Herschel Friday

Herschel Hugar Friday (February 10, 1922 – March 1, 1994) was an Arkansas bond lawyer whom President Richard Nixon considered appointing to the United States Supreme Court.[2] After the American Bar Association felt Friday's nomination was too controversial due to his firm's representation of the Little Rock School District throughout the 1957 Central High School Crisis, Nixon nominated Lewis Powell instead.[1]

Herschel Friday
Personal details
Born(1922-02-10)February 10, 1922
Lockesburg, Arkansas, U.S.
DiedMarch 1, 1994(1994-03-01) (aged 72)
near Little Rock, Arkansas,
U.S.
Political partyDemocratic[1]
EducationUniversity of Arkansas, Little
Rock (BA)
University of Arkansas,
Fayetteville (LLB)

During Nixon's first term, three associate justices resigned from the Supreme Court. The first vacancy was created by the resignation of Abe Fortas. The United States Senate rejected Nixon's first two nominees for that vacancy, Clement F. Haynsworth and G. Harrold Carswell. Nixon then nominated Harry A. Blackmun, who was confirmed.[1]

Justices John Harlan and Hugo Black announced their retirements in 1971. In spite of the rejections of Haynsworth and Carswell, Nixon strongly considered nominating Friday and California state Appeals Judge Mildred Lillie to the high court. Friday was a former member of the American Bar Association Board of Delegates; Lillie was a judge on an intermediate state appellate court in California. After the American Bar Association rated both Friday and Lillie as "not qualified," Nixon instead nominated Lewis Powell and William H. Rehnquist, both of whom were successfully confirmed.[1] Friday was informed of the change in plan only hours before the Powell and Rehnquist nominations; reporters and friends were waiting for news at his house with him.[3] Alongside Carswell and George Henry Williams, Friday is one of three unsuccessful nominations to the Supreme Court to come from a state that as of 2020 has produced no successfully confirmed Justice.

Friday returned to his Arkansas law firm, Friday, Eldredge & Clark, LLP.[3] Friday became recognized as one of the most influential lobbyists in the area, and he wielded his influence on behalf of the horse-racing interest Oaklawn Park. In 1988, he was particularly successful in getting Governor Bill Clinton to sign a tax package that was beneficial to horse-racing. Friday would later be a benefactor of Clinton as Governor and, later, President of the United States.[4] Friday died on March 1, 1994 when he failed to maintain control of his aircraft, while maneuvering to land at Bobwhite Hill Ranch, Arkansas. The aircraft impacted the ground and was destroyed. Factors related to the accident were: darkness and possible spatial disorientation.[5] He was survived by his wife, Beth.[6]

See also

References
  1. Kohlmeier, Jr., Louis M. (1972). God Save This Honorable Court: The Supreme Court Crisis. Charles Scribner Sons.
  2. Bradley, Craig M. (2006). The Rehnquist legacy. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-85919-0.
  3. Margolick, David (1995). At the bar : the passions and peccadilloes of American lawyers. New York : Simon & Schuster. pp. 213–4. ISBN 978-0-671-88787-2.
  4. Oakley, Meredith L. (1994). On the make. Regnery Pub. ISBN 978-0-89526-493-0.
  5. "ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 36039". Aviation Safety Network. 1 March 1994. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
  6. "Obituary: Herschel Friday". The Blood-Horse. Vol. 120 no. 11. The Blood-Horse. 1994-03-12. p. 1351. Retrieved 2020-09-11.
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