William Henry Moody

Details

Birth

December 23, 1853 · Newbury, Massachusetts

Death

July 2, 1917

Law school

harvard university

Prior experience

Various legal and public service prior to appointment

Biography

William Henry Moody (December 23, 1853 – July 2, 1917) was an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court who served from 1906 to 1910. Born in Newbury, Massachusetts, Moody graduated from Harvard University in 1876 and subsequently studied law at Harvard Law School for two years before establishing a successful legal practice in Haverhill, Massachusetts. He began his political career as a Republican, serving as district attorney for the Eastern District of Massachusetts from 1890 to 1895, where he gained national attention for prosecuting Lizzie Borden for the murders of her parents, though she was ultimately acquitted. Moody's ascent to the Supreme Court followed a distinguished career in federal service under President Theodore Roosevelt. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1895 to 1902, where he supported progressive reforms and anti-trust legislation. Roosevelt subsequently appointed him Secretary of the Navy (1902-1904) and then Attorney General (1904-1906), positions in which he vigorously pursued antitrust cases against major corporations. Roosevelt nominated Moody to the Supreme Court in 1906 to replace Justice Henry Billings Brown. During his brief tenure on the Court, Moody aligned himself with progressive judicial philosophy, supporting federal regulatory power and civil liberties. His most significant opinion came in Twining v. New Jersey (1908), where he wrote for the majority that the Fourteenth Amendment's due process clause did not require states to observe all provisions of the Bill of Rights, though he suggested some fundamental rights might apply to state governments. Moody's career was cut short when he developed acute rheumatism, forcing his retirement in 1910. Despite serving only four years, he is remembered as a capable jurist who supported the expansion of federal authority during the Progressive Era.

Notable opinions

• Adair v. United States
• Lochner v. New York