Lewis F. Powell Jr.
Lewis Franklin Powell Jr.
Lewis F. Powell Jr., a centrist Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, was born in Suffolk, Virginia.
- Profession
- Supreme Court Justice, Attorney
- From
- Suffolk, Virginia
- Born
- September 19, 1907
- Years active
- 1931–1998
Early life
Born in Suffolk in 1907, Powell became a leading Richmond corporate lawyer and president of the American Bar Association.
Career
Appointed to the Supreme Court by President Nixon in 1972, he served until 1987 as a pivotal swing vote on issues from affirmative action to the death penalty.
Major achievements
His controlling opinion in Regents v. Bakke shaped affirmative-action law for decades.
Legacy
Powell is remembered as a pragmatic, influential moderate at the Court's ideological center.
References
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