Simon Sobeloff Explained

Office:Senior Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
Term Start:December 31, 1970
Term End:July 11, 1973
Office1:Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
Term Start1:1958
Term End1:1964
Predecessor1:John J. Parker
Successor1:Clement Haynsworth
Office2:Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
Term Start2:July 18, 1956
Term End2:December 31, 1970
Appointer2:Dwight D. Eisenhower
Predecessor2:Morris Ames Soper
Successor2:Donald S. Russell
Order3:30th
Office3:Solicitor General of the United States
Term Start3:February 10, 1954
Term End3:July 19, 1956
President3:Dwight D. Eisenhower
Predecessor3:Walter J. Cummings Jr.
Successor3:J. Lee Rankin
Office4:Chief Judge of the Maryland Court of Appeals
Term Start4:1952
Term End4:1954
Appointer4:Theodore McKeldin
Predecessor4:Charles Markell
Successor4:Frederick Brune
Birth Name:Simon Ernest Sobeloff
Birth Date:3 December 1894
Birth Place:Baltimore, Maryland
Death Place:Baltimore, Maryland
Resting Place:Hebrew Friendship Cemetery
Baltimore, Maryland
Party:Republican
Education:University of Maryland School of Law (LLB)

Simon Ernest Sobeloff (December 3, 1894 – July 11, 1973) was an American attorney and jurist, who served as Solicitor General of the United States, as Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals of Maryland, and as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.

Education and career

Sobeloff was born in Baltimore, Maryland, the son of Jacob and Mary Hilda (Kaplan) Sobeloff, who were Russian Jewish immigrants. Sobeloff attended public schools including Baltimore City College and the University of Maryland School of Law, where he received his Bachelor of Laws in 1915.[1] He served as a Page in the United States House of Representatives in 1910.[1] He was admitted to the Maryland Bar in 1914, was a law clerk in Baltimore the same year, and subsequently went into private practice.[1] From 1919 through 1924 he served as the assistant city solicitor for Baltimore and was appointed the deputy city solicitor for Baltimore from 1927 to 1931.[1] In 1931 he became the United States Attorney for the District of Maryland, where he served until 1934.[1] Subsequently, he was selected to be the Baltimore City Solicitor and the special counsel to Baltimore City Housing Commission.[1] He then returned to private practice from 1947 to 1952. Sobeloff served as Chairman of the Commission on the Administrative Organization of the State of Maryland from 1951 to 1952. In 1952, he was appointed to the position of Chief Judge of the Maryland Court of Appeals, where he served until 1954.[1]

Solicitor General

From 1954 through 1956, Sobeloff served as United States Solicitor General in the Administration of President Dwight D. Eisenhower.[1] Sobeloff presented the government's arguments on the implementation of the Supreme Court's decision in Brown v. Board of Education, to outlaw segregation in public schools.[1]

Federal judicial service

Sobeloff was nominated by President Dwight D. Eisenhower on January 12, 1956, to a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit vacated by Judge Morris Ames Soper. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on July 16, 1956, and received his commission on July 18, 1956. He served as Chief Judge and as a member of the Judicial Conference of the United States from 1958 to 1964. He assumed senior status on December 31, 1970. Sobeloff served in that capacity until his death on July 11, 1973, in Baltimore, MD. Sobeloff is buried in Hebrew Friendship Cemetery in Baltimore.[1]

Family

Sobeloff married Irene Ehrlich in May 1918 and they had two daughters and four grandchildren.[1]

See also

Sources

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Solicitor General: Simon E. Sobeloff. 23 October 2014.