How Former KKK Member Became Supreme Court Justice

 

October 26, 2020


"A quintessentially American story of how 
a Yankee, a Westerner, a Klansman, and a Jew changed America." 
- Pittsburgh Post-Gazette


Still reading this in depth book about FDR and his relationship with four of his Supreme Court nominations. The beauty of reading history as a hobby is you'll pick up a book just out of curiosity and discover within its pages an entire treasure trove of hidden historical facts. It is partly coincidence that I'm reading this book on the night of Amy Coney Barrett's Senate confirmation and the controversy surrounding it all. 

Though the book is a long, dry read, the language of power and its use in manipulating politics is laid bare. Politics, if nothing else, is about favors and compromise. And support from a politician comes with a cost. As for a Supreme Court appointment, again, its about politics.

Two topics discussed in the book I found very interesting are the proposal of President Franklin D. Roosevelt to "pack the supreme court," and the nomination of a former Ku Klux Klansman, Hugo Black from Alabama.

The story of Hugo Black is one that would have to be read to be believed and understood.  He did not reveal his former KKK membership until after his Supreme Court confirmation in 1937. Here's the story as told by Thad Morgan of NPR.org: 

How an Ex‑KKK Member Made His Way Onto the U.S. Supreme Court | HISTORY

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