Interview with former Michigan Supreme Court Justice Thomas Giles Kavanagh

Part 1: Michigan Supreme Court Justice Thomas G. Kavanagh relates his family history and discusses his father's work with newspapers and the Democratic Party, his own early schooling, and his first jobs in law firms. He also discusses his judicial career, starting with the newly created Court of Appeals in 1964 and then running for the Michigan Supreme Court in 1968. He provides an insiders view of the Court during his tenure and discusses the various political and personal differences that arose among the justices. Part 2: Michigan Supreme Court Justice Thomas G. Kavanagh talks about the Justice John Swainson bribery case, his own involvement in the investigation and his view that Swainson was "framed". Kavanagh also discusses the turmoil on the Court in the mid-1970s and talks candidly about his colleagues, including Justices Mary Coleman, Charles Levin, John Fitzgerald, Thomas Brennan, Thomas M. Kavanagh, James Ryan, and Dorothy Comstock Riley. After 1976, Kavanagh says, the Court stabilzed and a new spirit of good will and collegiality was embraced by all of the justices. Kavanagh covers a wide range of general topics, including legislative apportionment, mandatory arbitration, the difficulty of campaigning for election, judicial conferences, the Michigan Supreme Court's involvement with the State Bar of Michigan and its disciplinary procedures, term limits for Chief Justices, and the selection process for Supreme Court Justices. He finishes by describing his speech to the Kalamazoo County Bar Association, which was titled, "Pot, Pornography, and Prostitution," by the program organizers.

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In Collections: Interviews with Michigan State Supreme Court Justices

Copyright Status: In Copyright

Date: 1990-11

Interviewees: Kavanagh, Thomas Giles, 1917-1997

Interviewers: Lane, Roger F.

Sponsors: Michigan Supreme Court Historical Society

Subjects: Kavanagh, Thomas Giles, 1917-1997
Michigan. Supreme Court
Swainson, John B. (John Burley), 1925-1994
Michigan. Court of Appeals
Elections
Employees
Friendship
Interpersonal relations
Judicial process
Judges
Judges--Selection and appointment
Michigan
Michigan--Lansing

Material Type: Sound recordings
Interviews

Language: English

Extent: 05:31:06

Note: Image courtesy of the Michigan Supreme Court Historical Society.
Digital remastering of analog cassettes originally recorded for "Interviews with Michigan Supreme Court Justices," sponsored by the Michigan Supreme Court Historical Society.

Historical Note: See the Michigan Supreme Court Historical Society website for more information on the life of Thomas Giles Kavanagh.

Holding Institution: Vincent Voice Library

Permalink: https://n2t.net/ark:/85335/m59g5kn3f

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1 of 2: Interview with former Michigan Supreme Court Justice Thomas Giles Kavanagh. Part 1

Michigan Supreme Court Justice Thomas G. Kavanagh relates his family history and discusses his father's work with newspapers and the Democratic Party, his own early schooling, and his first jobs in law firms. He also discusses his judicial career, starting with the newly created Court of Appeals in 1964 and then running for the Michigan Supreme Court in 1968. He provides an insiders view of the Court during his tenure and discusses the various political and personal differences that arose among the justices. First of two interviews.

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Date: 1990-11-19

Subjects: Kavanagh, Thomas Giles, 1917-1997
Michigan. Supreme Court
Michigan. Court of Appeals
Elections
Employees
Friendship
Interpersonal relations
Judges
Judges--Selection and appointment
Michigan
Michigan--Lansing

Extent: 01:34:36

Permalink: https://n2t.net/ark:/85335/m59s1pt1j

2 of 2: Interview with former Michigan Supreme Court Justice Thomas Giles Kavanagh. Part 2

Michigan Supreme Court Justice Thomas G. Kavanagh talks about the Justice John Swainson bribery case, his own involvement in the investigation and his view that Swainson was "framed". Kavanagh also discusses the turmoil on the Court in the mid-1970s and talks candidly about his colleagues, including Justices Mary Coleman, Charles Levin, John Fitzgerald, Thomas Brennan, Thomas M. Kavanagh, James Ryan, and Dorothy Comstock Riley. After 1976, Kavanagh says, the Court stabilzed and a new spirit of good will and collegiality was embraced by all of the justices. Kavanagh covers a wide range of general topics, including legislative apportionment, mandatory arbitration, the difficulty of campaigning for election, judicial conferences, the Michigan Supreme Court's involvement with the State Bar of Michigan and its disciplinary procedures, term limits for Chief Justices, and the selection process for Supreme Court Justices. He finishes by describing his speech to the Kalamazoo County Bar Association, which was titled, "Pot, Pornography, and Prostitution," by the program organizers. Ends abruptly. Second of two interviews of Justice Kavanagh.

Read

Date: 1990-11-20

Subjects: Kavanagh, Thomas Giles, 1917-1997
Michigan. Supreme Court
Swainson, John B. (John Burley), 1925-1994
Employees
Friendship
Interpersonal relations
Judges
Judges--Selection and appointment
Judicial process
Michigan
Michigan--Lansing

Extent: 03:56:30

Permalink: https://n2t.net/ark:/85335/m5zg6kf9x

Interview with former Michigan Supreme Court Justice Thomas Giles Kavanagh. Part 1

Interview with former Michigan Supreme Court Justice Thomas Giles Kavanagh. Part 2