ASSOCIATE JUSTICE WILLIAM J. BRENNAN JR. - SUPREME COURT CARD SIGNED 04/11/1980 - HFSID 32491

WILLIAM J. BRENNAN, JR. Supreme Court Card signed: "Wm J Brennan Jr" as Associate Justice, 4¼x3. Engraved at upper margin: "Supreme Court of the United States/Washington 25, D.C." Typed April 11, 1980 below engraving. William J. Brennan, Jr. (1906-1997), appointed Associate Justice by President Eisenhower, served from October 6, 1956 until his retirement on July 20, 1990. In over 30 years on the Court, Brennan supported criminal and civil rights, opposed the death penalty and promoted both state and federal legislative reapportionment. He defended First Amendment rights and believed that the government must prove a substantial need before any individual's liberties could be restricted. Although Brennan opposed censorship, he felt that obscenity was without social value and therefore not protected by the First Amendment. Beginning with Roth vs. U.S. (1957), he began writing precedent-setting opinions on this subject, defining obscenity according to his community standards test, which was based on the average person's opinion of what appeals to the prurient interest. Brennan worked hard, however, to develop guidelines that would prevent non-obscene material from being suppressed. During Miller vs. California (1973), he re-evaluated his position on obscenity and decided to oppose all forms of censorship. Brennan believed that only by making the Constitution a "living document" could America's system of government keep up with the needs of society -- in direct opposition to the "strict constructionist" approach of conservative colleagues such as Justices Rehnquist and Scalia. Fine condition. Framed in the Gallery of History style: 21¼x16¾.