Scope and Content Note
The papers of Bennett Boskey (1916-2016), spanning the years 1940-1942, consist of law clerks' memoranda written by Boskey and his fellow clerks during their time clerking for Chief Justice Harlan Fiske Stone and Justice Stanley Reed. The majority of the memoranda were written by Boskey and are designated by his initials "BB" at the end of a memorandum. Other memoranda included in the collection are those of Boskey's co-clerks C. Roger Nelson, initials CRN (October term 1941), and James L. Morrison, initials JLM (October term 1942).
Most of the memoranda pertain to appellate cases but some original and in forma pauperis (ifp) cases are also present in the files. The collection documents the law clerks' recommendations on petitions of certiorari for argued and non-argued cases. Also included are a few supplemental memoranda relating to cases. Some of the cases treated by supplemental memoranda are Goldman v. United States (wiretapping), no. 692, October term 1940, Betts v. Brady (right to counsel), no. 837, October term 1941, and ex parte Quirin, special July term 1942 (German saboteurs case). Items located at the end of volume nine include memoranda relating to Supreme Court administrative matters.