Fortas Chosen for Ability and Scholarship
Histadrut to Name Land
in Israel After Louis Segal
(Continued from Page 1)
Fortas' friends of Jewish faith preme Court rulings such as the
TEL AVIV (JTA) — The His-
Today, an ironic truth has depict him as motivated by a quest school desegregation decision. He tadrut, Israel's federation of labor,
emerged. President Johnson se- for social justice and human dig- said the Court was thereby help- has decided to honor the name of
•
lected Fortas without regard to nity attributable to his ancestral ing promote social progress.
the late American Labor Zionist •
•
Jewish considerations. The Presi- heritage. He did not hold member-
leader Louis Segal by naming a
dent regards Fortas, a close per- ship in a synagogue or temple. But Press United In Lauding
plot of land in Kibbutz Ef Al near •
Appointment of Fortas
sonal friend since the 1930s, as a
legal genius and a personality so
motivated by justice that he is the
best man for the job.
1
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President Jo h n s on explained
that "for many, many years I have
regarded Mr. Fortas as one of this
nation's most able and most re-
spected and most outstanding citi-
zens, a scholar, a profound think-
er, a lawyer of superior ability and
a man of humane and deeply com-
passionate feelings toward his fel-
low men, a champion of our liber-
ties. That opinion is shared by the
legal profession and by the bar
of this country, by members of the
\Congress and by the leaders of
business and labor and other sec-
tors of our national life."
"Mr. Fortas has, as you know,
told me on numerous occasions
in the last 20 months that he
would not be an applicant or a
candidate or would not accept any
appointment to any public office.
And this is, I guess, as it should
be, for in this instance the job
has sought the man. Mr. Fortas
agrees that the duty and the op-
portunity of service on the highest
court of this great country is not
a call that any citizen can reject,"
he did send contributions to the
United Jewish Appeal. So did 'Airs.
Fortas, who is not Jewish. They
have no children.
Immediately after his appoint-
ment, Fortas told the Jewish Tele-
graphic Agency that he considers
himself to be Jewish. He said this
to clarify his conception of reli-
gious identity in view of his lack
of formal affiliaton with Jewish
institutions or organizations.
In the late 1940s and early
1950s, Fortas was a leading op-
ponent of federal loyalty pro-
grams. He defended the rights of
individual federal employes. His
law firm handled the defense of
Owen Lattimore, an expert on the
Far East who was accused of mis-
representing alleged Communist
associations.
With his law partners, former
New Deal trust-buster Thurman
Arnold and wartime OPA Admin-
istrator Paul A. Porter, Fortas
fought to limit the Government's
power to fire employes without
giving specific allegations or an
opportunity to confront accusers.
Fortas taught at Yale, and came
to Washington as a protege of Wil-
liam C. Douglas when the Su-
preme Court justice served as a
said the President.
leading New Deal official.
Colleagues of Fortas noted that
A notable success won by Fortas
he already held one of the most before the Supreme Court was his
powerful unofficial posts in gov- handling, on assignment without
ernment as the President's top pay, of the case of Gideon Vs.
legal adviser and one of his closest Wainwright. This case established
personal confidants. However, he
never offered advice on matters
pertaining to Israel or of unique
interest to the Jewish community,
according to White House authori-
ties. Nor did the President con-
sider Fortas as identified with
Jewish causes, and he did not seek
such advice from him.
a precedent that states must pro-
vide free counsel to penniless per-
sons - accused of crime.
In the 1954 "Durham case,"
Fortas got the U.S. Court of Ap-
peals to broaden the legal defini-
tion of insanity as applied to ac-
cused criminals.
Fortas has publicly lauded Su-
•
Tel Aviv, Natanya Represented
at Congress on Cities in Leningrad
(Direct JTA Teletype Wire
to The Jewish News)
/
Members of the delegation met
LONDON—For the first time in with members of other delega-
Soviet history, reports on the ac- tions, including that of Tunisia, for
tivities of Israeli municipalities in friendly informal talks.
One of those talks took place
the fields of education and health
were presented to a Soviet-spon- between Mayor Ben Ami and
sored conclave, it was reported Mayor Yssayev of Leningrad. The
here Wednesday from Leningrad, Israeli mayor suggested an ex-
where the meeting which ended change of street names between
Leningrad and Natanya, an idea
Tuesday was held.
Israel was represented by a that seemed to appeal to the Len-
delegation from Tel Aviv and Na- ingrad mayor.
tanya at the Twin Cities Congress,
attended by 500 delegates from 40 Harman, Other Envoys
countries. The Israelis took an ac-
View Desalting Plant
tive part in the proceedings.
(Direct JTA Teletype Wire
Speaking at the opening session,
to The Jewish News)
Natanya Mayor Oved Ben Ami,
WASHINGTON — Israel Ambas-
head of the Israeli delegation, sador Avraham Harman Wednes-
spoke first in Hebrew and con- day made a flying visit to Free-
tinued in English.
port, Tex., along with envoys of
In the Hebrew portion, the
29 other nations interested in de-
mayor referred to Russian Jews salting of seawater, to inspect a
as "Brethren so close to us and saline-water conversion demonstra-
yet so far from us." The report tion plant.
on Israeli city education and
The group was accompanied by
health services was presented Secretary of the Interior Stewart
by A. Borstein, deputy mayor L. Udall, Presidential Aide Jack
of Tel Aviv.
Valenti, State Department Protocol
Members of the Israeli delega- Chief Lloyd Hand and Frank Di-
Lion attended Sabbath services in luzio, director of the U.S. Office of
— the Leningrad Synagogue and in Saline Water.
the Moscow Synagogue, when they
The party flew aboard the presi-
visited Moscow. During the Mos- dential plane.
cow Synagogue services, the trad-
Water for drinking and indus-
itional "Mi Shebeirach" blessing trial uses is provided by the Free-
was pronounced for both the pres- port plant.
ident of the Soviet Union and the
Harman previously visited Free-
president of Israel at the sugges- port in spring 1964 when Israel
tion of Mayor Ben Ami. The Prime Minister Levi Eshkol and
mayor also visited Riga and the Israeli diplomatic group were
Odessa and then left for Western taken to see the facilities as guests
Europe.
of President Johnson.
NEW YORK (JTA) — The ap-
pointment by President Johnson
of Abe Fortas as Associate Jus-
tice of the U.S. Supreme Court
was lauded in editorials in the
New York press and in leading
newspapers throughout the coun-
try.
The New York Times said in an
editorial that President Johnson's
selection of Fortas for the Su-
preme Court "gives every promise
of proving an excellent appoint-
ment." It pointed out that "the
newest member of the Court is
not likely to be as uniformly pro-
gressive in outlook as his prede-
cessor, former Justice Goldberg,
nor as personally influential as
his predecessor save one, the late
Justice Frankfurter," but added
that "he can be expected to
strengthen the libertarian ap-
proach of the Court's majority."
The New York Herald Tribune
editorial said that "for his first
appointment to the Supreme
Court, President Johnson chose a
lawyer of unquestioned ability,
widely known and highly thought
of throughout the legal profes-
sion." It stressed the fact that, on
a number of occasions, "the Su-
preme Court itself has repeatedly
demonstrated its respect for Abe
Fortas."
The New York Post, the Jour-
nal-American, and the World-Tele-
gram similarly praised the ap-
pointment of Fortas. The Wall
Street Journal said Fortas as a
Supreme Court justice is expected
to reflect his long association with
President Johnson. "He looks
upon the President's Great So-
ciety as a logical and necessary
extension of Franklin Roosevelt's
New Deal," the Washington cor-
respondent of the Wall Street
Journal asserted.
Bnei Brak after him.
This site of land to be named
in Mr. Segal's memory will be
used for the erection of apart-
ments to house pensioners from
both Israel and abroad. Mr. Segal
was a member of the Jewish
Agency executive and secretary
general of the Farband Labor
Zionist Order in the United States.
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THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Friday, August 6, 1965-5
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* * *
Attorney Fortas
Succeeded by
Attorney Fortas
The couple is moving into a
$250,000 yellow brick house in
Georgetown, which will house,
in part, their two poodles. The
Fortases have no children.
As a young bride in 1935, Mrs.
Fortas entered Yale University
Law School, and her husband was
one of her instructors. She gradu-
ated second in a class of 125.
Later she became a partner of the
late Adlai Stevenson in the Wash-
ington branch of his law firm.
Although invited by her hus-
band to join his law firm, she
hesitated to do so until 1960, when
Stevenson, ambassador to the
United Nations, closed his Wash-
ington legal office. She took the
entire Stevenson legal tax division
with her.
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Amemeirissmemeoses•
(Copyright, 1965, JTA, Inc.)
WASHINGTON — While Abe
Fortas is sitting on the highest
court in the land, his cigar-
smoking associate — Mrs. Abe
Fortas—will be watching the store.
Mrs. Fortas, the former Caro-
lyn Agger, has been a legal asso-
ciate of her husband in the firm
of Arnold, Fortas and Porter for
the last five years. She heads the
tax division.
Known in the firm as "Miss
Agger," Mrs. Fortas, a non-Jewess,
is gracious, trim, a smart dresser.
She also smokes cigars—large, fat
ones in private; small, ladylike
ones in public.
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OFFICE HOURS: MON. THRU THURS., 9 TO 5; FRIDAY, 9-4; CLOSED SUNDAYS DURING JULY AND AUGUST.