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
The United States Department of Commerce is an executive department of the U.S. federal government concerned with creating the conditions for economic growth and opportunity. Among its tasks are gathering economic and demographic data for busin ...
.
Biography
In 1922, Williams graduated from
Yale University
Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...
, and in 1924 from
Yale Law School
Yale Law School (Yale Law or YLS) is the law school of Yale University, a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. It was established in 1824 and has been ranked as the best law school in the United States by ''U ...
. Williams served for a year as a clerk to Chief Justice
William Howard Taft
William Howard Taft (September 15, 1857March 8, 1930) was the 27th president of the United States (1909–1913) and the tenth chief justice of the United States (1921–1930), the only person to have held both offices. Taft was elected pr ...
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 involve a point o ...
.
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 gove ...
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 ruling that the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution's freedom of speech protections limit the ability of American public officials to sue for ...
'' 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 a nonprofit organization founded in 1920 "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States". T ...
.
He appeared as chairman during the first few seasons of ''
Firing Line'', the television program moderated by
William F. Buckley
William Frank Buckley Jr. (born William Francis Buckley; November 24, 1925 – February 27, 2008) was an American public intellectual, conservative author and political commentator. In 1955, he founded ''National Review'', the magazine that stim ...
(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 the author William F. Buckley Jr. in 1955. Its editor-in-chief i ...
'').
Williams died in
Hamden, Connecticut
Hamden is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. The town's nickname is "The Land of the Sleeping Giant". The population was 61,169 at the 2020 census.
History
The peaceful tribe of Quinnipiacs were the first residents of the ...
, on August 12, 1998. He was the father of Judge
Stephen F. Williams
Stephen Fain Williams (September 23, 1936 – August 7, 2020) was a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit until his death from complications of COVID-19 on August 7, 2020.
Early l ...
.
See also
*
References
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
{{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