United States Supreme Court Benjamin N. Cardozo

justice cardozo in robes



cardozo s supreme court nomination

in 1932, president herbert hoover appointed cardozo supreme court of united states succeed justice oliver wendell holmes. new york times said of cardozo s appointment seldom, if ever, in history of court has appointment been universally commended. democratic cardozo s appointment republican president has been referred 1 of few supreme court appointments in history not motivated partisanship or politics, strictly based on nominee s contribution law. however, hoover running re-election, against franklin roosevelt, larger political calculation may have been operating.

cardozo confirmed unanimous voice vote in senate on february 24. on radio broadcast on march 1, 1932, day of cardozo s confirmation, clarence c. dill, democratic senator washington, called hoover s appointment of cardozo finest act of career president . entire faculty of university of chicago law school had urged hoover nominate him, did deans of law schools @ harvard, yale, , columbia. justice harlan fiske stone urged hoover name cardozo, offering resign make room him if hoover had heart set on else (stone had in fact suggested calvin coolidge should nominate cardozo rather himself in 1925). hoover, however, demurred: there 2 justices new york, , jew on court; in addition, justice james mcreynolds notorious anti-semite. when chairman of senate foreign relations committee, william e. borah of idaho, added strong support cardozo, however, hoover bowed pressure.

cardozo member of 3 musketeers along brandeis , stone, considered liberal faction of supreme court. in years associate justice, handed down opinions stressed necessity tightest adherence tenth amendment.