Henry Billings Brown (U.S. Supreme Court)

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Henry Billings Brown
Image of Henry Billings Brown

Nonpartisan

Prior offices
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan
Supreme Court of the United States

Education

Bachelor's

Yale, 1856

Law

Read law, 1860

Personal
Birthplace
Massachusetts

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Henry Billings Brown (1836-1913) was an Associate Justice on the Supreme Court of the United States and a judge for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. He joined the Supreme Court in 1890 after a nomination from President Benjamin Harrison. He retired from the Supreme Court on May 28, 1906.

Brown joined the Eastern District of Michigan in 1875 after a nomination from President Ulysses Grant. Before joining the court, Brown was a private practice attorney and lecturer in law in Michigan.[1]

Brown was one of four justices nominated to the Supreme Court by President Harrison. Brown served during The Fuller Court.[2] Brown passed away on September 4, 1913.

Historical SCOTUS Graphic small.png

Education

Brown attended Yale Law School and Harvard Law School. He also studied law by reading law.[1]

Professional career

  • 1868-1871: Professor of medical jurisprudence, Detroit Medical College
  • 1868-1875: Lecturer in law, University of Michigan
  • 1868-1875: Attorney in private practice, Detroit, Michigan
  • 1868: Judge, Wayne County Circuit Court
  • 1863-1868: Assistant U.S. Attorney, United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan
  • 1861-1863: Deputy U.S. Marshal, United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan
  • 1860-1861: Attorney in private practice, Detroit, Michigan[1]

Judicial nominations and appointments

Supreme Court

Justice Brown was nominated to the Supreme Court by President Benjamin Harrison on December 23, 1890, to fill he seat vacated by Samuel Freeman Miller. He was confirmed by the Senate on December 29, 1890, and received commission that same day. He retired on May 28, 1906.[1] He was succeeded to this post by William Henry Moody.

Eastern District of Michigan

Brown served on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. He was nominated by President Ulysses Grant on March 17, 1875, to fill the seat vacated by John Wesley Longyear. He was confirmed by the Senate on March 19, 1875, and received commission that same day. He served until December 30, 1890, when he joined the Supreme Court.[1] He was succeeded to this post by Henry Harrison Swan.

Noteworthy cases

Details
Author: Henry B. Brown

Vote Count: 7-1

Majority Justices: Fuller, Field, Gray, Shiras, White, Peckham

Minority Justice: Harlan I

Separate But Equal Stands (1896)

In 1892, Louisiana passed the Separate Car Act, which segregated carrier cars by race. On June 7, 1892, Homer Plessy, a light-skinned black man, sat in a "White" car, identifying himself as black in order to challenge the law. The thirty year-old Plessy was jailed for not sitting in the "Colored" car.[3]With seven votes for Ferguson and one vote against, the Supreme Court ruled that mandatory racial segregation was not in violation of the Fourteenth Amendment. Despite never using the term "separate, but equal," the court's ruling established that principle as a means of justifying segregation.[4]

See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Justice Brown's Biography from the Federal Judicial Center
  2. ↑ Federal judicial appointments by president
  3. ↑ PBS, "Landmark Cases: Plessy v. Ferguson", accessed December 20, 2013
  4. ↑ Oyez, Plessy v. Ferguson
Political offices
Preceded by:
John Wesley Longyear 		Eastern District of Michigan
1875–1890
Seat #1 		Succeeded by:
Henry Harrison Swan
Preceded by:
Samuel Freeman Miller 		Supreme Court
1890–1906
Seat #5 		Succeeded by:
William Henry Moody



Michigan courts

Federal courts:

Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Eastern District of Michigan, Western District of Michigan • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Eastern District of Michigan, Western District of Michigan

State courts:

Michigan Supreme Court • Michigan Court of Appeals • Michigan Circuit Court • Michigan District Courts • Michigan Probate Courts

State resources:

Courts in Michigan • Michigan judicial elections • Judicial selection in Michigan

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