Powell, Lewis Franklin, Jr (1907–1998)

US jurist. He was associate justice of the US Supreme Court 1971–87 under President Nixon. A conservative, Powell voted to restrict Fifth Amendment guarantees against self-incrimination and for capital punishment. In United States v. Nixon (1974), he sided with the majority in limiting executive privilege.

Born in Suffolk, Virginia, Powell received his undergraduate and law degrees from Washington and Lee universities and an MA in law from Harvard University. He practised in Virginia, becoming president of the American Bar Association 1964–65 and president of the American College of Trial Lawyers 1968–69. He retired from the Supreme Court in 1987 for health reasons.