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| Attorney General Jackson (LC) |
John Q. Barrett’s
posts on Robert H. Jackson are always interesting, but
his latest, on Jackson’s “Federal Prosecutor” address of April 1, 1940, is especially so. It provides a window into the politics of the Department of Justice in 1939-40 and, by reproducing a letter from Gordon Dean to Jackson and Jackson’s speech, explains when Main Justice would exercise “centralized control” over prosecution and suggests a new emphasis on respecting civil liberties in law enforcement. “Those who are in office are apt to regard as ‘subversive’ the activities of any of those who would bring about a change of administration,” Jackson reminded the assembled US Attorneys. “Some of our soundest constitutional doctrines were once punished as subversive.”
