Raymond J. Broderick

Summary

Raymond Joseph "Ray" Broderick (May 29, 1914 – August 6, 2000) was an American jurist and politician from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 24th lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania from 1967 to 1971 and as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

Raymond J. Broderick
Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
In office
July 1, 1984 – August 6, 2000
Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
In office
April 23, 1971 – July 1, 1984
Appointed byRichard Nixon
Preceded bySeat established by 84 Stat. 294
Succeeded byEdmund V. Ludwig
24th Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania
In office
January 17, 1967 – January 19, 1971
GovernorRaymond Shafer
Preceded byRaymond P. Shafer
Succeeded byErnest Kline
Personal details
Born
Raymond Joseph Broderick

(1914-05-29)May 29, 1914
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US
DiedAugust 6, 2000(2000-08-06) (aged 86)
Gladwyne, Pennsylvania, US
Political partyRepublican
EducationUniversity of Notre Dame (A.B.)
University of Pennsylvania Law School (J.D.)

Early life and career edit

Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Broderick received an Artium Baccalaureus degree from the University of Notre Dame in 1935 and a Juris Doctor from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1938. He was assistant counsel to the Rural Electrification Administration (now the Rural Utilities Service) from 1938 to 1941, and was a civilian agent of the Office of Naval Intelligence from 1941 to 1942. During World War II, he was a United States Naval Reserve Lieutenant Commander from 1942 to 1946. While in the Navy, he served on the USS Monrovia in areas such as North Africa, Sicily, Tarawa and Saipan. After the war, he returned to private law practice in Philadelphia.[1]

Political career edit

Broderick entered politics as a commissioner to Plymouth Township, Pennsylvania from 1952 to 1954. In 1966, after Walter Alessandroni was killed in a plane crash and posthumously won the Republican nomination for Lieutenant Governor, party leaders selected Broderick to replace Alessandroni on the ticket with Raymond P. Shafer.[2][3] The pair defeated the Democratic ticket of Milton Shapp and Leonard Staisey in the 1966 gubernatorial election. During his term, He served as a delegate to Pennsylvania's 1967 constitutional convention. In the 1970 gubernatorial election, Broderick ran to succeed Shafer against Shapp. This time Shapp won the governorship with 55% of the vote to Broderick's 41%. Broderick's campaign ran an ad in The Philadelphia Inquirer portraying Shapp as a leader of stone-throwing protesters at the 1968 Democratic National Convention. Shapp responded with ads challenging Broderick's credibility on the budget. Governor Shafer proposed a state income tax during his administration to balance the state budget. Broderick broke with his former running mate and promised a balanced budget no income tax, which Shafer deemed was not possible.[4]

Federal judicial service edit

Broderick was nominated by President Richard Nixon on March 23, 1971, to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, to a new seat authorized by 84 Stat. 294. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on April 21, 1971, and received his commission on April 23, 1971. He assumed senior status on July 1, 1984. He took inactive senior status on June 5, 2000. His service terminated on August 6, 2000, due to his death.[1]

Notable cases edit

One of Brodericks's most significant cases was Halderman v. Pennhurst State School & Hospital in which he ruled that the abuse of mentally disabled patients violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.[5][6] He ordered the Pennhurst State School and Hospital in Spring City, Pennsylvania closed and all residents returned to their home communities.[7][8] The United States Supreme Court vacated the ruling in Pennhurst State School and Hospital v. Halderman; however the case led to a settlement with the state of Pennsylvania and the City of Philadelphia to provide for community-based care of mentally disabled residents.[9]

In the 1979 case, Gilfillan v. City of Philadelphia, Broderick ruled that, under the Establishment Clause, the city of Philadelphia could not use taxpayer funds in constructing a platform for Pope John Paul II to use for a mass on his visit to the city. He ordered the city to seek reimbursement for construction costs from the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.[10][11]

Death edit

Broderick died of cancer in Gladwyne, Pennsylvania on August 6, 2000.[1]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c Raymond Joseph Broderick at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
  2. ^ AP (13 June 1966). "Broderick is Opening Pa. Tour". Gettysburg Times. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  3. ^ "Raymond P. Shafer Papers". Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  4. ^ "Shapp, Democrat, Elected Governor of Pennsylvania". New York Times. 1970-11-04.
  5. ^ "A tribute to judge whose Pennhurst ruling changed lives". Pottstown Mercury. 2000-08-08.
  6. ^ "Raymond J. Broderick, 86, Federal Judge". New York Times. 2000-08-17.
  7. ^ Scott, P.M.; Ferleger, D. (1983). "Rights and dignity: Congress, the Supreme Court, and people with disabilities after Pennhurst". Western New England Law Review. 5 (3): 327–61. PMID 11658602.
  8. ^ Anti-Institutionalization and the Supreme Court, 14 Rutgers L.Rev. 595 (1983).
  9. ^ "Halderman v. Pennhurst State School & Hosp., 9 F. Supp. 2d 544 (E.D. Pa. 1998)". United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Retrieved 2018-05-17.
  10. ^ "In '79, pope visit sparked church-state battle". Philadelphia Inquirer. 2015-08-11.
  11. ^ "Gilfillan v. City of Philadelphia, 480 F. Supp. 1161 (E.D. Pa. 1979)". Retrieved 2017-05-17.

External links edit

Party political offices
Preceded by Republican nominee for Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania
1966
Succeeded by
Republican nominee for Governor of Pennsylvania
1970
Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania
1967–1971
Succeeded by
Legal offices
Preceded by
Seat established by 84 Stat. 294
Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
1971–1984
Succeeded by