Potter Stewart Signed Photograph.

STEWART, Potter.

Item Number: 50026

Signed photograph from Potter Stewart to Irving Kaufman. “For Irving R. Kaufman, With the best wishes and high regard of his friend Potter Stewart.” The recipient, Irving Kaufman was the chief judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in New York, and was awarded the Presidential medal of Freedom in 1987 by President Reagan “for his exemplary service to our country, his work as chairman of the President’s commission on organized crime and his multifacted efforts to promote an understanding of the law and our legal tradition.” He awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1987 by Reagan. In near fine condition.

Justice Potter Stewart, who served on the United States Supreme Court from 1958 to 1981, was known for his moderate jurisprudence and pivotal role in many landmark decisions. Appointed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, Stewart often positioned himself as a centrist, emphasizing case-by-case reasoning over rigid ideological frameworks. He is perhaps most famously associated with his concurring opinion in Jacobellis v. Ohio (1964), in which he addressed the challenge of defining obscenity by stating, "I know it when I see it." While often criticized for its subjectivity, this phrase encapsulated Stewart’s pragmatic approach to constitutional interpretation, particularly in the realm of First Amendment rights. His contributions to Fourth Amendment jurisprudence, especially in cases like Katz v. United States (1967), helped shape modern understandings of privacy and surveillance.