ASSOCIATE JUSTICE FELIX FRANKFURTER - AUTOGRAPH LETTER SIGNED 07/06/1942 - HFSID 50081

FELIX FRANKFURTER
He handwrote, signed and dated this letter on letterhead from the Supreme Court to a Harry in 1942, congratulating him on his marriage.
Autograph Letter Signed: "Felix F", 3 pages, 4½x6¾ (folded), 1 sheet folded, front and verso, on letterhead from the Supreme Court of the United States, Washington, D. C. Addressed "1516 - 30th Street", 1942 July 6. In part: "Dear Harry - I have known your two and sister-in laws for a long time and there-fore have admired divers [sic] gifts. Nor did it require their sister to become your bride for me to admire even if only from afar her divers [sic] gifts. That she has become your bride is cause for a feeling more im-portant than dis-tant admiration, rejoicing over your joint happiness - the happiness of which gaiety and wit and a simple spirit and the wisdom of being 'on' to that strange and fascinating world and sharing its hazards and hopes… Marion and I are truly and deeply glad for you. [illegible]". A renowned legal scholar, Frankfurter 1882-1965, born in Vienna, Austria) influenced Supreme Court decisions for more than 20 years (1939-1962). A former advisor to the NAACP and co-founder of the American Civil Liberties Union, Frankfurter had affirmed that any form of discrimination against Blacks violated the 15th Amendment (Lane vs. Wilson,1939). Believing that the Court should not interfere with laws established by the people's elected officials, he upheld President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal legislation. In the realm of civil liberties, Frankfurter would play a pivotal role in deciding the famous school desegregation case Brown vs. the Board of Education (1954), ensuring its historic importance by securing a unanimous decision. He dissented when the Court overturned Minersville West Virginia State Board of Education vs. Barnette(1943) and when it ruled in favor of legislative reapportionment (Baker vs. Carr, 1962), which he felt was strictly a political problem to be solved by the legislature, not the judiciary. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, the staunch advocate of judicial self-restraint stabilized the liberal Earl Warren Court and promoted "procedural fairness" in criminal cases. Frankfurter was presented the Medal of Freedom by John F. Kennedy in 1963. Not examined outside lamination. Lightly toned and creased. Paper clip impression and staple holes in upper left corner. Folded once and unfolded. Otherwise, fine condition.