Knowra Hugo Black Hugo Black Hugo Black was an American lawyer and politician who served as an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court from 1937 to 1971. He became known for textualism and a strong defense of First Amendment freedoms.
Textualism : A method of legal interpretation that gives primary weight to the enacted words of a legal text. Black insisted that constitutional meaning begin with the Constitution’s actual language.
Everson v. Board of Education : A 1947 Supreme Court case permitting reimbursement for transportation to religious schools while applying the Establishment Clause to states. Black wrote the majority opinion and described a constitutional wall between church and state.
Franklin D. Roosevelt : The 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 to 1945. Roosevelt appointed Black to the Supreme Court in 1937.
Alabama : A southeastern U.S. state whose history includes slavery, racial segregation, and major civil-rights struggles. Black’s legal and political career began in Alabama.
Freedom of the press in the United States : The constitutional protection for publishing and disseminating information without government censorship. Black’s opinions favored strong protection against prior restraints on publication.
First Amendment to the United States Constitution : The constitutional amendment protecting freedoms of religion, speech, press, assembly, and petition. Black read its protections, especially for speech and press, as unusually categorical.
Engel v. Vitale : A 1962 Supreme Court case holding that state-sponsored prayer in public schools violated the Establishment Clause. Black’s opinion applied his separationist understanding to official school prayer.
Thurgood Marshall : An American civil-rights lawyer who became the first Black justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. Marshall and Black served together as justices during landmark constitutional changes.
United States Senate : The upper chamber of the United States Congress, with two senators from each state. Black represented Alabama in the Senate from 1927 until his 1937 appointment.
New York Times Co. v. United States : A 1971 Supreme Court case rejecting the government’s attempt to block publication of the Pentagon Papers. Black’s concurrence argued that the First Amendment barred the requested censorship.
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