Parochiaid and the Abortion Decisions: Supreme Court Justice William J. Brennan, Jr. versus the U.S. Catholic Hierarchy

The appointment in 1956 of William J. Brennan Jr., a Catholic, to the US Supreme Court seemed a harbinger of hope to the US Catholic hierarchy, but in his long tenure on the court Brennan often chose the dictates of the Constitution over those of the church. He cited the Establishment Clause as a re...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:A journal of church and state 1992-10, Vol.34 (4), p.751-773
Main Author: MILLS, SAMUEL A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Abortion
Analysis
Brennan, William J Jr
Catholicism
Catholics
Church & state
Church and state
Church schools
Constitutional law
Court decisions
Judges & magistrates
Justice
Laws, regulations and rules
Parochial schools
Religion
Roman Catholic Church
Senators
Separation of church and state
Supreme Court
Supreme Court justices
U.S.A
United States constitutional law
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:The appointment in 1956 of William J. Brennan Jr., a Catholic, to the US Supreme Court seemed a harbinger of hope to the US Catholic hierarchy, but in his long tenure on the court Brennan often chose the dictates of the Constitution over those of the church. He cited the Establishment Clause as a reason for opposing state aid to church schools. Brennan never gave his personal views on abortion but believed that the right to privacy implicit in the Constitution required that abortion be legal for those who choose it.
ISSN:0021-969X
2040-4867
DOI:10.1093/jcs/34.4.751