Overview

Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. served as an Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court from 1902 to 1932; one of the most cited and influential justices in American history. While celebrated for his contributions to free speech jurisprudence (the "clear and present danger" test); Holmes authored one of the most morally reprehensible decisions in Supreme Court history: Buck v. Bell (1927). In an 8-1 decision; Holmes upheld Virginia's compulsory sterilization law; ruling that Carrie Buck; a young woman falsely classified as "feeble-minded;" could be forcibly sterilized. Holmes wrote: "Three generations of imbeciles are enough." This decision directly enabled the forced sterilization of over 60;000 Americans; disproportionately targeting poor women; disabled people; minorities; and institutionalized individuals. The eugenic framework Holmes endorsed was later cited by Nazi Germany in defense of its own sterilization and racial hygiene programs at the Nuremberg trials. Buck v. Bell has never been explicitly overturned by the Supreme Court. Carrie Buck was later found to be of normal intelligence; her institutionalization and sterilization were the result of a cover-up after she was raped by the nephew of her foster parents.

Key Affiliations

Controversies & Concerns

Related Investigations (1)

Known Associates & Connections

Sources & Documentation

1 documented sources from official records, investigations, and reports