Lauson Harvey Stone (1904 in Manhattan – November 7, 1999 in Brooklyn), son of US Chief Justice

Harlan Stone Harlan Fiske Stone (October 11, 1872 – April 22, 1946) was an American attorney who served as an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court from 1925 to 1941 and then as the 12th chief justice of the United States from 1941 until his de ...

, was an American

lawyer A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters. The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...

and civic leader. Stone received a bachelor's degree in 1925 from

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

and a law degree in 1928 from

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

. He became a corporate lawyer with

Sullivan & Cromwell Sullivan & Cromwell LLP is an American multinational law firm headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1879 by Algernon Sydney Sullivan and William Nelson Cromwell, the firm advised on the creation of Edison General Electric and the formation o ...

, but found work at the large firm stifling, and left for a smaller practice. He resided in Brooklyn, where he was a trustee of the

public library A public library is a library, most often a lending library, that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also Civil servic ...

and of the Long Island College of Medicine. In 1938 he was appointed by New York City Mayor

Fiorello La Guardia Fiorello Henry La Guardia (born Fiorello Raffaele Enrico La Guardia; December 11, 1882September 20, 1947) was an American attorney and politician who represented New York in the U.S. House of Representatives and served as the 99th mayor of New Yo ...

to the Board of Higher Education, replacing Arthur M. Howe. La Guardia reappointed him for a second term, of nine years, in 1940. By the following year, he was chairman of the conduct committee for the Board, and was elected chairman of the administrative committee of

Brooklyn College Brooklyn College is a public university in Brooklyn in New York City, United States. It is part of the City University of New York system and enrolls nearly 14,000 students on a campus in the Midwood and Flatbush sections of Brooklyn as of fall ...

. His Board of Higher Education duties included leading the investigation for the

Rapp-Coudert Committee The Rapp-Coudert Committee was the colloquial name of the New York State Legislature's Joint Legislative Committee to Investigate the Educational System of the State of New York. Between 1940 and 1942, the Rapp-Coudert Committee sought to identif ...

into the extent of communist influence within the public schools. He resigned his Board of Higher Education position in 1942 to enter the

Army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

as a

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

. Later that year, he was assigned by the

U.S. War Department The United States Department of War, also called the War Department (and occasionally War Office in the early years), was the United States Cabinet department originally responsible for the operation and maintenance of the United States Army, als ...

to be a defense lawyer for eight Nazi saboteurs involved in

Operation Pastorius Operation Pastorius was a failed German intelligence plan for sabotage inside the United States during World War II. The operation was staged in June 1942 and was to be directed against strategic American economic targets. The operation was n ...

. President Roosevelt had directed that the saboteurs be tried via a military tribunal; Lauson's designated role for the defense was to research whether this was constitutionally permissible. Lauson believed there was a strong possibility that a military trial was unconstitutional, and therefore the defense sought a Supreme Court order declaring as much. With the matter set to come before the

Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

as ''

Ex parte Quirin '' Ex parte Quirin'', 317 U.S. 1 (1942), was a case of the United States Supreme Court that during World War II upheld the jurisdiction of a United States military tribunal over the trial of eight German saboteurs, in the United States. ''Quirin ...

'', there was a question as to whether Lauson's father, Chief Justice Harlan Stone, would recuse himself from the case due to his son's involvement with the defense. Harlan did offer to do so, but his recusal was declined by Attorney General

Francis Biddle Francis Beverley Biddle (May 9, 1886 – October 4, 1968) was an American lawyer and judge who was the United States Attorney General during World War II. He also served as the primary American judge during Nuremberg trials following World War I ...

, ostensibly because Lauson's involvement had been limited to the military tribunal, and he had been excused from the matters that were coming before the Supreme Court. Legal scholars have questioned this distinction, citing it as one example among many potential conflicts of interest produced by the case's unique circumstances. In 1944, at age 41, Lauson was promoted to the rank of colonel, and he was later discharged at that rank, after being awarded the

Legion of Merit Medal The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. The decoration is issued to members of the eight u ...

. He died at age 94 in Brooklyn.

External links

The Use of Military Tribunals, D.C. Circuit Judicial Conference, Remarks of the Chief Justice, June 14, 2002

References

1904 births 1999 deaths Harvard University alumni Columbia Law School alumni Fiorello La Guardia political appointees {{US-law-bio-stub