earl warren? pretty dope

"It is the spirit and not the form of law that keeps justice alive."

Despite his unfortunate, and later profoundly regretted, role in the immoral internment of Japanese-American citizens during WWII, Earl Warren, California governor turned Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, was a pretty interesting dude. Despite that particularly grievous blemish on his gubernatorial record, he did go on to lead the highest court in the land through a series of profound decisions promoting civil rights, including the landmark Brown v. Board of Education.

I've been told that my grandfather (who was head attorney for General Mills), used to play Bridge (and take down some drinks) with ol' Earl, so he always peaked my interest. Describing this to someone else, I remembered that Warren somehow 'weaseled' his way into the Chief Justice seat. Searching for the forgotten details led me to this passage:

"Warren's successor as governor, Goodwin J. Knight, was to relate in later years that Eisenhower had promised Warren the first vacancy on the Supreme Court in return for delivering the California vote to him, but intended to renege when the first vacancy turned out to be in the office of chief justice. The court's leader, Fred M. Vinson, died on Sept. 8, 1953. Warren had the Viking spirit; he was ready to fight.

As Knight (the lieutenant governor under Warren) recounted it, Warren gave the president an ultimatum: appoint him to the first vacancy, as promised, or he would resign as governor and stomp the nation, denouncing the president as a liar. The following month, Ike nominated Warren to the nation's highest judicial office. Warren won easy Senate confirmation."

How bad ass is that? Ike liberated Europe for Christ's sake, and this man walked all over him. And he also got one of the coolest eulogizing statements I've heard:

A Warren biographer, Jack Harrison Pollack, wrote in 1978:

"High on the facade of the majestic Supreme Court building in Washington, four words are chiseled in stone: 'Equal Justice Under Law.' To a Scandinavian immigrant's son who became an embattled judge, this was no empty phrase nor architect's gimmick. Others — including perhaps the majority of today's Supreme Court — tend to emphasize the word 'Law.' Earl Warren stressed 'Equal Justice.' "