Robert Jackson Influences

Robert Jackson was a small town New Yorker who rose to the status of a distinguished lawyer, and later became one of the greatest Solicitor Generals. Narrowly missing the appointment of Chief Justice, Jackson was the final associate justice appointed by President Roosevelt. Jackson welcomed the role of a Supreme Court Justice, and developed a practical view of the constitution. Jackson’s main influence to the court came from the Nuremburg trials, in which he was the chief United States prosecutor. After his time abroad came to an end, Jackson used his knowledge from Nuremburg and “Europe to shape American constitutional law” (332). Jackson usually did not recuse himself from many postwar cases, and used his knowledge from Nuremberg in his decisions. In one of the most monumental cases of the FDR court, Brown vs. Board, Jackson declared “if noncitizens held …show more content…
After the death of Roosevelt, the relationships and ideas of FDR’s justices diverged. In part, due to a series of unfortunate events, such as the Republicans taking back the Senate and House, the weak Harry Truman in office, and numerous personal frustrations, contempt bred rapidly among the justices (306). Where once bonds held these men together, the justices became bitter enemies. While none of the justices were actual “friends,” camps, or alliances, seemed to form on the bench. On one side were Justices Frankfurter and Jackson, the other Justices Black and Douglas. The justices did not keep their opinions of one another to themselves. Justice Frankfurter dubbed Justices Douglas, Black, and Murphy “the axis,” while Douglas nicknamed Frankfurter “Der Fuehrer” (306). The many vendettas and “friendships” amongst the men may have very well influenced voting behavior on the bench, out of either spite or alliance