C. Dickerman Williams
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Charles Dickerman Williams (October 1, 1900 – August 12, 1998) was an American lawyer who was known as a freedom of speech advocate. In 1951, the president appointed him chief legal officer for the U.S. Commerce Department.


Education & career

In 1922, Williams graduated from
Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...
, and in 1924 from
Yale Law School Yale Law School (YLS) is the law school of Yale University, a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. It was established in 1824. The 2020–21 acceptance rate was 4%, the lowest of any law school in the United ...
. Williams served for a year as a clerk to Chief Justice
William Howard Taft William Howard Taft (September 15, 1857March 8, 1930) served as the 27th president of the United States from 1909 to 1913 and the tenth chief justice of the United States from 1921 to 1930. He is the only person to have held both offices. ...
of the
U.S. Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that turn on question ...
. He was an
Assistant United States Attorney An assistant United States attorney (AUSA) is an official career civil service position in the U.S. Department of Justice composed of lawyers working under the U.S. attorney of each U.S. federal judicial district. They represent the federal gov ...
in Manhattan fighting bootleggers as head of a prohibition enforcement unit in 1926. In private practice with firm of Baker, Nelson & Williams he successfully argued in district court the case of ''Linus C. Pauling v. National Review,'' relying on the reasoning behind the case ''
New York Times Co. v. Sullivan ''New York Times Co. v. Sullivan'', 376 U.S. 254 (1964), was a landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision that ruled the freedom of speech protections in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution limit the ability of a public official to sue for d ...
'' that public figures were unable to sue for libel except when there was actual malice. In 1954, Williams joined the board of directors of the
American Civil Liberties Union The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is an American nonprofit civil rights organization founded in 1920. ACLU affiliates are active in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. The budget of the ACLU in 2024 was $383 million. T ...
. He appeared as chairman during the first few seasons of '' Firing Line'', the television program moderated by William F. Buckley (founder of the ''
National Review ''National Review'' is an American conservative editorial magazine, focusing on news and commentary pieces on political, social, and cultural affairs. The magazine was founded by William F. Buckley Jr. in 1955. Its editor-in-chief is Rich L ...
'').


Personal life

Williams died in
Hamden, Connecticut Hamden is a New England town, town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. The town's nickname is "The Land of the Sleeping Giant (Connecticut), Sleeping Giant". The town is part of the South Central Connecticut Planning Region, Connecti ...
, on August 12, 1998. He was the father of Judge
Stephen F. Williams Stephen Fain Williams (September 23, 1936 – August 7, 2020) was an American lawyer and jurist who was a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit from 1986 until his death from COVID ...
.


Selected publications

* Williams, C. Dickerman (1955). "Problems of the Fifth Amendment," 2
''Fordham L. Rev.''
19 * Rouh Jr., Joseph L.; and Williams, C. D. (1957). "Book Reviews," 10
''U. Pa. L. Rev.''
771 * ''Banco Nacional de Cuba v. Sabbatino'' (1963)
Oyez.com


See also

*
List of law clerks of the Supreme Court of the United States (Chief Justice) Law clerks have assisted the justices of the United States Supreme Court in various capacities since the first one was hired by Justice Horace Gray in 1882. Each justice is permitted to have between three and four law clerks per Court term. The ...


References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, C Dickerman 1900 births 1998 deaths Law clerks of the Supreme Court of the United States Yale Law School alumni Assistant United States attorneys United States Free Speech Clause case law First Amendment scholars American Civil Liberties Union people