Hugo Black summary

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Below is the article summary. For the full article, see Hugo Black.

Hugo Black, (born Feb. 27, 1886, Clay county, Ala., U.S.—died Sept. 25, 1971, Bethesda, Md.), U.S. Supreme Court justice (1937–71). After practicing law in Alabama from 1906, he served in the U.S. Senate (1927–37), where he was a strong supporter of the New Deal. Pres. Franklin Roosevelt appointed him to the Supreme Court of the United States, where he helped reverse earlier court decisions against New Deal legislation. In the 1960s he was prominent in the liberal majority that struck down mandatory school prayer and guaranteed the availability of legal counsel to suspected criminals. He became best known for his absolutist belief in the Bill of Rights as a guarantee of civil liberties. His last major opinion supported the right of the New York Times to publish the Pentagon Papers (1971).

Democratic Party Summary

Democratic Party, in the United States, one of the two major political parties, the other being the Republican Party. The Democratic Party has changed significantly during its more than two centuries of existence. During the 19th century the party supported or tolerated slavery, and it opposed

major Supreme Court cases from the end of the 2022–23 term Summary

The United States Supreme Court will have reached decisions in a number of significant cases by the end of its 2022–23 term in late June or early July. Important issues to be addressed by the Court include the Environmental Protection Agency’s regulatory authority, voting rights, tribal or Native

judge Summary

Judge, public official vested with the authority to hear, determine, and preside over legal matters brought in a court of law. In jury cases, the judge presides over the selection of the panel and instructs it concerning pertinent law. The judge also may rule on motions made before or during a

Supreme Court of the United States Summary

Supreme Court of the United States, final court of appeal and final expositor of the Constitution of the United States. Within the framework of litigation, the Supreme Court marks the boundaries of authority between state and nation, state and state, and government and citizen. The Supreme Court