Remembered as one of the most influential Supreme Court justices of the 20th century, Hugo Black is also the author of two memoirs, Mr. Justice Black and Mrs. Black (1985), and My Father: A Remembrance (1975). Black also authored the nonfiction book A Constitutional Faith in 1968.
Black was a U.S. Senator from 1927 to 1937 (D-AL), before being appointed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to the U.S. Supreme Court, where he served for 34 years, from 1937 to 1971. His judicial philosophy combined a literal reading of the Constitution with a commitment to civil liberties and civil rights. He advocated for judicial self-restraint and the sanctity of the Bill of Rights; some of his most influential opinions included the right of the indigent to free counsel, the right to counsel and silence during police interrogation, the right of protection against self-incrimination, the right of confrontation of witnesses, protection against illegal searches and seizures, proscriptions against cruel and unusual punishment, and the “one man, one vote” rule. His most controversial opinion, the 1944 case of Korematsu v. US, upheld the right of the U.S. military to evacuate Japanese Americans from the West Coast after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
The Homes
212 Quaker Lane N., Alexandria, VA
Hugo Black
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Located in Northern Virginia