Supreme Court Justices Oral History Project: Interview with George M. Scott

Titles: Supreme Court Justices Oral History Project: Interview with George M. Scott (Supplied title)

Description: BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: The son of Irish immigrants, George Scott was born September 14, 1922, in Clark Township, New Jersey. Following graduation from Jonathan Dayton Regional High School in Springfield, New Jersey, he entered the military service. His World War II duties included two years at the University of Minnesota in the Army Special Training Program, and participation as an infrantryman in most of the key European battles. After his discharge from the army, Scott completed his pre-law credits at the University of Tennessee, and attended New York University Law School and the Minneapolis-Minnesota College of Law (later William Mitchell College of Law). He married Joyce Hughes in 1947. While attending law school, he worked for the Shepley, Severson, and Bey law firm and upon graduation, he and Douglas Amdahl established the law firm of Amdahl and Scott. He was named deputy county attorney general in 1955, assigned to the state highway department. In 1956, Scott was appointed Hennepin County attorney, where he tried a number of highly publicized cases and sponsored many legal reforms. In 1973, Governor Wendell Anderson appointed him to the office of associate justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court. He resigned from the bench in 1987. Throughout his career, Scott was active in Minnesota civic and political affairs and in the Minnesota and American Bar Associations. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Early childhood in New Jersey; the Depression Era; World War II; civic interests and incentives for entering the legal profession; Hennepin County and Minnesota DFL political appointments and affiliations, including friendships with Douglas Amdahl, Miles Lord, Orville Freeman, Hubert Humphrey, and others; Minnesota and American Bar Association activities; the Axelrod murder case; racial equality; Earl Warren and the Fourteenth Amendment; polio and the March of Dimes Foundation, Dr. Salk, and Volunteers of America; developing Rules and Standards for Criminal Justice, juvenile justice and nonviolent offender; free press and the role of the media in judicial decisions; his 1970 bid for the governorship; the Miranda warning law; the Equal Rights Amendment; public election of Minnesota judges and responsibility of the judiciary to the public; and efficiency of the courts, trials, and juries.

Dates

• 12/09/1988 (Creation)

Creation

• interviewee: Scott, George M.
• interviewer: Robertson, Margaret A.

Identifiers

• Library Call Number: OH 70
• Accession Number: AV1989.265.2

Holding Type: Oral History - Interview

Project

• Oral History - Project, MHS Collection, project: 'Supreme Court Justices Oral History Project' <OH 70>

Quantity: 2 hours sound cassette 26 pages transcript

Format

• Content Category: sound recordings
• Content Category: text

Measurements

• 02:05:53 running time

Subjects

How can we help?

• Help / About Collections Online
• Learn about the Collections
• Contact the Gale Family Library for help with research, orders, and use/licensing
• Have feedback or comments on the new Collections Online system? Please fill in the Collections Online Feedback Form.