Imagine a time when defending civil liberties meant siding with both the devil and the angels—depending on who you ask about Morris Ernst, that's precisely what it was like. Born in Alabama in 1888 but spending much of his energetic lifetime in New York, Ernst was an American lawyer and a co-founder of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). He built a reputation during the early to mid-20th century as a man who took on cases that would shape society, often making him a hero or a villain, depending on your ideological camp. Ernst, the man who fought for women's rights to both sexuality and work, defended the First Amendment, and navigated the tension between individual freedom and societal norms, was both praised and vilified. But if you're looking for consistent moral logic across his work, keep looking because Morris Ernst's legacy is a paradox wrapped in advocacy—a snazzy lawyer who danced along the tightrope of freedom and censorship.
First, let's talk about Ernst's pioneering work in the realm of obscenity law. He was the kind of guy who could defend James Joyce’s Ulysses and other so-called 'obscene' literature, changing the course of American literary freedoms. Ernst successfully argued that socially significant literature should not be banned, redefining obscenity laws in America. Most conservatives don’t dream about defending sexually explicit novels, but that's what makes Ernst a fascinating case study; he wasn't here to fulfill anyone's checklist but his own.
Next up, Ernst's activism towards birth control. It’s one thing to say you favor women’s freedom, and it’s another to stand before a court and argue for it when most of society is against you. Ernst was ahead of his time, fighting for the rights of women to access birth control, a radical idea at the time. He co-authored with Margaret Sanger, another polarizing figure, a piece on birth control that made waves across the nation. Here again, he championed controversial issues with determination, even as conservatives might scratch their heads wondering when advocacy tips over into enabling societal decay.
Ernst's stance on Communism is a real head-turner too. While many folks in that pre-McCarthy era were ready to paint the town red—figuratively and literally—with acrimonious accusations, Ernst took a different approach. He was a critical voice against McCarthyism and the witch hunts of the time. Ernst stood his ground, defending individuals he'd argue were unfairly targeted. This stand might sound commendable, but don't misinterpret it; Ernst wasn't a Communist sympathizer but rather a staunch defender of fair legal processes. Still, for conservatives, backing away from anti-Communism fervor was like letting a fox into the henhouse—an audacious move with questionable foresight.
Moreover, let’s talk about censorship—everyone’s favorite controversial dinner topic! Ernst took on not just the saucy novels but the broader media, setting precedents that would ease restrictions on free speech. With no recourse to the vague 'hurt feelings' arguments that many might use today, Ernst successfully battled the censors on multiple occasions. He had this audacious vision that banning books and media doesn't exactly align with the freedoms America was supposed to be about. Yes, nothing says American ingenuity like having the freedom to read controversial work, but Ernst’s certainty about it could rub some the wrong way, even today.
Looking squarely at his work with the ACLU, Ernst was fundamental in its formative years, a fact sometimes overlooked in the liberal narrative. While today’s ACLU often gets a lot of side-eye from conservatives, Ernst’s involvement should be noted more as a bridge that’d make for uncomfortable but meaningful dinner conversations. He fueled debates and legal battles that remain widely relevant.
In the tech world, Ernst was an early critic of monopoly power, advising President Roosevelt on antitrust issues and the dangers posed by unchecked economic power. He foresaw how concentrated corporate power could infringe on individual freedoms. In this case, liberals and conservatives can perhaps manage a rare nod of agreement—corporate America can sometimes resemble a runaway train in need of throttling.
For a man often chided for contradictory positions, Ernst was coherent in one fascinating respect: his unwavering belief in personal liberty and protection against unjust government overreach. It’s crucial to appreciate that he frequently took the cases others avoided, advocating more for the underdog principle rather than any specific ideologue. Agree with him or not, Morris Ernst carved out spaces where there were none, often knocking on society’s hard shell to reveal new layers of freedom.
So, whether you consider him a hero or a troublemaker, Morris Ernst embodied a kind of legal and social activism that’s hard to categorize. His life throws a wrench into the comfortable party lines most choose to stick to today. As the man behind landmark cases that shifted public discourse, perhaps it's time conservatives re-evaluate or at least acknowledge the audacious impact Ernst had—even if you tend to disagree with how he achieved it.