court is William O. Douglas. "Most justices of that era did step down when they were seriously ill or incapacitated. Not Douglas," Howard said. (Yahoo News -- Politics)
Chief justice leaves hospital Aug 1, 2007
"Justice Rehnquist was overly optimistic about his recovery from cancer ... and William O. Douglas stayed on the court many months even though he was completely incapacitated.". "Frankly, I don't think the court helps itself when it says something like 'fully recovered' and 'there is no cause for concern' within hours of this illness happening," he added. (CNN -- Law)
Supervisors need to let sun shine in Jun 8, 2007
ecrecy in government is fundamentally anti-democratic, U.S. Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas once said. To protect our right to know requires constant vigilance since slow erosion of our rights as citizens occurs over time when we're not paying attention. (Greenville Delta Democrat Times, MS)
Capturing the Language to Assure Liberal Dominance May 23, 2007
After all, gun rights actually appear, explicitly, in the text of the Constitution whereas abortion rights rely on the famous (and gaseous) emanations of penumbras that Justice William O. Douglas first conjured out of his fertile imagination in 1965. The cunning and consistent employment of various misleading phrases (evolution opponent, gay marriage ban, opponent of gay rights, opponent of hate crimes protection, foe of stem cell research, opponent... (Townhall.com)
Religion in America May 22, 2007
We are a religious people, wrote Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas, and research appears to support his observation. Ninety-four percent of adult Americans claim a belief in God; 89 percent pray, 75 percent believe in an afterlife, 69 percent belong to a church and 41 percent attend church weekly. (Helena Independent Record, MT)
What's open, what's closed at Mount Rainier National Park May 16, 2007
For a classic photo of Mount Rainier, proceed east on Highway 12, a scenic byway that goes through the William O. Douglas and Goat Rocks wilderness areas. Visitors to the state may want to plan trips to other national park areas as well. (Somerset Daily American, PA)
Read More... May 16, 2007
In the twentieth century, the Court's most obvious visionaries were Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr., Louis Brandeis, Earl Warren, Hugo Black, William O. Douglas, William Brennan, and Thurgood Marshall. All of these justices count as visionaries in a particular sense: They had large and powerful visions of the meaning of the Constitution, and they worked hard and often successfully to convince their colleagues to embrace that vision. (Disinformation)
Patently obvious May 7, 2007
For the New Deal court, Rai says, "Patents were associated with big business. The idea was that patents create monopolies and monopolies are bad." As articulated by Justice William O. Douglas, the new standard was that patents should be awarded only to those inventions that evinced, in his words, "the flash of creative genius.". Inventors and many patent lawyers complained that this formulation slighted those inventions that were born out of more incremental processes. (Boston Globe)
Judge Trashes Online Porn Law Mar 26, 2007
". Without an active interest from the parents, this will most likely be the case across the board. by Joe from Des Moines on 24/03/07 05:54 PM That so-call judge, and I use the term loosely, should be replaced with someone who cares about the rights of parents. The morals in this country have hit a record low with this ruling. by thomas graef from zephyrhills on 24/03/07 05:49 PM ..yea 3-cheers for the judge,!!look parents if your kids got a cold ,,you dont forget the meds ..now do you ,,so... (Techtree.com)
JEREMY LOTT: Vice presidential facts Mar 20, 2007
Just when we're puzzling how the president could simultaneously praise Mr. Rockefeller and show him the door, we are told that "Ford scored a touchdown by nominating Judge John Paul Stevens of the Seventh Circuit Court to replace William O. Douglas on the U.S. Supreme Court.". Jeremy Lott, the Warren T. Brookes Journalism Fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, is writing a book about the vice presidents. (Washington Times)
Hentoff: Dangerously unfair 'fairness doctrine' Jan 30, 2007
Of all justices of the Supreme Court, the most persistent defenders of freedom of speech have been Louis Brandeis, William Brennan and William O. Douglas ... With the "scarcity doctrine" ended, William O. Douglas was right: "TV and radio stand in the same protected position under the First Amendment as newspapers and magazines.". (The Delaware County Times, PA)
NAT HENTOFF: Squashing the First Amendment Jan 29, 2007
Of all justices of the Supreme Court, the most persistent defenders of freedom of speech have been Louis Brandeis, William Brennan and William O. Douglas. In 1973, Justice Douglas thundered: "The Fairness Doctrine has no place in our First Amendment regime. It puts the head of the camel inside the tent and enables administration after administration to toy with TV or radio in order to serve its sordid or its benevolent ends." During the 1940s and early 1950s, I was a full-time announcer and... (Washington Times)
Shocked By Lack Of Passports Jan 28, 2007
"Freedom of movement across frontiers (is) part of our heritage," wrote Justice William O. Douglas. "Travel abroad ... may be as close to the heart of the individual as the choice of what he eats, or wears, or reads. Freedom of movement is basic in our scheme of values.". (San Francisco Chronicle -- Travel)
New play premieres in Rapid City Jan 12, 2007
Previous projects include plays about Clarence Darrow, Sir Thomas More and Justice William O. Douglas. Their 2005 play, Thurgood Marshall s Coming, received the American Bar Association s Silver Gravel Award in Theatre. (Rapid City Journal, SD)
The Brennan Memos: Jan 10, 2007
The retirement and subsequent death of William O. Douglas in 1975, the court's uncompromising and cantankerous liberal, gave Republicans a solid hold on the majorityand thus, it seemed, on the future. And yet, the counterrevolution predicted for the court in the Nixon-Ford years never materialized. (Slate)
Washington's Jones for Gerald Ford: Dec 30, 2006
The American Prospect's Harold Myerson recently that when Ford's nemesis William O. Douglas stepped down from the bench in 1975 (Ford, while serving as House minority leader, had led an against Douglas based partly on Douglas' allowing something he'd written to appear in the racy ), Gerald Ford appointed to the Supreme Court John Paul Stevens, who has since become a crucial bulwark against an increasingly ideological conservative majority. Ford was not an ideologue, and during his presidency the... (Slate)
Fords most important legacy: Stevens Dec 28, 2006
Filling out Nixon's second term, Ford served for just two-and-a-half years and had the chance to name Stevens to the vacancy created by the resignation of Justice William O. Douglas in 1975. Stevens was serving as a federal appeals court judge in Chicago at the time. (MSNBC -- International)
Ford hailed as selfless leader Dec 28, 2006
A fierce partisan, Mr. Ford sought unsuccessfully in the early 1970s to impeach William O. Douglas, the Supreme Court's leading liberal justice. Mr. Ford later nominated Justice Douglas' successor, John Paul Stevens, a moderate Midwesterner. (FOX 11, AZ)
Obituary of a decent man Dec 28, 2006
In 1970 he led the unsuccessful campaign to impeach Justice William O. Douglas of the Supreme Court. When the Watergate issue first emerged he concentrated on defending the President s position in Congress and holding a conservative coalition together to resist Democratic overriding of the Presidential veto. (TimesOnline)
Gerald Ford: Husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather -- and president... Dec 28, 2006
In 1970, Ford was accused of abandoning the high ground of American politics when he launched an effort to impeach William O. Douglas, the liberal associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. In the course of the incident, he offered a definition -- much quoted during the Clinton years -- of what constitutes an impeachable offense. (The Drudge Report)
Politics: Taking 'Issue' With Finance Reform Dec 28, 2006
abridging freedom of speech" does Sen. McCain not understand? If money talks, it doesn't force anyone to listen. As for its corrupting influence, the best disinfectant is sunlight. In the age of the Internet, it should not be a biggie to force all contributions and all contributors to be posted online within 24 hours so the voting public can decide just who is being "bought" and by whom. As Justice William O. Douglas once said: "It usually costs money to communicate an idea to a large audience.... (Investors Business Daily)
Ford's Supreme Court Legacy Dec 28, 2006
Ford nominated Stevens to the Supreme Court in 1975, when he was a Chicago-based federal appeals court judge, to replace liberal giant William O. Douglas. Douglas had suffered a debilitating stroke the year before, and he turned in his resignation letter to Ford the next year with great reluctance and only after concerned colleagues on the court had urged him to do so. (ABC News)
Led effort to impeach Justice Douglas Dec 27, 2006
In April 1970, at the request of White House aide John Ehrlichman, Ford led an effort by more than 100 House members to impeach Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas. The effort stemmed from the Senate's rejection of two Nixon nominees to the court, Clement Haynsworth Jr. and G. Harrold Carswell. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- World)
Obituary: Gerald Ford Dec 27, 2006
Former US president who entered the White House after the Watergate scandal without receiving a single electoral vote. Harold JacksonWednesday December 27, 2006. (Guardian Unlimited -- World)
Gerald Ford dead at age 93 Dec 27, 2006
One of the most controversial acts of Ford s career was an unsuccessful 1970 attempt to begin impeachment proceedings against liberal Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas on allegations that included conflicts of interest ... 1970: Led unsuccessful attempt to begin impeachment proceedings against U.S. Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas. (Quad City Times)
Obituary: Gerald Rudolph Ford Dec 27, 2006
Updated: 3:11 a.m. ET Dec. 27, 2006. Gerald Rudolph Ford, who died on Tuesday at age 93, may not have been the first American to have the presidency thrust upon him by act of man or god. (MSNBC -- Business)
President Gerald Ford has died Dec 27, 2006
In 1970 Mr. Ford made one of his few missteps, calling for a panel to investigate possible grounds for impeachment against Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas. The move was widely seen as having been instigated by the White House in response to the Senate's rejection of two Nixon Supreme Court nominees. (Boston Globe)
In reversal, justices no longer avoiding the public spotlight Dec 26, 2006
For an institution that has kept the media at a comfortable distance for much of its existence, the Supreme Court's increasingly public face is astonishing, said University of Chicago law professor Dennis Hutchinson, who served as a law clerk for Justices Byron White and William O. Douglas. "More and more, the justices are spending time talking off the bench informally to reporters, on the record, off the record, in public, on tape, on film," Hutchinson said. (SunSpot.net)
Letters to the editor Dec 22, 2006
An egregious example is Justice William O. Douglas' discovery in Griswold v. Connecticut that the "specific guarantees in the Bill of Rights have penumbras, formed by emanations," affording rights to privacy. Such illusion provided grist for Roe v. Wade. (Washington Times, DC)
'Skin tone matters' (Nat Hentoff) Dec 22, 2006
And the late Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas -- who persistently and vigorously opposed discrimination in all its forms -- emphasized: "The Equal Protections of the Laws clause in the Constitution commands the elimination of racial barriers -- not their creation in order to satisfy our theory on how society ought to be organized." During the Dec. 4 oral arguments, a lawyer defending the use of race to obtain diversity pointed out that "students as a whole do not suffer any harm" because... (Washington Times, DC)
ERNEST W. LEFEVER: God and America Nov 7, 2006
Specifically, he opposes eliminating "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance and those who want to "write God out of American history." Oddly perhaps, he invokes Justice William O. Douglas as an authority: "We are a religious people and our institutions presuppose a Supreme Being." He cites references to God by Washington and other Founders, but doesn't address the Deist-personal God differences among them. In the Declaration they found language that satisfied both Calvinists and Unitarians. (Washington Times)
A vivid account of how a chief justice shaped a nation Oct 24, 2006
After the court had met, two of his closest friends, justices William O. Douglas and William Brennan, came to visit him. Warren, in Newton's account, took Douglas by the hand and told him, "If Nixon is not forced to turn over tapes of his conversation with the ring of men who were conversing on their violations of the law, then liberty will soon be dead in this nation." Brennan assured Warren that he would not be disappointed in the court's ruling. (Boston Globe -- Living)
Amish practices spring from Bible literalism Oct 20, 2006
Liberal Justice William O. Douglas was the lone dissenter in the 6-1 ruling. He said a student's "entire life may be stunted and deprived" if he remains Amish and skips high school or college. (North County Times)
Fourth Estate Sale Oct 18, 2006
As Justice William O. Douglas said, the First Amendment is not designed to dispense tranquilizers. Or, in the words of novelist Salman Rushdie, himself the target of a fatwa death penalty for writing critically about Islam: The moment you declare a set of ideas to be immune from criticism, satire, derision, or contempt, freedom of thought becomes impossible. (San Antonio Current, TX)
Profile in Courage Sep 30, 2006
The fractious court Warren joined was composed of one Republican (Justice Harold H. Burton) and seven Democrats, including the brilliant jurists Hugo L. Black, William O. Douglas, Felix Frankfurter and Robert H. Jackson. The four fought often. (Los Angeles Times)
Delicate Terrain Sep 24, 2006
When Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas sang the praises of the region in a 35-page spread in National Geographic in 1961, the AMC's popularity soared, and an eighth and final hut, Mizpah Spring, was built to deal with the increase in hikers. The huts remain the AMC's core business to this day. (Boston Globe)
Stone gives journalists a hero to honor Sep 11, 2006
Nor does she seem to know that, for all his Washington renown, Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas was never chief justice. But it would take a heart of Stone (not the big heart of I.F. Stone), not to get a charge out of every time she joyfully relishes Walter Lippmann misreading history while University of Pennsylvania dropout Izzy got it right. (Buffalo News -- Entertainment)
DAVID E. MARION: The judiciary and the war on terror Sep 5, 2006
These rulings arguably arise out of the same reasoning that led Justice William O. Douglas to declare in a 1969 criminal syndicalism case that there is no place in "the regime of the First Amendment for any 'clear and present danger' test, whether strict and tight... or free-wheeling." Justice Douglas clearly believed that the level of support he desired for individual rights required that he abstract from "circumstances," including "clear and present dangers," that might threaten the country.... (Washington Times)
Freelancer's imprisonment tied to landmark press ruling Aug 6, 2006
Here's the twist: Alsup's boss, Justice William O. Douglas, came down on the side of freedom of the press, arguing that the government has no business trying to shake information out of a journalist. But all these years later, Alsup sided with the government that news reporters shouldn't be treated differently from anyone else when they have evidence of a crime that the federal government wants. (Sacramento Bee -- Opinion)
Wednesday Back In Time 07-19-2006 Jul 20, 2006
Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas, 67, and his bride, Cathleen Curran Hefferman, 23, posed in a Los Angeles suburb after their marriage. TGes throughout a 13-state trade area marked the chain s 30th anniversary today. (Plainview Daily Herald, TX)
Charles Herman Older, 88; L.A. County Judge Presided Over Manson Murder Trial Jun 20, 2006
U.S. Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas ordered Farr released while the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals considered the case. "There is no need to attach any nobility to what I did," Farr told The Times. (Los Angeles Times)
Public Counsel Achieves Fundraising Milestone, Generating More Than $2.4 Million From Event to Support Pro Bono Legal Services Jun 8, 2006
4 million raised by Public Counsel, the nation's largest pro bono law firm, at the organization's annual William O. Douglas Award Dinner, which also celebrated Public Counsel's 35th Anniversary ... " About the William O. Douglas Award Dinner The William O. Douglas Award is presented annually to a distinguished person of national or international prominence who has exemplified the principles of equal access to justice, freedom of expression and equal rights. Prior honorees have come from the... (PR Newswire)
Albert C. Shapira / Duquesne University law professor and longtime union attorney Jun 6, 2006
Though he lost the case in a 7-2 decision, he said he obtained some solace from receiving the votes of two of his favorite justices -- Hugo Black and William O. Douglas. But his most unexpected result, he said, was a 1958 decision of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in the case of Mathewson v. Westinghouse in which the justices, in a 4-2 vote, reversed a unanimous ruling by the state Superior Court. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA)
THOMAS MITCHELL: An act of Congress to keep the press free? May 28, 2006
If the bill passes and federal judges are required to weigh the public's right to know vs. some presumed or projected harm, I just hope they keep in mind the strong dissent of Justice William O. Douglas in that Branzburg case. "The press has a preferred position in our constitutional scheme not to enable it to make money, not to set newsmen apart as a favored class," he wrote, "but to bring fulfillment to the public's right to know. The right to know is crucial to the governing powers of the... (Las Vegas Review-Journal -- Opinion)
Zunes: Israel Lobby May 26, 2006
(There were even efforts undertaken to impeach Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas when he suggested recognizing the reality of the communist government in Beijing. However, once President Richard Nixon, Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, and other national security elites realized that it was in America's interest to open up to "Red China," there was little the pro-Taiwan lobbyists could do about it. (Zmag.org)
An orator less chosen May 26, 2006
In the decades since, those addressing Goucher's graduates have included U.S. Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas, Coretta Scott King and anthropologist Margaret Mead. Choosing a commencement speaker can be tricky. (SunSpot.net)
The Israel lobby: How powerful is it really? May 23, 2006
Asia Times Online :: Middle East News, Iraq, Iran current affairs. The Israel lobby: How powerful is it really. (Asia Times Online)
FBI Secret Probes: 3,501 Targets in the U.S... May 17, 2006
Brian Ross is ABC News' Chief Investigative Correspondent. FBI Secret Probes: 3,501 Targets in the U.S.. (The Drudge Report)
Henry Mark Holzer May 9, 2006
Cases like Griswold v. Connecticut (where Justice William O. Douglas invented the indefensible right to privacy), and Roe v. Wade (where Justice Blackmun for the Court parlayed that right into a license to murder millions of the unborn) exemplify the notion of a Living Constitution, the opposite of originalism. The former is not only an anti-democratic and intellectually dishonest way to interpret our Constitution and federal statutes, it is also demonstrably capable of manufacturing... (FrontPage Magazine)
Once again, Scalia's the talk of the town Apr 17, 2006
The major exception in the post-World War II era was Justice William O. Douglas, a liberal firebrand who spoke and wrote on issues including the environment and the Vietnam War. email alerts Enter your email address to get Breaking News newsletters. (AZCentral -- News)
WP: Scalia again the talk of Washington Apr 15, 2006
The major exception in the post-World War II era was Justice William O. Douglas, a liberal firebrand who spoke and wrote on issues including the environment and the Vietnam War. On the current court, Justice David H. Souter almost never speaks publicly and Justice John Paul Stevens rarely does. (MSNBC -- Politics)
Unique Store Caters to Lincoln Collectors Feb 20, 2006
"The Civil War" filmmaker Ken Burns and U.S. Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas visited. Historians Bruce Catton and Shelby Foote were customers, and their work is sprinkled around the store. (PhillyBurbs.com)
NAT HENTOFF: 'Victims of the darkness' Jan 23, 2006
One of the Supreme Court's more ardent protectors of the Bill of Rights was William O. Douglas, who, in 1976, responding to a speaking invitation from young lawyers in Washington state, cautioned them that the Constitution and the Bill of Rights "are not self-executing... As nightfall does not come at once, neither does oppression... There's twilight... and it is in such twilight that we must be aware of change in the air, lest we become unwitting victims of the darkness." Justice Douglas'... (Washington Times)
2006 Litigation Department of the Year Jan 1, 2006
Paul Weiss has always had a stellar litigation reputation, beginning with the star-studded client list of Simon Rifkind, the retired federal judge who represented such clients as Jacqueline Onassis, William O. Douglas, Jane Fonda and a plethora of major corporations. Rifkind's mantle was assumed by Arthur Liman. (Law.com)
