John Marshall Harlan II

Details

Birth

May 20, 1899 · Chicago, Illinois

Death

December 29, 1971

Law school

new york university

Prior experience

U.s. court of appeals judge

Biography

John Marshall Harlan II (May 20, 1899 – December 29, 1971) served as an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court from 1955 to 1971. Born in Chicago to a prominent legal family, he was the grandson and namesake of Associate Justice John Marshall Harlan. Harlan graduated from Princeton University in 1920 and earned his law degree from New York Law School in 1924. He practiced law in New York City at Root, Clark & Bird (later Dewey Ballantine), becoming a partner and establishing himself as a skilled corporate attorney. During World War II, he served in the U.S. Army Air Forces, reaching the rank of colonel. President Dwight D. Eisenhower nominated Harlan to the Supreme Court in 1954, and he was confirmed by the Senate in March 1955. Harlan developed a judicial philosophy characterized by restraint, strict adherence to constitutional text, and deference to legislative authority. He frequently disagreed with the Warren Court's liberal activism, earning a reputation as a conservative voice. His most significant opinions included his dissent in Miranda v. Arizona (1966), where he opposed mandatory warnings for criminal suspects, and his concurrence in Griswold v. Connecticut (1965), which helped establish privacy rights. Harlan also wrote important decisions on Fourth Amendment protections and federalism. Despite his conservative reputation, he supported civil rights in cases involving racial discrimination. His meticulous legal scholarship and principled approach to constitutional interpretation influenced subsequent conservative jurisprudence. Harlan retired from the Court in September 1971 due to declining health and died three months later, leaving a legacy as one of the Court's most intellectually rigorous justices.

Notable opinions

• Miranda v. Arizona
• Cohen v. California