Abraham Fortas lived from June 19, 1910 to April 5, 1982 and was an American lawyer and jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1965 to 1969. Born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee, he graduated from Rhodes College and Yale Law School, became a Yale law professor and an adviser to the Securities and Exchange Commission, worked at the Interior Department under Franklin D. Roosevelt, and was appointed by Harry S. Truman to delegations helping establish the United Nations in 1945. In 1948 Fortas represented Lyndon B. Johnson in a disputed Senate primary and formed close ties with him, and he also represented Clarence Earl Gideon before the Supreme Court in Gideon v. Wainwright, the landmark right-to-counsel case. Nominated by Johnson to the Supreme Court in 1965, Fortas wrote landmark opinions including In re Gault and Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District. In 1968 Johnson tried to elevate him to chief justice, but the nomination faced a filibuster and was withdrawn. Fortas resigned from the Court in 1969 after controversy over his acceptance of twenty thousand dollars from financier Louis Wolfson, who was under investigation for insider trading, and returned to private legal practice.
Facts
RoleAssociate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States (1965-1969) 1 Nationality / Jurisdiction Place of Death Classification
Field of Law Field of Law Field of Law Field of Law Role
Role (category) FAQs
Did Abe Fortas keep the money from financier Louis Wolfson?
He returned the $20,000 in 1966 and received no further payments, but the arrangement still led to his resignation in 1969.
No. In January 1966 Fortas accepted a $20,000 retainer from the family foundation of Louis Wolfson, a friend and former client. The arrangement was to pay him $20,000 a year for the rest of his life and then pay his widow for the rest of hers, in return for unspecified advice. To avoid apparent impropriety, Fortas returned the money the same year and received no further payments. Wolfson was under investigation for securities violations at the time, and Fortas recused himself when Wolfson's case came before the Court. The affair became public in a Life magazine article in May 1969 and led to his resignation that year. The American Bar Association later revised its rules on outside income for judges as a result of the Wolfson affair.
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Source Abe Fortas (Wikipedia)Lead sentence 1tier 2Quote, Lead sentence 1
Abraham Fortas (June 19, 1910 – April 5, 1982) was an American lawyer and jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1965 to 1969.
Sources
1. Abe Fortas (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia contributorsLead section, opening paragraph
was an American lawyer and jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1965 to 1969.
Member Of: United States Supreme Court, Introduction
Abraham Fortas (June 19, 1910 - April 5, 1982) was an American lawyer and jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1965 to 1969.
View the Source 2. Wikidata: Abe Fortas
Wikidata Q318143, P20 place of death claim
P20 (place of death): Washington, D.C.
- In Legal System: Law of the United States, Abraham Fortas (June 19, 1910, April 5, 1982) was an American lawyer and jurist who served as an associate justice of t
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