Converted to EAD3 : Encoded Archival Description (EAD), Version 3 : Release: 1.1.1 : Release Date: 2019-12-16. Validating against latest version of schema.
Contact information: https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/mss.contact
Catalog Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/mm93081818
Collection material in English
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the LC Catalog. They are grouped by name of person or organization, by subject or location, and by occupation and listed alphabetically.
The papers of Robert L. Carter, civil rights lawyer and judge, were given to the Library of Congress by Carter in 1992 and 1993 with additional material received in 2010. Oral history interviews were received from Enid Gort in 2012.
Part I of the papers of Robert L. Carter was arranged and described in 1995 by Joseph K. Brooks. The finding aid was revised in 2009. In 2010 the collection was expanded and the finding aid revised by Melinda K. Friend with the assistance of Thomas Bigley and Dan Oleksiw to include Part II. In 2014 additional oral history transcripts were inserted in the Miscellany series of Part II, and the finding aid was revised again to reflect the additional material and to include a description of previously undescribed digital collection material.
Digital files were received in the papers of Robert L. Carter on a variety of digital storage media. Each digital storage media was assigned a unique digital ID number. Use the digital ID number to request access copies of the files associated with each media. A description of the standard processes taken on all born digital records can be found in the Processing History Note: Born Digital Collection Material at https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/eadmss.digital.
Audiotapes have been transferred to the Motion Picture, Broadcasting, and Recorded Sound Division where they are identified as part of the Robert L. Carter Papers.
Related collections in the Manuscript Division include the NAACP at https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/eadmss.ms008007 and the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund at .https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/eadmss.ms015025.
Copyright in the unpublished writings of Robert L. Carter in these papers and in other collections in the custody of the Library of Congress is reserved. Consult reference staff in the Manuscript Division for further information.
The papers of Robert L. Carter are open to research. Researchers are advised to contact the Manuscript Reading Room prior to visiting. Many collections are stored off-site and advance notice is needed to retrieve these items for research use. Access to digital content is available onsite only in the Manuscript Reading Room and requires advanced notice. Researchers are advised to contact the Manuscript Reading Room prior to visiting.
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: Roman numeral designating the Part followed by a colon and container or digital ID number, Robert L. Carter Papers, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
Part I of the papers of Robert Lee Carter (1917-2012) spans the years circa 1960-1993 and consists of correspondence, case files, hearing transcripts, speeches, and writings. The focus is on the hearings of the New York State Special Commission on Attica, to which Carter was appointed to investigate the riots at the state prison in Attica, New York. Correspondence and other material relate to his work as general counsel of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
Part II of the papers spans the years, 1941-2006, with the bulk of the material dating from 1969 to 2004. The papers are organized into the following series: Cases, General Correspondence, Subject File, Speeches and Writings File, Miscellany, and Digital Files.
The Cases represent opinions rendered by Carter as a United States district judge, many of which also appeared in the
The General Correspondence is organized into an alphabetical file and a reading file, with both comprised of correspondence with friends, family, associates, and organizations. The reading file, however, also covers legal cases handled by Poletti Freidin Prashker Feldman & Gartner, the law firm in which Carter was a partner from 1969 until 1972.
The Subject File highlights Carter's career with articles written about him, biographical material, and Carter's work with various organizations, panels, and persons. Included in the series is material relating to his friends and colleagues Derrick A. Bell and Kenneth Bancroft Clark, his involvement with the NAACP especially during the resignation of the entire legal staff in 1968 over an article written by Lewis M. Steel, and his work on the New York State Special Commission on Attica investigating the prison riots at Attica, New York, in 1971.
The Speeches and Writings File is organized into a speeches and speaking engagements file and a writings file covering Carter's career especially for the years 1968-1972. The speeches and speaking engagements file includes oral history interviews, award presentations, celebratory dinners, and statements as well as speeches. Oral history interviews are also found in the Miscellany series. Remarks are not present for every event. Of interest in the writings file is Carter's first attempt at a memoir, "Trench Warfare: The Enduring Effort to Achieve Racial Justice Through Law"; the unpublished "Law and the Black Community: A Profile in Failure and Frustration"; and his master's thesis from 1941, "The Three Freedoms." He also wrote many articles on civil rights as related to education, law, housing, and employment.
The Miscellany series is comprised mostly of research material and legal briefs collected by Carter, and oral history interviews.
The Digital Files are comprised of text documents relating to
This collection is arranged in two parts containing seven series:
Part II:
Catalog Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/mm93081818
Biographical material, legal cases, correspondence, transcripts of individual hearings, subject files, and speeches and writings.
Arranged alphabetically by type of material.
Legal cases heard or argued by Carter including printed decisions, notes, memoranda, correspondence, newspaper clippings, digital files, and documents printed from the digital files.
Arranged alphabetically by name of case or type of material.
Incoming and outgoing correspondence with friends, family, associates, and organizations.
Arranged alphabetically by name of correspondent and therein chronologically with unidentified items at the end.
Outgoing correspondence file created by Carter while in private law practice.
Arranged chronologically by year and therein in reverse chronological order.
Biographical material, information about organizations and other persons, articles about Carter, newspaper clippings, photographs, trip file, notes, and printed matter.
Arranged alphabetically by name of person, organization, and topic or by type of material.
Speeches, interviews, newspaper clippings, ephemera, and background information.
Arranged chronologically by date of event.
Articles, book reviews, books, an unpublished memoir, a master's thesis, background information, newspaper clippings, drafts, and correspondence.
Arranged alphabetically by type of writing and therein by title or topic. Articles are arranged chronologically.
Legal briefs, fragments and notes, transcripts of interviews, and research material.
Arranged alphabetically by type of material.
Text documents relating to
Arranged and described according to the series, containers, and folders from which the items were removed. The series contains 20 files (282.5 MB) and contains text documents.