Potter Stewart
Position
Associate Justice
Seat
9
Nominated By
Eisenhower
Commissioned on
Tuesday, October 14, 1958
Sworn In
Tuesday, October 14, 1958
Left Office
Friday, July 3, 1981
Reason For Leaving
Retired
Length of Service
22 years, 8 months, 20 days
Home
Ohio
The Collection of the Supreme Court of the United States (Artist: Ruth A. Nestor Hamilton)
Biography
Potter Stewart was the son of the Republican mayor of Cincinnati, so he was raised on politics. Though his background was ideologically conservative, Stewart was often cast as a centrist on the Court. Often he would vote with liberal justices on First Amendment issues and then side with conservative justices on matters of equal protection. Stewart will long be remembered for his concurrence in a pornography case, Jacobellis v. Ohio. Though he was unable to formulate a definition of pornography, he declared that "I know it when I see it." He went on to defend the movie in question against further censorship. This observation summarizes Stewart's judicial philosophy: particularistic, intuitive, and pragmatic.
Clerkships
| Clerk |
Law School |
Terms Clerked |
|---|---|---|
| David D. Hiller | 1979 | |
| Terrance Sandalow (hired by Burton) | Chicago (1957) | 1958 |
| Daniel R. Fischel | Chicago (1977) | 1978 |
| Evan A. Davis | Columbia (1969) | 1970 |
| Paul M. Dodyk | Harvard (1964) | 1964 |
| Laurence H. Tribe | Harvard (1966) | 1967 |
| Thomas D. Rowe, Jr. | Harvard (1970) | 1970 |
| John G. Koeltl | Harvard (1971) | 1972 |
| Dennis M. Perluss | Harvard (1973) | 1974 |
| Gilbert L. Kujovich | Harvard (1975) | 1976 |
| Daniel J. Meltzer | Harvard (1975) | 1976 |
| Jeffrey H. Blattner | Harvard (1980) | 1982 |
| Thomas E. Kauper | Michigan (1960) | 1960, 1961 |
| James R. Bieke | Michigan (1970) | 1972 |
| Terrence G. Perris | Michigan (1972) | 1973 |
Which player's contribution to baseball best matches Potter Stewart's contribution to law?
Cite this Page
Potter Stewart. The Oyez Project at IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law. 28 April 2013. <http://www.oyez.org/justices/potter_stewart?order=field_education_value&sort=asc>.
Potter Stewart, The Oyez Project at IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law, http://www.oyez.org/justices/potter_stewart?order=field_education_value&sort=asc (last visited April 28, 2013).
"Potter Stewart," The Oyez Project at IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law, accessed April 28, 2013, http://www.oyez.org/justices/potter_stewart?order=field_education_value&sort=asc.