American Jewish Committee Mourns The Death Of Justice Harry A. Blackmun

American Jewish Committee
Thursday, 4 March 1999

The American Jewish Committee mourns the passing of former United States Supreme Court Justice Harry A. Blackmun, who was an influential compassionate voice during his 24 year tenure on the Court. Justice Blackmun, who was viewed as a conservative early in his career but came to be considered one of the most liberal members of the Court, authored the landmark 1973 decision, Roe v. Wade, which established the constitutional right of women to end their pregnancies.

Justice Blackmun was also a strong supporter of the strict separation of church and state.

In a dramatic shift in personal conviction, and just months prior to his retirement from the bench, Justice Blackmun denounced the death penalty. He wrote in a 1994 dissenting opinion: "From this day forward, I shall no longer tinker with the machinery of death….I feel morally and intellectually obligated simply to concede that the death penalty experiment has failed."

Justice Blackmun was the 1992 recipient of the American Liberties Medallion, the highest honor the American Jewish Committee has to bestow.

His was a reasoned and compassionate voice, and he will be missed.

For more information, or to contact American Jewish Committee, see their website at: www.ajc.org