The Burger Court Essay -- Biography, Warren Earl Burger

Warren Earl Burger was born September 17th, 1907 in St. Paul, Minnesota. He was of Swiss and German ancestry and served as the 15th Chief Justice to the United States Supreme Court. After graduating from St. Paul College of Law in 1931, the lifelong republican held many various positions in the legal system while working his way to the top. Burger focused mainly in the areas of corporate law, real estate and probate law, while at the same time becoming involved in politics. Furthermore, he was involved in many successful campaigns which brought attention to himself by prominent republicans. His appointment to the U.S Court of Appeals quickly built his background as a law and order judge. Serving in the circuit courts for a mere thirteen years led to his appointment as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court in 1969 by President Richard M. Nixon. Once appointed Chief Justice, Burger presided over numerous cases, Burger’s goals as Chief Justice was to modernize and streamline the cou rts to make them more accessible and functional, along with originating the idea of employing professional court administrators, implementing continuing education for judges, and improving coordination between federal and state courts, in addition to being noted for his outspoken criticism of ill-prepared litigators who used the jobs as a way of on-the-job training (Facts, 1996). While serving in the Supreme Court, Justice Burger was involved in many important cases. Chief Justice Burger and the court case of Roe v. Wade is the historic Supreme Court decision overturning a Texas interpretation of abortion law and making abortion legal in the United States (Roe, 2011). Taking place on January 22nd, 1973, the argument over abortion was started. In June of 196... ...d the president cannot use executive privilege as an excuse to withhold evidence that is demonstrably relevant in a criminal trial. (Nixon, 2011) The negative effect of this court case is that the inadequate actions of President Nixon unfortunately had to lead to the termination of his Presidency. Warren Earl Burger was a self-made man who rose from modest origins to become the fifteenth Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court. Striving for the rights of the individuals and for the best outcome on the situation, Justice Burger was the meaning of a true judge working for the people. For example, in the court case of Wade v. Roe, the final decision helped to establish the idea and thoughts on abortion through pro-life and pro-choice groups. During Reed v. Reed, the idea of protection for men and women from gender discrimination was in the view of Burger.