MR. JUSTICE AND MRS. BLACK: The Memoirs of Hugo L. Black and Elizabeth Black

by Hugo L. and Elizabeth Black Black ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 27, 1986

A mixed-bag memoir of Black, who served as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court through five Chief Justices from 1937 until his death in 1971 (only two men served longer). A mixed bag because it's made up of three disparate parts. Black didn't begin writing his own memoirs until he was 82, leaving himself little time for either great detail or fruition. In the event, the latter was stymied, taking him up only to his 35th year. Elizabeth Black, his second wife, then composes a bridge section covering the 43 years from 1921 through their marriage in 1957 and beyond to 1964, at which point her own diary takes us through the final seven years of Black's life. This final diary section is really the meat of this book, comprising about 70% of the volume. It is, surprisingly, more engaging than Black's own earlier section, which comes across as a dry recitation of facts. (Of course, his entries suffer from the fact that they do not cover his most interesting years.) Black, known as one of the principal spokesmen for the liberal views of the Warren Court, was a staunch defender of the Bill of Rights, continually using it to defend the rights of the otherwise unprotected. But, in his wife's diary, we see him mostly in his domestic role as devoted husband. Mrs. Black, while commenting on many of the social gatherings and small talk within Washington power circles, leaves discussion of court policy, intrigues, and legal interpretation to the historians and biographers, Stripping through the veneer, then, we see the real man come out in amusing daily incidents, like fumbling with mechanical ineptitude over some house. hold appliance. Also answered are such questions as does a Supreme Court Justice ever break the law? (Yes, as we see Black, at 82, driving 90 mph on the way to Florida, and meekly accepting a speeding ticket with no attempt at gaining special privilege.) Mrs. Black has provided us with a close glimpse of the day-today world of one of our most long-lived important figures. Her effort is worthwhile in demonstrating the common humanity of an Olympian figure (oft said to be up on Mount Olympus communing with the Constitution). Unfortunately, characters and references on occasion come out of the blue, and there's little help for the reader with some historical perspective for Mrs. Black's comments. But then, this is a book which will not satisfy the historians, as Mrs. Black sloughs over many of the down-and-dirty details of the time, such as the Abe Fortas affair upon which she only vaguely touches. But, in sum, a worthy offering to Hugo Black's centenary.

Pub Date: Feb. 27, 1986

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Random House

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 1986

Categories: NONFICTION