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Robert H. Jackson: A Life in Judgment
Discover the meteoric rise of one of the most extraordinary and singular figures in American jurisprudence, Robert H. Jackson, from self-trained lawyer to influential Supreme Court Justice and chief U.S. prosecutor at the Nuremberg trials, in this compelling new biography.
Until he joined the U.S. government in 1934, Robert H. Jackson had been a lawyer in private practice in Upstate New York who was admitted to the bar without going to college and after completing only one year of law school. Once part of FDR's administration, Jackson became, in rapid succession, United States Solicitor General and United States Attorney General, where he successfully defended New Deal programs before the Supreme Court, including the legality of Lend Lease, which helped the U.S. give war supplies to England in exchange for grants of territory and harbors. Jackson played a central role in formulating the arguments justifying a number of initiatives on constitutional grounds and in drafting the policy statements that accompanied them. In 1941, FDR nominated him to be Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, on which he served until his death in 1954, only months after his adding his vote to the unanimous decision in Brown V. Board of Education.
It was a meteoric rise for someone from outside the elite, and essentially self-trained. That didn't stop Jackson from becoming one of the most influential and independent-minded judges of his day, unafraid to question the status quo and leave his mark on a number of landmark cases, including West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnett, which guaranteed First Amendment rights by holding that students in public schools did not have to salute the flag or recite the Pledge of Allegiance. He dissented from the notorious decision in Korematsu v. U.S., which condoned the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War Two. To many, however, Jackson's most significant contribution was as chief U.S. prosecutor at the Nuremberg war trials following the war.
Drawing on Jackson's extensive personal papers in the Library of Congress and the Jackson Center, as well as a substantial oral history, G. Edward White's biography offers the first full-length portrait in decades of this fascinating and seminal figure.
Until he joined the U.S. government in 1934, Robert H. Jackson had been a lawyer in private practice in Upstate New York who was admitted to the bar without going to college and after completing only one year of law school. Once part of FDR's administration, Jackson became, in rapid succession, United States Solicitor General and United States Attorney General, where he successfully defended New Deal programs before the Supreme Court, including the legality of Lend Lease, which helped the U.S. give war supplies to England in exchange for grants of territory and harbors. Jackson played a central role in formulating the arguments justifying a number of initiatives on constitutional grounds and in drafting the policy statements that accompanied them. In 1941, FDR nominated him to be Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, on which he served until his death in 1954, only months after his adding his vote to the unanimous decision in Brown V. Board of Education.
It was a meteoric rise for someone from outside the elite, and essentially self-trained. That didn't stop Jackson from becoming one of the most influential and independent-minded judges of his day, unafraid to question the status quo and leave his mark on a number of landmark cases, including West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnett, which guaranteed First Amendment rights by holding that students in public schools did not have to salute the flag or recite the Pledge of Allegiance. He dissented from the notorious decision in Korematsu v. U.S., which condoned the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War Two. To many, however, Jackson's most significant contribution was as chief U.S. prosecutor at the Nuremberg war trials following the war.
Drawing on Jackson's extensive personal papers in the Library of Congress and the Jackson Center, as well as a substantial oral history, G. Edward White's biography offers the first full-length portrait in decades of this fascinating and seminal figure.
408 pages, Hardcover
Published October 1, 2025
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About the author
G. Edward White
35 books9 followersG. Edward White is the David and Mary Harrison Distinguished Professor of Law at the University of Virginia. He was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1983.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 29, 2025
The book is quite disappointing. There were several factual errors throughout the book, including stating that the nuclear facility of Los Alamos as located in California rather than in New Mexico, which made me worry about the accuracy of the fact checking the book had undergone. Additionally, the book rushes through the Nuremberg trials, arguably the height of Jackson's career and his most important contribution to law. Does the author do this to focus on other interesting aspects of Jackson's life, no. Instead we have numerous pages devoted to frankly unimportant topics like how well Jackson's children did at their respective colleges and Jackson's unfinished memoir of working with FDR. The book does offer interesting insights into the politics of the Supreme Court in the 1940s and 1950s but otherwise it seems to have missed the mark and failed to take full advantage of the interesting life it sought to chronicle.
October 22, 2025
Before reading this book I did not know Jackson, who was appointed to the Supreme Court by Franklin Roosevelt, skipped college, only went to one year of law school and became a lawyer by "reading for the bar." This comprehensive biography details that as well as his years practicing as a general practice small town lawyer in upstate New York until he went to Washington DC to work for Roosevelt as a relatively obscure lawyer.
Jackson proved to be a brilliant lawyer and was promoted to Solicitor General, Jackson's favorite job. He was excellent in both oral and written arguments and was later appointed Attorney General and then to the Supreme Court.
The biography details both Jackson's legal opinions and his role in the bitterly divided Court. His disdain for Hugo Black led him to call him out in a published opinion and Jackson chafed, along with h Felix Frankfurter, at the Black/Douglas faction of the court.
Jackson is best known as the Nuremberg Prosecutor. He accepted that despite the reservations of his fellow Justices. His performance was often panned, especially his cross exam of Goering. The author, a law professor, meticulously counters that by showing that Goering's long answers, almost speeches, in response to questions resulted from the bench's rulings and that the normal pace of a prosecutor's cross exam was hampered by having to wait for all the different interpreters to interpret the questions and answers. The author also shows that in the long run Jackson's prosecution was effective in showing the world the horrors of Nazism in a fair judicial trial.
Jackson's disappointing role in Brown v Board of Education is also told. Jackson initially voted against the plaintiffs and only reluctantly joined the unanimous opinion
Jackson's personal life is not ignored, he was close to his wife and children and spent much time with them. But he also spent much time with his legal secretary especially in Europe during the Nuremberg trial and Jackson died in her apartment. The book gives the evidence and opinions of those who knew him and letting the reader decide if anyone truly knows
Jackson proved to be a brilliant lawyer and was promoted to Solicitor General, Jackson's favorite job. He was excellent in both oral and written arguments and was later appointed Attorney General and then to the Supreme Court.
The biography details both Jackson's legal opinions and his role in the bitterly divided Court. His disdain for Hugo Black led him to call him out in a published opinion and Jackson chafed, along with h Felix Frankfurter, at the Black/Douglas faction of the court.
Jackson is best known as the Nuremberg Prosecutor. He accepted that despite the reservations of his fellow Justices. His performance was often panned, especially his cross exam of Goering. The author, a law professor, meticulously counters that by showing that Goering's long answers, almost speeches, in response to questions resulted from the bench's rulings and that the normal pace of a prosecutor's cross exam was hampered by having to wait for all the different interpreters to interpret the questions and answers. The author also shows that in the long run Jackson's prosecution was effective in showing the world the horrors of Nazism in a fair judicial trial.
Jackson's disappointing role in Brown v Board of Education is also told. Jackson initially voted against the plaintiffs and only reluctantly joined the unanimous opinion
Jackson's personal life is not ignored, he was close to his wife and children and spent much time with them. But he also spent much time with his legal secretary especially in Europe during the Nuremberg trial and Jackson died in her apartment. The book gives the evidence and opinions of those who knew him and letting the reader decide if anyone truly knows
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews