Hugo L. Black
| Hugo Black | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States | |
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In office August 19, 1937 – September 17, 1971 |
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| Nominated by | Franklin D. Roosevelt |
| Preceded by | Willis Van Devanter |
| Succeeded by | Lewis Powell |
| Chair of the Senate Education Committee | |
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In office January 3, 1937 – August 19, 1937 |
|
| Preceded by | David Walsh |
| Succeeded by | Elbert Thomas |
|
United States Senator from Alabama |
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In office March 4, 1927 – August 19, 1937 |
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| Preceded by | Oscar Underwood |
| Succeeded by | Dixie Graves |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Hugo Lafayette Black February 27, 1886 Ashland, Alabama, U.S. |
| Died | September 25, 1971 (aged 85) Bethesda, Maryland, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Josephine Foster (1921–1951) Elizabeth DeMeritte (1957–1971) |
| Children | 3 (including Hugo and Sterling) |
| Education |
Ashland College University of Alabama, Birmingham University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa (LLB) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |
 United States
|
| Service/branch |
 United States Army
|
| Rank |
 Captain
|
| Unit | 81st Field Artillery Regiment |
Hugo Lafayette Black (February 27, 1886 – September 25, 1971) was an American politician who served as a Democratic United States Senator and represented Alabama in the Senate from 1927 to 1937, and served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1937 to 1971. Black was nominated to the Supreme Court by President Franklin D. Roosevelt and confirmed by the Senate by a vote of 63 to 16 (6 Democratic Senators and 10 Republican Senators voted against him.) He was the first of nine Roosevelt nominees to the Court, and he outlasted all except for William O. Douglas. Black is widely regarded as one of the most influential Supreme Court justices in the 20th century.
The fifth longest-serving justice in Supreme Court history, Black is noted for his advocacy of a textualist reading of the United States Constitution and of the position that the liberties guaranteed in the Bill of Rights were imposed on the states ("incorporated") by the Fourteenth Amendment. During his political career, Black was regarded as a staunch supporter of liberal policies and civil liberties.
However, Black wrote the majority opinion in Korematsu v. United States, which upheld Japanese internment during World War II. Black also consistently opposed the doctrine of substantive due process (the anti-New Deal Supreme Court's interpretation of this concept made it impossible for the government to enact legislation that interfered with the freedom of business owners) and believed that there was no basis in the words of the Constitution for a right to privacy, voting against finding one in Griswold v. Connecticut.
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