Event
Democratic Justice: Felix Frankfurter, the Supreme Court, and the Making of the Liberal Establishment
Brad Snyder, Georgetown Law
This is a hybrid event. FREE for MHS Members. $10 per person fee (in person). No charge for virtual attendees or Card to Culture participants (EBT, WIC, and ConnectorCare). The in-person reception starts at 5:30 and the program will begin at 6:00.
Scholars have portrayed Felix Frankfurter as a judicial failure, a liberal lawyer turned conservative justice, and the Warren Court’s principal villain. Brad Snyder argues that none of these characterizations ring true. A pro-government, pro-civil rights liberal who rejected shifting political labels, Frankfurter advocated for judicial restraint―he believed that people should seek change not from the courts but through the democratic political process. He knew American presidents from Theodore Roosevelt to Lyndon Johnson and inspired his students and law clerks to enter government service. Organized around presidential administrations and major political and world events, this definitive biography chronicles Frankfurter’s impact on American life.
Hybrid Event
The in-person reception starts at 5:30 and the program will begin at 6:00.
Masks are optional for this event.
The virtual program begins at 6:00 PM and will be hosted on the video conference platform, Zoom. Registrants will receive a confirmation message with attendance information.
