JudicialFinder
Supreme Court / Appointed 1965 / Served to 1969
Portrait of Abe Fortas

Abe Fortas

Associate Justice, Supreme Court of the United States

Appointed by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1965 and confirmed by voice vote, Abe Fortas was an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. He earned a law degree from Yale Law School in 1933. 40 opinions of the Court ↓ Sources ↓

Lived
1910–1982
Appointed by
Lyndon B. Johnson, 1965
Confirmed
by voice vote
Education
Southwestern College (now Rhodes College) 1930 · Yale Law School 1933
Succeeded
Arthur Joseph Goldberg
Succeeded by
Harry Andrew Blackmun

Federal judicial service

YearCourtAppointed byVote
1965Supreme Court
succeeded Arthur Joseph Goldberg
L.B. Johnson (D)Voice vote

Party letters show the appointing president’s party, not the judge’s own. A voice vote means the chamber approved aloud. No senator-by-senator tally is recorded.

Confirmation vote

Voice vote

The Senate approved this confirmation aloud, with no senator-by-senator tally recorded. Recorded roll-call votes begin in 1989.

Education

Southwestern College (now Rhodes College)A.B.1930
Yale Law SchoolLL.B.1933

Opinions of the Court

Fortas delivered 40 opinions of the Court in the covered window (October Term 1965 – October Term 1968). Most cited: In Re Gault et al. (5,473 citations).

YearCaseCitationCited
1969National Labor Relations Board v. Wyman-Gordon Co.394 U.S. 759 (1969)789
1969Foster v. California394 U.S. 440 (1969)1048
1969Harris, U.S. District Judge (walker, Real Party in Interest) v. Nelson, Warden394 U.S. 286 (1969)955
1969Dunbar-Stanley Studios, Inc. v. Alabama393 U.S. 537 (1969)–
1969Tinker et al. v. Des Moines Independent Community School District et al.393 U.S. 503 (1969)3241
1969Johnson v. Avery, Commissioner of Correction, et al.393 U.S. 483 (1969)1359
1968Carroll et al. v. President and Commissioners of Princess Anne et al.393 U.S. 175 (1968)596
1968Epperson et al. v. Arkansas393 U.S. 97 (1968)1145
1968George Campbell Painting Corp. v. Reid et al., Members of New York City Housing Authority, et al.392 U.S. 286 (1968)–
1968Uniformed Sanitation Men Assn., Inc., et al. v. Commissioner of Sanitation of the City of New York et al.392 U.S. 280 (1968)436
1968Gardner v. Broderick, Police Commissioner of the City of New York, et al.392 U.S. 273 (1968)696
1968United States v. United Shoe Machinery Corp.391 U.S. 244 (1968)261
1968Carafas v. Lavallee, Warden391 U.S. 234 (1968)1591
1968Norfolk & Western Railway Co. et al. v. Missouri State Tax Commission et al.390 U.S. 317 (1968)164
1968United States v. Neifert-White Co.390 U.S. 228 (1968)282
1968United States v. Habig et al.390 U.S. 222 (1968)138
1968City of Pottsville v. United States et al.389 U.S. 486 (1968)130
1967National Labor Relations Board v. Fleetwood Trailer Co., Inc.389 U.S. 375 (1967)367
1967Wyandotte Transportation Co. et al. v. United States389 U.S. 191 (1967)361
1967Prima Paint Corp. v. Flood & Conklin Mfg. Co.388 U.S. 395 (1967)2844
1967United States v. Arnold, Schwinn & Co. et al.388 U.S. 365 (1967)530
1967United States v. Sealy, Inc.388 U.S. 350 (1967)173
1967American Trucking Associations, Inc., et al. v. Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway Co. et al.387 U.S. 397 (1967)243
1967Northeastern Pennsylvania National Bank & Trust Co., Executor v. United States387 U.S. 213 (1967)–
1967In Re Gault et al.387 U.S. 1 (1967)5473
1967Clewis v. Texas386 U.S. 707 (1967)543
1967State Farm Fire & Casualty Co. et al. v. Tashire et al.386 U.S. 523 (1967)633
1967Travis v. United States385 U.S. 491 (1967)–
1967United States v. Laub et al.385 U.S. 475 (1967)–
1966Department of Employment et al. v. United States et al.385 U.S. 355 (1966)260
1966Dennis et al. v. United States384 U.S. 855 (1966)1055
1966Gojack v. United States384 U.S. 702 (1966)–
1966United States v. General Motors Corp. et al.384 U.S. 127 (1966)426
1966United States v. Price et al.383 U.S. 787 (1966)1112
1966Kent v. United States383 U.S. 541 (1966)2202
1966Brenner, Commissioner of Patents v. Manson383 U.S. 519 (1966)146
1966Brown et al. v. Louisiana383 U.S. 131 (1966)466
1966United States v. Yazell382 U.S. 341 (1966)427
1965United States v. Speers, Trustee in Bankruptcy382 U.S. 266 (1965)–
1965United Steelworkers of America, Afl-Cio v. R. H. Bouligny, Inc.382 U.S. 145 (1965)268

Opinions of the Court only: the Court’s slip-opinion tables don’t list dissents or concurrences separately. Earlier opinions arrive with the bound-volume ingest. Browse all Supreme Court opinions.

Questions & answers

Who appointed Abe Fortas?
President Lyndon B. Johnson appointed Abe Fortas to the Supreme Court of the United States in 1965.
Was Abe Fortas appointed by a Democrat or a Republican?
Abe Fortas was appointed by President Lyndon B. Johnson, a Democrat. JudicialFinder records the appointing president's party, not a judge's own politics.
What was Abe Fortas's confirmation vote?
Abe Fortas was confirmed by voice vote on August 11, 1965. No senator-by-senator tally was recorded.
Which court was Abe Fortas on?
Abe Fortas was an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.

Sources

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3 years on the Supreme Court of the United States. Data as of 2026-08-10. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).