Wiley B. Rutledge

Wiley B. Rutledge
The Collection of the Supreme Court of the United States (Artist: Harold M. Brett)
Media Items
Personal Information
Born: 
Friday, July 20, 1894
Died: 
Saturday, September 10, 1949
Childhood Location: 
Kentucky
Childhood Surroundings: 
Kentucky
Position: 
Associate Justice
Seat: 
5
Nominated By: 
Roosevelt, F.
Commissioned on: 
Wednesday, February 10, 1943
Sworn In: 
Sunday, February 14, 1943
Left Office: 
Friday, September 9, 1949
Reason For Leaving: 
Death
Home: 
Iowa
Birth Place: 
Kentucky
Biography: 

Wiley Rutledge was President Franklin Delano Roovelt's eighth and last appointment to the Supreme Court. Rutledge had spoken out in support of Roosevelt's court-packing plan while dean of the University of Iowa Law School. Roosevelt appointed him to the federal appellate bench in 1939 where Rutledge demonstrated strong liberal credentials.

Rutledge proved to be a strong liberal on the High Court. He did not see the Fourteenth Amendment as a limitation on the reach of the Bill of Rights. Due process had meaning that might go beyond specific Bill of Rights provisions.

Baseball File: