william j. brennan jr. was a rather obscure new jersey court judge and former corporate labor lawyer when president eisenhower nominated him for the united states supreme court in 1956. over the course of the next 34 terms brennan emerged as one of the most influential justices of the entire 20th century. i can assure you that is not just with a pc is speaking. he was also the court's most forceful liberal voice. he had his hand in every major issue of the day from school prayer and desegregation to abortion and affirmative action, the death penalty and the rights of criminal defendants. for much of his tenure no one outside of the court knew just how influential role he played in building coalitions under chief justice earl warren and his to more conservative successors warren burger and william rehnquist. in 1986, the year justice brennan turned 80 and march his 30th anniversary of the court he tapped steve as his biographer. as reflected joke, i was in fifth grade at the time worrying more about whether