# 4422a - 2009 44c Supreme Court Justices: Felix Frankfurter
Supreme Court Justices
Issue Date: September 22, 2009
City: Washington, DC
Birth Of Felix Frankfurter
Frankfurter lived in Vienna until he was 12, when his family moved to New York City. He was a good student and enjoyed playing chess. Frankfurter also spent hours reading at The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, and attended political lectures.
After the US entered World War I, Frankfurter became special assistant to the secretary of War. He was also made judge advocate general, overseeing court-martials for the War Department. After the war, he helped found the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). He also returned to Harvard and fought for the rights of the oppressed and religious minorities.
As a founding member of the ACLU and supporter of the New Deal, many believed Frankfurter would have a progressive influence on the Court. Instead, Frankfurter restrained from using personal views in his decisions and became one of the more conservative judges on the bench.
Following this philosophy, Justice Frankfurter often made rulings that conflicted with his personal convictions. But he believed strongly in the words written by America’s forefathers and once said, “As a member of this court I am not justified in writing my private notions of policy into the Constitution, no matter how deeply I may cherish them or how mischievous I may deem their disregard.” A liberal at heart and a conservative on the bench, Felix Frankfurter brought balance to the Supreme Court.
Supreme Court Justices
Issue Date: September 22, 2009
City: Washington, DC
Birth Of Felix Frankfurter
Frankfurter lived in Vienna until he was 12, when his family moved to New York City. He was a good student and enjoyed playing chess. Frankfurter also spent hours reading at The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, and attended political lectures.
After the US entered World War I, Frankfurter became special assistant to the secretary of War. He was also made judge advocate general, overseeing court-martials for the War Department. After the war, he helped found the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). He also returned to Harvard and fought for the rights of the oppressed and religious minorities.
As a founding member of the ACLU and supporter of the New Deal, many believed Frankfurter would have a progressive influence on the Court. Instead, Frankfurter restrained from using personal views in his decisions and became one of the more conservative judges on the bench.
Following this philosophy, Justice Frankfurter often made rulings that conflicted with his personal convictions. But he believed strongly in the words written by America’s forefathers and once said, “As a member of this court I am not justified in writing my private notions of policy into the Constitution, no matter how deeply I may cherish them or how mischievous I may deem their disregard.” A liberal at heart and a conservative on the bench, Felix Frankfurter brought balance to the Supreme Court.