Warren E. Burger Biography Quotes 16 Report mistakes

Early Life and Education
Warren Earl Burger was born on September 17, 1907, in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and raised in a working-class family that emphasized thrift, discipline, and education. He attended public schools and developed an early interest in law and public affairs. After studies at the University of Minnesota, he enrolled in the St. Paul College of Law, an evening law school where he worked by day and studied at night. He received his LL.B. in 1931 and was admitted to the Minnesota bar. Burger later maintained ties to his alma mater, occasionally teaching and mentoring law students as he began building a reputation in the Twin Cities legal community.

Early Legal Career and Public Service
For more than two decades, Burger practiced law in Saint Paul, handling a mix of commercial and public law matters and participating in bar association activities. His organizational talents and interest in civic affairs brought him to the attention of political leaders. He publicly supported Dwight D. Eisenhower in the 1952 presidential campaign, and after Eisenhower won the White House, Attorney General Herbert Brownell Jr. recruited Burger to Washington. In 1953 Burger became Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Civil Division of the Department of Justice, supervising major litigation on behalf of the federal government. The experience showcased his management skills and his preference for orderly procedure, themes that would recur throughout his career.

Judge on the D.C. Circuit
In 1956 President Eisenhower appointed Burger to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. On that influential court, Burger served alongside prominent judges, including David L. Bazelon, and quickly acquired a reputation as a careful, conservative-leaning jurist concerned with the practical impact of judicial rulings on law enforcement and administration. His opinions frequently emphasized limits on judicial innovation absent clear statutory or constitutional text, foreshadowing the approach he would bring to the Supreme Court.

Chief Justice of the United States
In 1969 President Richard Nixon nominated Burger to succeed Earl Warren as the 15th Chief Justice of the United States. The Senate confirmed him with broad support, reflecting a national mood that favored a steadier, more restrained Court. As Chief Justice, Burger presided over a bench in transition. He worked with long-serving justices such as William J. Brennan Jr., William O. Douglas, Potter Stewart, Byron White, and Thurgood Marshall, and over time with new appointees including Harry A. Blackmun, Lewis F. Powell Jr., William H. Rehnquist, John Paul Stevens, and later Sandra Day OConnor and Antonin Scalia. Burger and Blackmun, both Minnesotans, were sometimes dubbed the Minnesota Twins, though their votes diverged in important cases.

Jurisprudence and Major Decisions
The Burger Court did not simply reverse the course of the Warren Court; instead it often refined and qualified earlier doctrines. In Lemon v. Kurtzman (1971), Burger wrote the opinion establishing the Lemon test for Establishment Clause cases, setting criteria to assess government involvement with religion. In Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education (1971), he wrote for a unanimous Court upholding broad equitable powers for district courts to enforce desegregation, including busing as a remedy.

Burger joined the Court in Roe v. Wade (1973), writing a concurrence that stressed limits embedded in the ruling. In Miller v. California (1973), he authored the opinion revising the test for obscenity, emphasizing community standards and clearer guidance to juries. During Watergate, he wrote the unanimous opinion in United States v. Nixon (1974), rejecting an absolute presidential privilege and ordering the release of Oval Office tapes; that decision, with Rehnquist recused, was pivotal in the constitutional crisis. In the realm of separation of powers, he authored INS v. Chadha (1983), which invalidated the legislative veto, reinforcing bicameralism and presentment requirements. On capital punishment, he dissented in Furman v. Georgia (1972), which temporarily halted the death penalty, and later joined the majority in Gregg v. Georgia (1976), upholding revised statutes that guided jury discretion. He also wrote for the Court in Bob Jones University v. United States (1983), affirming the Internal Revenue Service's authority to deny tax-exempt status to institutions practicing racial discrimination.

Leadership and Administration
Burger was an activist in a different sense: he was deeply committed to improving the administration of justice. As head of the Judicial Conference of the United States, he urged better case management, modern court facilities, and professional court administration. He helped spur the creation of the National Center for State Courts in Williamsburg, Virginia, a resource for state judiciaries that promoted management training, data-driven reforms, and innovation. He also pressed for alternatives to litigation, including mediation and arbitration, warning about a litigation explosion that could overwhelm courts. His managerial approach, however, sometimes drew criticism from colleagues who felt he was less effective at forging stable majorities in closely divided cases; figures such as Brennan and Marshall often built coalitions from different premises than those that guided Burger's opinions.

Public Role and Watergate Era
As the nation's highest judicial officer, Burger administered the presidential oath at multiple inaugurations, including Richard Nixon's second inauguration in 1973, Gerald R. Ford's swearing-in at the White House following Nixon's resignation in 1974, Jimmy Carter's inauguration in 1977, and Ronald Reagan's inaugurations in 1981 and 1985. The Watergate crisis placed the Court squarely in the public eye. Archibald Cox's dismissal in the Saturday Night Massacre and the subsequent appointment of Leon Jaworski as special prosecutor culminated in United States v. Nixon. Burger's opinion balanced respect for executive confidentiality with the judiciary's duty to secure evidence for criminal trials, and the ruling became a defining moment for constitutional checks and balances.

Retirement and Later Years
Burger retired from the Supreme Court in 1986. President Ronald Reagan elevated William H. Rehnquist to succeed him as Chief Justice and nominated Antonin Scalia to the resulting vacancy on the Court. After leaving the bench, Burger chaired the Commission on the Bicentennial of the United States Constitution, a national endeavor that fostered scholarship, civic education, and public ceremonies marking the framing and ratification of the Constitution. He remained associated with institutions based in Williamsburg and continued to advocate for judicial administration reforms and public understanding of the Constitution.

Warren E. Burger died on June 25, 1995, in Washington, D.C. He was remembered by colleagues, including Harry Blackmun and Lewis Powell, for his civility and by many in the legal profession for his enduring commitment to the institutional health of the courts.

Legacy
Burger's tenure marked the evolution from the Warren era to a more centrist, sometimes conservative Court that nonetheless issued far-reaching decisions. He left a legacy of doctrinal frameworks in church-state relations, separation of powers, and criminal procedure, and he helped stabilize constitutional governance during Watergate by affirming that no person, not even the President, is above the law. Equally important was his work beyond opinions: he professionalized court administration, championed resources for state courts, and promoted alternative dispute resolution. The justices who served with him, from Brennan and Marshall to Rehnquist, Powell, Blackmun, OConnor, Stevens, and Scalia, reflected a Court of varied philosophies over which Burger presided with a focus on institutional integrity, the rule of law, and the practical administration of justice.

Our collection contains 16 quotes who is written by Warren, under the main topics: Witty One-Liners - Ethics & Morality - Justice - Freedom - Prayer.