Gerard Denis Reilly (September 27, 1906 – May 18, 1995) was an official at the United States Department of Labor and the chief judge of the

District of Columbia Court of Appeals The District of Columbia Court of Appeals is the highest court of the District of Columbia, in the United States. Established in 1970, it is equivalent to a state supreme court, except that its authority is derived from the United States Congr ...

. Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Reilly received his bachelor's and law degrees at Harvard University, where he was a

cross country runner Cross country running is a sport in which teams and individuals run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain such as dirt or grass. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open coun ...

. He moved to Washington, D.C. in 1933 to work at the

Labor Department The Ministry of Labour ('' UK''), or Labor ('' US''), also known as the Department of Labour, or Labor, is a government department responsible for setting labour standards, labour dispute mechanisms, employment, workforce participation, training, a ...

under the new administration of Franklin D. Roosevelt. He served as Solicitor of Labor from 1937 to 1941 and as a member of the National Labor Relations Board, an independent agency from 1941 to 1946. During his time as solicitor, a resolution of impeachment was filed against him and

Secretary of Labor The United States Secretary of Labor is a member of the Cabinet of the United States, and as the head of the United States Department of Labor, controls the department, and enforces and suggests laws involving unions, the workplace, and all ot ...

Frances Perkins Frances Perkins (born Fannie Coralie Perkins; April 10, 1880 – May 14, 1965) was an American workers-rights advocate who served as the 4th United States secretary of labor from 1933 to 1945, the longest serving in that position. A member of th ...

by Republican Representative

J. Parnell Thomas John Parnell Thomas (January 16, 1895 – November 19, 1970) was a stockbroker and politician. He was elected to seven terms as a United States House of Representatives, U.S. Representative from New Jersey as a Republican Party (United States), Re ...

, who accused them of refusing to deport labor leader

Harry Bridges Harry Bridges (28 July 1901 – 30 March 1990) was an Australian-born American union leader, first with the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA). In 1937, he led several chapters in forming a new union, the International Longshore and W ...

. The impeachment resolution was rejected by the

House Judiciary Committee The U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary, also called the House Judiciary Committee, is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. It is charged with overseeing the administration of justice within the federal courts, a ...

, but the Republican members of the committee all signed on to a minority report severely censuring the officials. In 1947, Reilly served as counsel to the Senate Committee on Labor and Public Welfare and helped draft the Taft-Hartley Act. Among other changes in United States labor law, Reilly pushed for a prohibition on

secondary boycotts Solidarity action (also known as secondary action, a secondary boycott, a solidarity strike, or a sympathy strike) is industrial action by a trade union in support of a strike initiated by workers in a separate corporation, but often the same e ...

and greater rights for employers, including allowing employers to deliver anti-union messages in the workplace. After the bill's passage, Reilly entered private practice in Washington. From 1957 to 1958, he served as chair of the labor law section of the American Bar Association. In 1970, President Nixon appointed Reilly to the D.C. Court of Appeals, and in 1972 Nixon elevated him to chief judge. He retired from active duty in 1976 when he reached the mandatory retirement age of 70 but continued serving as a senior judge until his death in a car accident in 1995. As a judge, Reilly was known for his colorful writing style. His brother

Thomas F. Reilly Thomas Francis Reilly (born February 14, 1942) is an American attorney and politician who served as the 45th Massachusetts Attorney General. He was born in Springfield, Massachusetts to Irish immigrant parents. He was one of three candidates who ...

served as a Catholic bishop in the Dominican Republic. His law clerks included future federal judge

Ann D. Montgomery Ann D. Montgomery (born May 9, 1949) is a senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota. Education and career Born in Litchfield, Minnesota, Montgomery received a Bachelor of Science degre ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reilly, Gerard Denis 1906 births 1995 deaths 20th-century American judges Harvard Law School alumni Judges of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals Lawyers from Washington, D.C. National Labor Relations Board officials Lawyers from Boston United States Department of Labor officials Franklin D. Roosevelt administration personnel Nixon administration personnel Harvard College alumni