Hans Remembers- Monday January 19, 1970- 50 year ago today.

• President Richard Milhous Nixon nominated G. Harrold Carswell a judge from the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appealsto fill the vacancy on the U.S. Supreme Court which was created when Justice Abe Fortas- a former LBJ fixer resigned. Fortas resigned due to a financial scandal and his first announced replacement Clement Haynsworth failed to pass in the U.S. Senate due to his court rulings favoring segregation and anti-labor. It was seen by many as retaliation by the Democrats for the Republicans sinking Abe Fortas when LBJ had nominated him to become Chief Justice. Judge Carswell would quickly have other problems as far as getting confirmed. Two days after his nomination was announced a Jacksonville TV station located a 1948 speech in which Carswell declared ” I yield to no man.. in the firm, vigorous belief in the principles of white supremacy.” A couple months later in U.S. Senate hearings it was revealed that half of Carswell’s rulings had been reversed on appeal.  In an infamous statement in defense of Carswell- U.S. Senator Roman Hruska said of Carswell ” even if her were mediocre, there are a lot of mediocre judges and people and lawyers. Aren’t they entitled to a little representation and a little chance?”- Carswell’s nomination failed to win approval on April 8, 1970 by the vote of 45-51. Milhous Nixon would then nominate Harry Blackmun who would go on to be voted in 94-0 by the U.S. Senate.
  
• Professor Angela Davis is fired by UCLA for being a communist. This wouldn’t be the last we heard from Angela Davis in the early 70’s.

• Hal March-comedian, actor and television host- 64,000 Question dies of lung cancer at the age of 49.

• James B. Donovan the American lawyer who arranged the swap of Rudolf Abel for Gary Powers in 1962 dies at 53 of heart failure.

• Aldo De Benedetti an Italian screenwriter who wrote more than 100 films in a 38 year career died at the age of 77.