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Furious Confirmation Battle
1916

Louis D. Brandeis—called the “People’s Lawyer”— had built a national reputation by fighting monopolies and defending consumers. He also was the first person of Jewish descent nominated to the Supreme Court. In the furious 1916 confirmation battle, opponents of the controversial lawyer, some veiling their anti-Semitism, called Brandeis a dangerous radical lacking judicial temperament.

The Senate Judiciary Committee held unprecedented public hearings on the Brandeis nomination. Prominent witnesses assailed Brandeis as unfit to serve. President Woodrow Wilson staunchly defended his nominee as “a friend of all just men and a lover of the right.” The Senate ultimately confirmed Brandeis by a vote of 47–22. During his 23 years on the bench, Louis Brandeis earned a place as one of the Supreme Court’s most respected and influential members.

"... a friend of all just men and a lover of the right."
—President Woodrow Wilson, describing Louis D. Brandeis, May 5, 1916

Louis D. Brandeis, ca. 1910 In this early 1930s image of the Supreme Court in its Capitol quarters, Justice Brandeis, seated third from the left, concentrates on a counsel’s argument The New York Times, February 13, 1916 The New York Times, June 2, 1916 Roll Call Vote on the Confirmation of Louis Brandeis, 1916
Louis D. Brandeis, ca. 1910 In this early 1930s image of the Supreme Court in its Capitol quarters, Justice Brandeis, seated third from the left, concentrates on a counsel’s argument The New York Times, February 13, 1916 The New York Times, June 2, 1916 Roll Call Vote on the Confirmation of Louis Brandeis, 1916
 
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