A judicial robe worn by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis D. Brandeis is on permanent display at the only law school in the world that bears his name.
The robe was dedicated at the University of Louisville Brandeis School of Law on Nov. 16 with university officials and Brandeis descendants taking part in the event.
“We have several artifacts of Justice Brandeis’s in our archive collection, but the robe he wore while serving as a justice personifies him in a way that no other item can,” said Brandeis School of Law Dean Melanie B. Jacobs. “Seeing the robe – and knowing its history – is thrilling and brings us closer to him as a person in a way no other artifact does.”
The robe was donated by Rick Raushenbush, Brandeis’s great-grandson, on behalf of the family of Walter Raushenbush. Rick Raushenbush and his brother, the Rev. Paul Raushenbush, took part in the dedication ceremony with UofL Provost Gerry Bradley and Jacobs.
The Brandeis School of Law Class of 2011, led by Dean’s Advisory Board Chair Gulam Zade of Nashville, provided funding for the protective case necessary for the robe’s permanent home in the law school’s Cox Faculty Lounge. Assisting Zade with raising funds were Class of 2011 alumni Chris Ballantine, Guion Johnstone and Sandra Moon.
A native of Louisville born in 1856, Brandeis did not attend college at the University of Louisville. However, he was a strong supporter of the university and its law school, which was named after him in 1997. He donated his personal papers, books, pamphlets and library, which includes rare texts on early civil and common law, to the school.
The Brandeis School of Law lives up to Brandeis’s belief in a strong devotion to public service, an interdisciplinary approach to law and a commitment to liberty. Brandeis law students are required to complete 30 hours of public service at approved placements after the first semester of their first year of law school.
Brandeis was nominated for the court by President Woodrow Wilson in January 1916. Known as the “People’s Lawyer,” he was a prominent attorney of his time. He challenged monopolies, criticized investment banks, advocated for workers’ rights and called for the protection of civil liberties.
He also was the first Jewish jurist to be nominated to and sit on the Supreme Court. His nomination was grueling, with opponents accusing him of being radical and lacking judicial temperament. However, he became one of the most respected and influential members of the Supreme Court. He served on the court from June 1916 until his retirement in February 1939.
Brandeis died in 1941 and his cremated remains are interred at the Brandeis School of Law along with those of his wife, Alice Goldmark Brandeis (1866-1945).