Abstract
The [Blackmun] Papers have extensive correspondence, diaries, and other documents illuminating the relationship between Blackmun and Burger. The general thesis presented by Woodward & Amrstrong, Lewis, Greenhouse, Totenberg, and Munford is accurate. This article examines the Papers in detail, against the backdrop of the literature on collegiality. We find a very complex relationship: in the 1950s and 1960s, Burger provided a vital Washington connection for, and political clout to, Blackmun. During those two decades, Blackmun was a key link back to Minnesota, and a solic supporter for Burger. When the two became colleagues on the Supreme Court in 1970, their previous symbolic relation could not adapt to their new roles requiring equality.
Recommended Citation
Duane Benton and Barrett J. Vahle,
Burger-Blackmun Relationship: Lessons for Collegiality from the Blackmun Papers, The,
70 Mo. L. Rev.
(2005)
Available at: https://scholarship.law.missouri.edu/mlr/vol70/iss4/4