Portrait of a Supreme Court Justice in Action

This photograph captures Willis Van Devanter, a prominent figure in American legal history, who served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court from 1910 to 1937. Appointed by President William Howard Taft, Van Devanter was a staunch advocate for the business interests of the time and played a significant role in shaping legal precedents in the early 20th century. His decisions often reflected the prevailing attitudes towards economic regulation, especially during the rise of the New Deal era.

Van Devanter was instrumental in several landmark cases, notably in the realm of antitrust law and labor rights. He authored opinions that highlighted the tension between federal power and states’ rights, and his judicial philosophy emphasized limited government intervention. The image serves as a reminder of a decisive era in the U.S. judiciary, illustrating the influential role individual justices played in interpreting the Constitution amid rapidly changing social and economic landscapes.