Important Figures that Helped Shape Our Society Part 2

William Brennan served s an Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court from 1956 to 1990. A native of Newark, N.J., Brennan received his law degree from Harvard University and was admitted to the bar in 1931. During World War II, he honed his craft in the Army. Following the war, he returned to New Jersey where he served as a superior court judge (1949-1950), an appellate division judge (1950-1952) and justice of the state supreme court (1952-1956). In 1956, President Dwight D. Eisenhower appointed him to succeed Sherman Milton on the U.S. Supreme Court. In over three decades on the court, Brennan crafted a progressive judicial record that championed issues such as individual liberties, minority rights, reproductive freedom and enhancing legal protections for the poor. In adopting an expensive view of constitutional interpretation, Brennan reflected the belief that court decisions must, by necessity, express views on social reform.

Margaret Brent (Early 1600s-1671)

Margaret Brent, the first woman lawyer in America, arrived in the colonies in 1638 and resided in the newly founded St. Mary's Parish in Maryland. She was given the right to acquire land because she was a cousin of Lord Baltimore. Brent bought sizable tracts of land for herself and her family to use for political and investment purposes. Governor Leonard Calvert was impressed with her intelligence and ability to execute deals and often sought her professional counsel. He named her his executor and attorney before he died.

Sir Edward Coke (1552-1634)

Sir Edward Coke Was an active champion of common law, which is based upon judges' decisions and social customs, over royal prerogative. He began his legal career as an English jurist and politician loyal to the king, but ended it at odds with the crown. He entered Parliament in 1589 and was later elected speaker of the House of Commons. In 1594, he became attorney general and conducted several famous treason trials, including those of the earls of Essex and Southampton, Sir Walter Raleigh and the Gunpowder Plot conspirators. In 1606, he was named the chief justice of the Court of Common Pleas and it was in this capacity that he began to defend common law as superior to the king's prerogative. His emphasis on the validity and priority of common law had a profound impact on the development of the modern American and British legal systems.