94-397: Wallowa County ( / w ə ˈ l aʊ w ə / ) is the northeastern most county in the U.S. state of Oregon . As of the 2020 census , the population was 7,391, making it Oregon's fifth-least populous county. Its county seat is Enterprise . According to Oregon Geographic Names , the origins of the county's name are uncertain, with the most likely explanation being it is derived from
188-582: A Sterling Professor at Yale. In 1934, Douglas left Yale after President Franklin Roosevelt nominated him to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). By 1937, he had become an adviser and friend to the President and the chairman. He also became friends with a group of young New Dealers, including Tommy "The Cork" Corcoran and Abe Fortas . He was also close, both socially and in thinking to
282-598: A conversation with Douglas during a party at Martin Agronsky 's house. After Diem's assassination in November 1963, Douglas became strongly critical of the war, believing Diem had been killed because he "was not sufficiently servile to Pentagon demands." Douglas now outspokenly argued the war was illegal, dissenting whenever the Court passed on an opportunity to hear such claims. In 1968 Douglas issued an order blocking
376-602: A federal rule that allowed environmental issues to be litigated before federal agencies or federal courts in the name of the inanimate object about to be despoiled, defaced, or invaded by roads and bulldozers and where injury is the subject of public outrage. Contemporary public concern for protecting nature's ecological equilibrium should lead to the conferral of standing upon environmental objects to sue for their own preservation. This suit would therefore be more properly labeled as Mineral King v. Morton . He continued: Inanimate objects are sometimes parties in litigation. A ship has
470-475: A force in other developments in the law. Douglas was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa , participated on the debate team, and was elected as student body president in his final year. After graduating in 1920 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and economics, he taught English and Latin at his old high school for the next two years, hoping to earn enough to attend law school. "Finally," he said, "I decided it
564-579: A hearing the next day. On Friday, August 3, 1973, Douglas held a hearing in the Yakima federal courthouse , where he dismissed the Government's argument that he was causing a "constitutional confrontation" by saying, "we live in a world of confrontations. That's what the whole system is about." On August 4, Douglas ordered the military to stop bombing, reasoning "denial of the application before me would catapult our airmen as well as Cambodian peasants into
658-667: A hike to save Sunfish Pond on the Appalachian Trail in New Jersey , Douglas was accompanied by more than a thousand people. He said: "It's a vital element in the need to save some of our wilderness from the encroachment of civilization." From 1950 to 1961, Douglas travelled extensively in the Middle East and Asia. Douglas wrote many books about his experiences and observations during these trips. Other than writers from National Geographic —whom he sometimes met on
752-479: A judge's role was "not neutral" as "The Constitution is not neutral. It was designed to take the government off the backs of the people." Douglas has been widely characterized as a civil libertarian . On the bench, Douglas became known as a strong advocate of First Amendment rights. With fellow justice Hugo Black , Douglas argued for a "literalist" interpretation of the First Amendment , insisting that
846-474: A jury found them not guilty on September 1, 1888. A proposal to commemorate this event on official maps as Chinese Massacre Cove was approved in 2005 and encompasses a five-acre site. In 1896, the Joseph town bank was robbed and there was a shootout in the streets. The town has occasionally had re-enactments of that event. Wallowa County Courthouse was built in 1909–1910, using locally quarried Bowlby stone,
940-534: A kind of electoral college formerly used to choose the governor. According to political scientists Andrew D. Martin and Kevin M. Quinn, he was by far the most liberal justice in the history of the Supreme Court with a Martin-Quinn score of -8 at his most liberal. He voted to strike down the death penalty in Furman v. Georgia , argued that the environment should be granted legal personhood , tried to declare
1034-427: A legal personality, a fiction found useful for maritime purposes. The corporation sole —a creature of ecclesiastical law—is an acceptable adversary and large fortunes ride on its cases ... So it should be as respects valleys, alpine meadows, rivers, lakes, estuaries, beaches, ridges, groves of trees, swampland, or even air that feels the destructive pressures of modern technology and modern life. The river, for example,
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#17327733171931128-701: A local group, as well as from the Nez Perce, Colville , and Umatilla tribes. Prior offers by the National Park Service and the Trust for Public Land to buy the land were rejected. The County commissioners gave conditional approval for the developers to complete a final plat of the land on February 13, 2004, but the attorney for the Nez Perce said the tribe would appeal the decision to the Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals . As of 2016,
1222-529: A representative. In 1939, Justice Louis D. Brandeis retired from the Court, and Roosevelt nominated Douglas as his replacement on March 20. Douglas was Brandeis's personal choice as a successor. Douglas later revealed that his appointment had been a great surprise to him (Roosevelt had summoned him to an "important meeting"), and Douglas feared that he would be named as the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission . He
1316-436: A type of volcanic tuff . It is a Romanesque Revival -style building with Queen Anne architectural elements in some exterior features. The courthouse was listed on National Register of Historic Places in 2000. Today, it still houses Wallowa County government offices and faces west toward South River Street and is surrounded by Courthouse Square which encompasses one city block, approximately 1.3 acres (1 ha). The square
1410-599: A vote he later regretted, but, over the course of his career, he grew to become a leading advocate of individual rights. He was suspicious of majority rule as it related to social and moral questions, and frequently expressed concern about forced conformity with " the Establishment ". For example, Douglas wrote the decision in Griswold v. Connecticut (1965) in stating that a constitutional right to privacy forbids state contraception bans because "specific guarantees in
1504-457: A waiter and janitor during the school year, and at a cherry orchard in the summer. Picking cherries, Douglas would say later, inspired him to pursue a legal career. He once said of his early interest in the law: I worked among the very, very poor, the migrant laborers , the Chicanos and the I.W.W's who I saw being shot at by the police. I saw cruelty and hardness, and my impulse was to be
1598-487: A war hero, for the nomination. A "Draft Douglas" campaign, complete with souvenir buttons and hats, sprang up in New Hampshire and several other primary states. Douglas campaigned for the nomination for a short time, but he soon withdrew his name from consideration. In the end, Eisenhower refused to be drafted, and Truman won nomination easily. Although Truman approached Douglas about the vice presidential nomination,
1692-476: Is 41 . The Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) code, which is used by the United States government to uniquely identify counties, is provided with each entry. The FIPS code for each county links to census data for that county. William O. Douglas William Orville Douglas (October 16, 1898 – January 19, 1980) was an American jurist who served as an associate justice of
1786-410: Is "always attended with a serious evil, namely, that the correction of legislative mistakes comes from the outside, and the people thus lose the political experience, and the moral education and stimulus that come from fighting the question out in the ordinary way, and correcting their own errors"; that the effect of a participation by the judiciary in these processes is "to dwarf the political capacity of
1880-403: Is landscaped with oak , pine , maple , linden , juniper , and flowering crab apple trees. There are roses planted on the north, west, and south sides of the courthouse. The square also has several veteran memorials along with a 20-by-24-foot (6.1 by 7.3 m) wood-framed gazebo in the northeast corner of the square. United States Supreme Court Associate Justice William O. Douglas
1974-578: Is no necessary contradiction between these two views." On June 17, 1953, Douglas granted a temporary stay of execution to Ethel and Julius Rosenberg , who had been convicted of selling the plans for the atomic bomb to the Soviet Union during the Cold War . The basis for the stay was that Judge Irving Kaufman had sentenced the Rosenbergs to death without the consent of the jury. While this
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#17327733171932068-524: Is represented and governed by three County Commissioners . The Wallowa County Board of Commissioners is currently made up of Susan Roberts, Todd Nash and John Hillock. Susan Roberts is a former Mayor of Enterprise and was elected onto the Board of Commissioners in 2008. Todd Nash was elected in 2016. John Hillock was elected in 2019. The seats are nonpartisan, although all three commissioners are registered Republicans . Like most counties in eastern Oregon,
2162-531: Is slipshod and slapdash," but Douglas's "intelligence, his energy, his academic and government experience, his flair for writing, the leadership skills that he had displayed at the SEC, and his ability to charm when he bothered to try" could have let him "become the greatest justice in history." Brennan once stated that Douglas was one of only "two geniuses" he had met in his life (the other being Posner). In general, legal scholars have noted that Douglas's judicial style
2256-438: Is somewhat different from the surrounding areas and provides a cool retreat during the summer. Other geographic features include: As of the 2010 census , there were 7,008 people, 3,133 households, and 2,024 families residing in the county. The population density was 2.2 inhabitants per square mile (0.85/km). There were 4,108 housing units at an average density of 1.3 units per square mile (0.50 units/km). The racial makeup of
2350-491: Is the living symbol of all the life it sustains or nourishes—fish, aquatic insects, water ouzels, otter, fisher, deer, elk, bear, and all other animals, including man, who are dependent on it or who enjoy it for its sight, its sound, or its life. The river as plaintiff speaks for the ecological unit of life that is part of it. Douglas was a lifelong mountaineer . In his autobiographical Of Men and Mountains (1950), Douglas discusses his close childhood connections with nature. In
2444-542: The 2004 presidential election , in which 69.3% voted for George W. Bush , while 28.1% voted for John Kerry , and 2.6% of voters either voted for a Third Party candidate or wrote in a candidate . [REDACTED] The principal industries in Wallowa County are agriculture, ranching, lumber, and tourism. Since 1985, three bronze foundries and a number of related businesses specializing in statue-making have opened in Joseph and Enterprise , helping to stabilize
2538-508: The Bill of Rights have penumbras , formed by emanations from those guarantees that help give them life and substance." That went too far for Hugo Black, who dissented in Griswold despite having been allies with Douglas. Justice Clarence Thomas would years later hang a sign in his chambers reading, "Please don't emanate in the penumbras." Conservative Judge Robert Bork had no objection to
2632-532: The Nez Perce term for a structure of stakes (a weir ) used in fishing. An alternative explanation is that Wallowa is derived from a Nez Perce word for "winding water". The journals of Lewis and Clark Expedition record the name of the Wallowa River as Wil-le-wah . Wallowa County is part of the eight-county definition of Eastern Oregon . In 1871, the first white settlers came to the area, crossing
2726-677: The Rosenberg case , introduced a resolution to impeach him. The resolution was referred the next day to the Judiciary Committee to investigate the charges. On July 7, 1953, the committee voted to end the investigation. Douglas maintained a busy speaking and publishing schedule to supplement his income. He became severely burdened financially because of a bitter divorce and settlement with his first wife. He sustained additional financial setbacks after divorces and settlements with his second and third wives. Douglas became president of
2820-474: The U.S. State of Oregon . The Oregon Constitution does not explicitly provide for county seats ; Article VI, covering the "Administrative Department" of the state of Oregon , simply states that: More details on the etymologies of Oregon county names and place names in general are documented in Oregon Geographic Names . Oregon's postal abbreviation is OR and its FIPS state code
2914-608: The University of Chicago Law School called Douglas's Griswold opinion "one of the most hypocritical opinions in the history of the Court." Douglas and Black also disagreed in Fortson v. Morris (1967), which cleared the path for the Georgia State Legislature to choose the governor in the deadlocked 1966 race between Democrat Lester Maddox and Republican Howard Callaway . Whereas Black voted with
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3008-589: The Vietnam War unconstitutional because Congress had never declared war, and generally showed an uncompromising defense of individual rights from which even stalwart liberals Brennan and Marshall shied away. Douglas was notable as a public pre- Stonewall supporter of gay rights. Douglas dissented in Boutilier v. INS in which the Court ruled that gays and lesbians were included in the list of “psychopathic personalities” that Congress could deport, arguing that
3102-713: The 1950s, proposals were made to create a highway along the path of the C&;O Canal, which ran on the Maryland bank parallel to the Potomac River. The Washington Post editorial page supported the action. However, Douglas, who frequently hiked on the Canal towpath, opposed the plan and challenged reporters to hike the 185-mile length of the Canal with him. After the hike, the Post changed its stance and advocated preservation of
3196-405: The 3,029 households 28.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.70% were married couples living together, 6.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.20% were non-families. 27.10% of households were one person and 11.90% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.85. The age distribution was 24.30% under
3290-514: The Canal in its historic state. Douglas is widely credited with saving the Canal and with its eventual designation as a National Historic Park in 1971. He served on the board of directors of the Sierra Club from 1960 to 1962 and wrote prolifically on his love of the outdoors. In 1962, Douglas wrote a glowing review of Rachel Carson 's book Silent Spring , which was included in the widely-read Book-of-the-Month Club edition. He later swayed
3384-588: The Court went nowhere. Douglas took strong positions on the Vietnam War. In 1952, Douglas traveled to Vietnam and met with Ho Chi Minh . During the trip Douglas became friendly with Ngo Dinh Diem and in 1953 he personally introduced the nationalist leader to senators Mike Mansfield and John F. Kennedy . Douglas became one of the chief promoters for U.S. support of Diem, with CIA deputy director Robert Amory crediting Diem becoming "our man in Indochina" to
3478-569: The First Amendment's command that "no law" shall restrict freedom of speech should be interpreted literally. He wrote the opinion in Terminiello v. City of Chicago (1949), overturning the conviction of a Catholic priest who allegedly caused a "breach of the peace" by making anti-Semitic comments during a raucous public speech. Douglas, joined by Black, furthered his advocacy of a broad reading of First Amendment rights by dissenting from
3572-557: The Parvin Foundation. His ties to the foundation (which was financed by the sale of the infamous Flamingo Hotel by casino financier and foundation benefactor Albert Parvin) became a prime target for House Minority Leader Gerald Ford . Besides being personally disgusted by Douglas's lifestyle, Ford was also mindful that Douglas's protégé Abe Fortas was forced to resign because of ties to a similar foundation. Fortas would later say that he "resigned to save Douglas," thinking that
3666-579: The Progressives of the era, such as Philip and Robert La Follette Jr. That social/political group befriended Lyndon Johnson , a freshman representative from the 10th District of Texas. In his 1982 book The Years of Lyndon Johnson: The Path to Power , Robert Caro wrote that in 1937, Douglas had helped to persuade Roosevelt to authorize the Marshall Ford Dam , a controversial project whose approval enabled Johnson to consolidate his power as
3760-474: The Supreme Court of the United States from 1939 to 1975. Douglas was known for his strong progressive and civil libertarian views and is often cited as the U.S. Supreme Court 's most liberal justice ever. Nominated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1939, Douglas was confirmed at the age of 40, becoming one of the youngest justices appointed to the court. In 1975, Time called Douglas "the most doctrinaire and committed civil libertarian ever to sit on
3854-635: The Supreme Court to preserve the Red River Gorge in eastern Kentucky, when a proposal to build a dam and flood the gorge reached the Court. Douglas personally visited the area on November 18, 1967. The Red River Gorge's Douglas Trail is named in his honor. In May 1962, Douglas and his wife, Cathleen, were invited by Neil Compton and the Ozark Society to visit and canoe down part of the free flowing Buffalo River in Arkansas. They put in at
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3948-577: The Supreme Court's decision in Dennis v. United States (1952), which affirmed the conviction of the leader of the U.S. Communist Party . Douglas was publicly critical of censorship, saying "The way to combat noxious ideas is with other ideas. The way to combat falsehoods is with truth." In 1944, Douglas voted with the majority to uphold the wartime internment of Japanese Americans in Korematsu v. United States after having initially planned to dissent,
4042-486: The Supreme Court) and had switched the names to suggest that Truman was Roosevelt's real choice. By 1948, Douglas's presidential aspirations were rekindled by Truman's low popularity, after he had succeeded Roosevelt in 1945. Many Democrats, believing that Truman could not be elected in November, began trying to find a replacement candidate. Attempts were made to draft popular retired General Dwight D. Eisenhower ,
4136-654: The University of Wyoming curates a lichen collected by William O. Douglas in Snoqualmie National Forest. Douglas's active role in advocating the preservation and protection of wilderness across the United States earned him the nickname "Wild Bill". Douglas was a friend and frequent guest of Harry R. Truman , the owner of the Mount St. Helens Lodge at Spirit Lake in Washington. In 1967, on
4230-404: The age of 18 living with them, 54.3% were married couples living together, 7.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 35.4% were non-families, and 30.0% of households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.20 and the average family size was 2.70. The median age was 50.5 years. The median income for a household in the county was $ 41,116 and the median family income
4324-417: The age of 18, 4.90% from 18 to 24, 21.90% from 25 to 44, 30.00% from 45 to 64, and 18.90% 65 or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 100.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.10 males. The median household income was $ 32,129 and the median family income was $ 38,682. Males had a median income of $ 28,202 versus $ 21,558 for females. The per capita income for
4418-467: The concept of penumbras, writing, "There is nothing exceptional about [Douglas's] thought, other than the language of penumbras and emanations. Courts often give protection to a constitutional freedom by creating a buffer zone, by prohibiting a government from doing something not in itself forbidden but likely to lead to an invasion of a right specified in the Constitution." Prof. David P. Currie of
4512-442: The constitutional right to privacy , and was foundational to later cases such as Eisenstadt v. Baird , Roe v. Wade , Lawrence v. Texas and Obergefell v. Hodges — Skinner v. Oklahoma (1942), United States v. Paramount Pictures, Inc. (1948), Terminiello v. City of Chicago (1949), Brady v. Maryland (1963), and Harper v. Virginia State Board of Elections (1966). Douglas also served as an associate justice in
4606-635: The controversy was still active. Wallowa is the northeasternmost county of Oregon. According to the United States Census Bureau , the county has a total area of 3,152 square miles (8,160 km), of which 3,146 square miles (8,150 km) is land and 5.5 square miles (14 km) (0.2%) is water. Wallowa Lake and the Wallowa Mountains attract tourists to this region. The lake is a natural glacial formation, held in on three sides by prominent moraines . The microclimate
4700-621: The county was $ 17,276. About 9.80% of families and 14.00% of the population were below the poverty line , including 18.30% of those under age 18 and 11.40% of those age 65 or over. Wallowa County is located in Oregon State House District 58 which is currently represented by Bobby Levy . It is also located in Oregon State Senate District 29 , represented by Bill Hansell . Both Levy and Hansell are registered Republicans . Wallowa County
4794-428: The county was 96.0% white, 0.6% American Indian, 0.4% black or African American, 0.3% Asian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 0.5% from other races, and 2.0% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.2% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 28.4% were German , 16.7% were English , 14.6% were Irish , 7.3% were American , and 5.4% were Scotch-Irish . Of the 3,133 households, 22.3% had children under
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#17327733171934888-495: The court should stay out of politics. Douglas did not highly value judicial consistency or stare decisis when deciding cases. "But the origin of Douglas and Frankfurter's deep-seated animosity went beyond important jurisprudential differences. Temperamentally, they were opposites. From the beginning of their close associations as justices, the two men simply grated on each other's nerves. . . . Although in 1974 Douglas claimed that there had been no 'war' between him and Frankfurter,
4982-526: The court." He is the longest-serving justice in history , having served for 36 years and 209 days. After an itinerant childhood, Douglas attended Whitman College on a scholarship. He graduated from Columbia Law School in 1925 and joined the Yale Law School faculty. After serving as the third chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission , Douglas was successfully nominated to the Supreme Court in 1939, succeeding Justice Louis Brandeis . He
5076-548: The death zone." The U.S. military ignored Douglas's order. Six hours later the eight other justices reconvened by telephone for a special term and unanimously overturned Douglas's ruling. Douglas was highly innovative in legal theory. For example, in his dissenting opinion in the landmark environmental law case Sierra Club v. Morton , 405 U.S. 727 (1972), Douglas argued that "inanimate objects" should have standing to sue in court: The critical question of "standing" would be simplified and also put neatly in focus if we fashioned
5170-418: The evidence to the contrary was overwhelming. Frankfurter and Douglas, two important American jurists whose decades-long bitter debates (indeed, whose 'wars') contributed a great deal to our understanding of constitutionalism in a modern society, could not tolerate each other. Intentionally and unintentionally, they went out of their way to harass each other for over two decades." Judge Richard A. Posner , who
5264-587: The first draft. Douglas was also known for his fearsome work ethic, by publishing over thirty books and once telling an exhausted secretary, Fay Aull, "If you hadn't stopped working, you wouldn't be tired." Douglas frequently disagreed with the other justices, dissenting in almost 40% of cases, more than half of the time writing only for himself. Ronald Dworkin would conclude that because Douglas believed his convictions were merely "a matter of his own emotional biases," Douglas would fail to meet "minimal intellectual responsibilities." Ultimately, Douglas believed that
5358-734: The herbarium of the University of Texas at Austin. They curate at least 14 vascular plant specimens collected by Douglas together with botanist Donovan Stewart Correll, Head of the Botanical Laboratory, Texas Research Foundation in February and June 1965. The specimens collected in February were from Presidio and Brewster Counties—several from Capote Falls. The specimens collected in June were from Blanco, Gillespie, and Llano Counties—near Austin, Texas. The Rocky Mountain Herbarium at
5452-437: The justice turned him down. Douglas's close associate Tommy Corcoran was later heard to ask, "Why be a number two man to a number two man?" Truman selected Senator Alben W. Barkley and the two won the election . Political opponents made two unsuccessful attempts to remove Douglas from the Supreme Court. On June 17, 1953, U.S. Representative William M. Wheeler of Georgia, infuriated by Douglas's brief stay of execution in
5546-522: The landmark civil rights case Brown v. Board of Education (1954), a Supreme Court case that outlawed segregation in American public schools. He wrote notable concurring or dissenting opinions in cases such as Dennis v. United States (1951), United States v. O’Brien (1968), Terry v. Ohio (1968), and Brandenburg v. Ohio (1969). He was also known as a strong opponent of the Vietnam War and an ardent advocate of environmentalism . Douglas
5640-477: The law school told him that a New York firm wanted a student to help prepare a correspondence course for law. Douglas earned $ 600 for his work, enabling him to stay in school. Hired for similar projects, he saved $ 1,000 by semester's end. In August 1923, Douglas traveled to La Grande, Oregon , to marry Mildred Riddle, whom he had known in Yakima. Douglas graduated second in his class at Columbia in 1925. During
5734-475: The list included former senator and Supreme Court justice James F. Byrnes of South Carolina, former senator (and future Supreme Court justice) Sherman Minton , former governor and high commissioner to the Philippines Paul McNutt of Indiana, House speaker Sam Rayburn of Texas, Senator Alben W. Barkley of Kentucky, Senator Harry S. Truman of Missouri, and Douglas. Five days before
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#17327733171935828-405: The local economy. The Forest Service is the largest landlord in the county, owning 56% of the land. | class="col-break " style=" padding-left: 4em;" | [REDACTED] Media related to Wallowa County, Oregon at Wikimedia Commons 45°35′N 117°10′W / 45.58°N 117.17°W / 45.58; -117.17 Oregon counties There are 36 counties in
5922-522: The low water bridge at Boxley. That experience made him a fan of the river and the young organization's idea of protecting it. Douglas was instrumental in having the Buffalo preserved as a free-flowing river left in its natural state. The decision was opposed by the region's Corps of Army Engineers . The act that soon followed designated the Buffalo River as America's first National River. Douglas
6016-477: The majority of registered voters who are part of a political party in Wallowa County are members of the Republican Party . In the 2008 presidential election , 63.52% of Wallowa County voters voted for Republican John McCain , while 33.42% voted for Democrat Barack Obama and 3.06% of voters either voted for a Third Party candidate or wrote in a candidate . These numbers have changed slightly from
6110-416: The majority under strict construction to uphold the state constitutional provision, Douglas and Abe Fortas dissented. According to Douglas, Georgia tradition would guarantee a Maddox victory but he had trailed Callaway by some 3,000 votes in the general election returns. Douglas also saw the issue as a continuation of the earlier decision Gray v. Sanders , which had struck down Georgia's County Unit System ,
6204-579: The mountains in search of livestock feed in the Wallowa Valley. The county was established on February 11, 1887, from the eastern portion of Union County . Boundary changes occurred with Union County in 1890, 1900, and 1915. In 1877, the younger Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce , incensed at the government's attempt to remove his people from the Wallowa Valley, refused to relocate to the reservation in north central Idaho . Several regiments of U.S. Army cavalry troops were dispatched to force them onto
6298-439: The move and never practiced law in Washington. After a time of unemployment and another months-long stint at Cravath, he started teaching at Columbia Law School. In 1928, he joined the faculty of Yale Law School , where he became an expert on commercial litigation and bankruptcy law . He was identified with the legal realist movement , which pushed for an understanding of law based less on formalistic legal doctrines and more on
6392-732: The other stratagems for outlawing human beings from the community of mankind. These devices have put us to shame. Exercise the full judicial power of the United States; nullify them, forbid them, and make us proud again." Can the Supreme Court Defend Civil Liberties? in Samuel, ed., Toward a Better America 132, 144 -145 (1968). "Critics have sometimes charged that [Douglas] was result oriented and guilty of oversimplification; those who understand how he thought, and who share his compassion, conscience, and sense of fair dealing, see him as courageous and farsighted." "There
6486-601: The people, and to deaden its sense of moral responsibility." J. Thayer, John Marshall 106, 107 (1901).¶ The late Edmond Cahn, who opposed that view, stated my philosophy. He emphasized the importance of the role that the federal judiciary was designed to play in guarding basic rights against majoritarian control. ... His description of our constitutional tradition was in these words: "Be not reasonable with inquisitions, anonymous informers, and secret files that mock American justice. Be not reasonable with punitive denationalizations, ex post facto deportations, labels of disloyalty, and all
6580-564: The real-world effects of the law. Teaching at Yale, he and the fellow professor Thurman Arnold were riding the New Haven Railroad and were inspired to set the sign Passengers will please refrain ... to Antonín Dvořák 's Humoresque #7. Robert Maynard Hutchins described Douglas as "the most outstanding law professor in the nation." When Hutchins became president of the University of Chicago , Douglas accepted an offer to move there, but he changed his mind once he had been made
6674-561: The reservation. After numerous battles and a journey of almost two thousand miles (3,200 km), the Nez Perce fought their last battle at Bear Paw, just shy of the Canadian border, when Joseph and the other chiefs decided to stop fighting. He and some of the surviving Nez Perce were held in prison camps in Kansas and Oklahoma , and those who survived that were relocated to Colville Reservation in northeast Washington . Approximately half of
6768-539: The rest of the Douglas family, did odd jobs to earn extra money, and a college education appeared to be unaffordable. He was the valedictorian at Yakima High School and did well enough in school to earn a full academic scholarship to attend Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington . At Whitman, Douglas became a member of Beta Theta Pi fraternity. He worked at various jobs while attending school, including as
6862-414: The road—Douglas was one of the few American travel writers to visit these remote regions during this period in time. His travel books include: In his memoir, The Court Years , Douglas wrote that he was sometimes criticized for taking too much time off from the bench, and writing travel books while on the U.S. Supreme Court. However, Douglas maintained that the travel gave him a world-wide perspective that
6956-400: The second ballot and none on the first. After the convention, Douglas's supporters spread the rumor that the note sent to Hannegan had read "Bill Douglas or Harry Truman", not the other way around. These supporters claimed that Hannegan, a Truman supporter, feared that Douglas's nomination would drive Southern white voters away from the ticket (Douglas had a strong anti- segregation record on
7050-641: The shipment of Army reservists to Vietnam, before the eight other justices unanimously reversed him. In Schlesinger v. Holtzman (1973) Justice Thurgood Marshall issued an in-chambers opinion declining Rep. Elizabeth Holtzman 's request for a court order stopping the military from bombing Cambodia . The Court was in recess for the summer but the Congresswoman reapplied, this time to Douglas. Douglas met with Holtzman's ACLU lawyers at his home in Goose Prairie, Washington , and promised them
7144-479: The stay, however, he immediately took his objection to Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson , who reconvened the Court before the appointed date and set aside the stay. Douglas had departed for vacation, but on learning of the special session of the Court, he returned to Washington. Because of widespread opposition to his decision, Douglas briefly faced impeachment proceedings in Congress but attempts to remove him from
7238-510: The summer of 1925, Douglas started work at the firm of Cravath, DeGersdorff, Swaine and Wood (later Cravath, Swaine & Moore ) after failing to obtain a Supreme Court clerkship with Harlan F. Stone . Douglas was hired at Cravath by attorney John J. McCloy , who would later become the chairman of the Board of Chase Manhattan Bank. Douglas quit the Cravath firm after four months. After one year, he moved back to Yakima, but soon regretted
7332-801: The survivors moved to the Nez Perce Reservation in Idaho. Chief Joseph last visited Wallowa County in 1902, and died two years later. Wallowa County was the scene of perhaps the worst incident of violence against Chinese in Oregon, when in May 1887 a gang of rustlers massacred 10-34 Chinese gold miners in Hells Canyon . Of the seven rustlers and schoolboys believed to have been responsible, only three were brought to trial in Enterprise, where
7426-434: The term “psychopathic personality” was unconstitutionally vague, and even if it were not, not all gays and lesbians are psychopaths. In 1968, in a concurring opinion in the case of Flast v. Cohen , Douglas indicated that he did not believe in judicial restraint : There has long been a school of thought here that the less the judiciary does, the better. It is often said that judicial intrusion should be infrequent, since it
7520-420: The vice presidential nominee was to be chosen at the convention, on July 15, Committee chairman Robert E. Hannegan received a letter from Roosevelt stating that his choice for the nominee would be either "Harry Truman or Bill Douglas". After Hannegan released the letter to the convention on July 20, the nomination went without incident, and Truman was nominated on the second ballot. Douglas received two votes on
7614-644: The war and the army's requirements for more soldiers and officers. He traveled to New York taking a job tending sheep on a Chicago-bound train, in return for free passage, with hopes to attend the Columbia Law School. Douglas drew on his Beta Theta Pi membership to help him survive in New York, as he stayed at one of its houses and was able to borrow $ 75 from a fraternity brother from Washington, enough to enroll at Columbia. Six months later, Douglas's funds were running out. The appointments office at
7708-418: Was $ 49,961. Males had a median income of $ 35,963 versus $ 29,395 for females. The per capita income for the county was $ 23,023. About 9.6% of families and 12.9% of the population were below the poverty line , including 17.4% of those under age 18 and 10.6% of those age 65 or over. As of the 2000 census , there were 7,226 people, 3,029 households, and 2,083 families residing in the county. The population density
7802-500: Was 2 people per square mile (0.77 people/km). There were 3,900 housing units at an average density of 1 units per square mile (0.39/km). The racial makup of the county was 96.50% White , 0.03% Black or African American , 0.71% Native American , 0.24% Asian , 0.04% Pacific Islander , 0.95% from other races, and 1.54% from two or more races. 1.73%. were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 21.8% were of German , 15.7% American , 12.3% English and 11.8% Irish ancestry. Of
7896-507: Was a law clerk for justice William J. Brennan Jr. during the latter part of Douglas's tenure, characterized Douglas as "a bored, distracted, uncollegial, irresponsible" Supreme Court justice, as well as "rude, ice-cold, hot-tempered, ungrateful, foul-mouthed, self-absorbed" and so abusive in "treatment of his staff to the point where his law clerks—whom he described as 'the lowest form of human life'—took to calling him "shithead" behind his back." Posner asserts also that "Douglas's judicial oeuvre
7990-510: Was a self-professed outdoorsman. According to The Thru-Hiker's Companion , a guide published by the Appalachian Long Distance Hikers Association , Douglas hiked the entire 2,000 miles (3,200 km) trail from Georgia to Maine. His love for the environment carried through to his judicial reasoning. His interests in natural history are also reflected in the fact that he collected plant specimens for
8084-472: Was among those seriously considered for the 1944 Democratic vice presidential nomination and was subject to an unsuccessful draft movement prior to the 1948 U.S. presidential election . Douglas served on the Court until his retirement in 1975 and was succeeded by John Paul Stevens . Douglas holds a number of records as a Supreme Court justice, including the most opinions . Douglas's notable opinions included Griswold v. Connecticut (1965)—which established
8178-476: Was born in 1898 in Maine Township, Otter Tail County, Minnesota , to William Douglas and Julia Bickford Fisk. Douglas's father was a Scottish itinerant Presbyterian minister from Pictou County, Nova Scotia . The family first moved to California and then to Cleveland, Washington . Douglas said he suffered from an illness at age two that he described as polio , although a biographer reveals that it
8272-550: Was confirmed by the United States Senate on April 4 by a vote of 62 to 4. The four negative votes were all cast by Republicans: Lynn J. Frazier , Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. , Gerald P. Nye , and Clyde M. Reed . Douglas was sworn into office on April 17, 1939. At the age of forty, Douglas was the fifth-youngest justice to be confirmed to the Supreme Court. Douglas was often at odds with fellow justice Felix Frankfurter , who believed in judicial restraint and thought
8366-485: Was helpful in resolving cases before the Court. It also gave him a perspective on political systems that did not benefit from the legal protections in the American Constitution. When, in early 1944, President Franklin D. Roosevelt decided not to support the renomination of Vice President Henry A. Wallace at the party's national convention, a short list of possible replacements was drafted. The names on
8460-617: Was impossible to save enough money by teaching and I said to hell with it." In the summer of 1918, Douglas took part in a U.S. Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps training encampment at the Presidio of San Francisco . That fall, he joined the Student Army Training Corps at Whitman as a private . He served from October to December, and was honorably discharged because the Armistice of November 11, 1918 ended
8554-534: Was intestinal colic. His mother attributed his recovery to a miracle, telling Douglas that one day he would be President of the United States . His father died in Portland, Oregon in 1904, when Douglas was six years old. Douglas later claimed his mother had been left destitute. After moving the family from town to town in the West, his mother, with three young children, settled in Yakima, Washington . William, like
8648-408: Was one famous summer visitor to Wallowa County, building a vacation cabin on Lostine River Road in 1939. In December 2003, a developer announced a proposal to buy a 62-acre (0.25 km) property near Wallowa Lake , and build 11 homes on it. This property is adjacent to the property that is home to the grave of Old Chief Joseph , father of the younger Chief Joseph. This proposal drew opposition from
8742-559: Was permissible under the Espionage Act of 1917 , under which the Rosenbergs were tried, a later law, the Atomic Energy Act of 1946 , held that only a jury could pronounce the death penalty. Since at the time the stay was granted the Supreme Court was out of session, this stay meant that the Rosenbergs could expect to wait at least six months before the case was heard. When Attorney General Herbert Brownell heard about
8836-401: Was unusual in that he did not attempt to elaborate justifications for his judicial positions on the basis of text, history, or precedent. Douglas was known for writing short, pithy opinions which relied on philosophical insights, observations about current politics, and literature, as much as more conventional judicial sources. Douglas wrote many of his opinions in twenty minutes, often publishing
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