“Destructive to Judicial Dignity”: The Poetry of Melville Weston Fuller

Authors

Todd C. Peppers, Washington and Lee University School of LawFollow
Mary Crockett Hill, Roanoke CollegeFollow

Document Type

Essay

Publication Title

Journal of Supreme Court History

Publication Date

2021

DOI

doi.org/10.1111/jsch.12266

Abstract

Although there have been many debates over the relevant qualifications for a Supreme Court nominee, Fuller’s nomination was the first—and last—time in history where the quality of a nominee’s verse was debated in national and regional newspapers. In this essay, we weigh the merits of two claims leveled against Fuller: (1) he was a mediocre poet, and (2) his penchant for verse colored and polluted his judicial opinions. As judge and jury, we conclude that neither charge is supported by a preponderance of the evidence.

Recommended Citation

Todd C. Peppers & Mary Crockett Hill, “Destructive to Judicial Dignity”: The Poetry of Melville Weston Fuller, 46 J. Sup. Ct. Hist. 148 (2021).