Supreme Court justice followed his conscience but was still admired

Cotter’s Corner

By Daniel A. Cotter

Daniel A. Cotter is a partner at Butler Rubin Saltarelli & Boyd LLP and an adjunct professor at The John Marshall Law School, where he teaches SCOTUS Judicial Biographies. The article contains his opinions and is not to be attributed to anyone else. He can be reached at dcotter@butlerrubin.com.

Posted May 22, 2017 1:48 PM

When the Civil War began with the Battle of Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861, the U.S. Supreme Court consisted of seven justices, with a “pro-Southern majority.” Two vacancies existed due to the deaths of Justices Peter Vivian Daniel and John McLean on May 31, 1860, and April 4, 1861, respectively.On April 30, 1861, the court’s membership fell to six when John Archibald Campbell, the second Supreme Court justice from Alabama, resigned. This column focuses on Campbell.Early life and careerCampbell was born in …

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