Nixon nominates Lewis Powell to Supreme Court two months after corporate blueprint memo

Timeline Eventconfirmed
judicial-capturesupreme-court-nominationpowell-memo-implementationcorporate-judicial-strategy
Judicial Capture
Actors:Richard Nixon, Lewis F. Powell Jr., U.S. Senate, William H. Rehnquist
1971-10-21 · Washington, DC · 1 min read

President Nixon nominates corporate lawyer Lewis Powell to Supreme Court as Associate Justice, just 59 days after Powell wrote confidential memo to Chamber of Commerce calling for business to acquire "political power" and use courts as "most important instrument for social, economic and political change." Powell's rapid transition from writing corporate strategy memo to Supreme Court appointment positions him to implement his own blueprint for expanding business power through judicial decisions. Senate confirms nomination 89-1 on December 7, 1971.

Sources

  1. Address to the Nation Announcing Intention To Nominate Lewis F. Powell, Jr., and William H. RehnquistThe American Presidency Project(1971-10-21)
  2. On This Day: William Rehnquist and Lewis Powell Confirmed as Associate JusticesRichard Nixon Foundation(2014-12-07)
  3. Previous Associate Justices: Lewis F. Powell, Jr., 1972-1987Supreme Court Historical Society(2024-01-01)
  4. U.S. Senate: Supreme Court Nominations (1789-Present)U.S. Senate(2024-01-01)