Collection Summary
William L. Taylor Papers
1971-1996
(bulk 1987-1992)
1971-1996
(bulk 1987-1992)
MSS83885
Taylor, William L.,
1931-
4,000
items
13 containers
5.2 linear feet
English
Collection material in
English
Manuscript Division, Library of
Congress
Washington, D.C.
Civil rights lawyer and
educator. Correspondence, memoranda, reports, speeches, writings, printed
matter, and other material related primarily to civil rights legislation and
the nominations of Robert H. Bork and Clarence Thomas to the United States
Supreme Court.
Selected Search Terms
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.
People
Bork, Robert H.
Lesko, Wendy.
Pertschuk, Michael, 1933-2022.
Taylor, William L., 1931-2010.
Thomas, Clarence, 1948-
Organizations
Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.
Leadership Conference on Civil Rights.
NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund.
United States. Civil Rights Act of 1991.
United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on the Judiciary.
United States. Supreme Court--Officials and employees--Selection and appointment.
United States. Supreme Court.
Subjects
Affirmative action programs in education--United States.
African Americans--Civil rights.
Civil rights--United States--Societies, etc.
Civil rights--United States.
Discrimination in education--United States.
Discrimination in employment--United States.
Judges--Selection and appointment--United States.
Minorities--Civil rights--United States.
School integration--United States.
Occupations
Civil rights leaders.
Educators.
Lawyers.
Provenance
The papers of William L. Taylor, civil rights lawyer and educator,
were given to the Library by Taylor in 1996. Material from the records of the
Center for National Policy Review which came to the Library in 1993 was later
transferred to these papers.
Related Material
Taylor’s activities as founder and director of the
Center for National Policy Review from 1970 to 1985
are documented in the records of that organization which are also held by the
Manuscript Division.
Copyright Status
The status of copyright in the unpublished writings of William L.
Taylor is governed by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17,
U.S.C.).
Access and Restrictions
Restrictions apply governing the use, photoduplication, or publication
of items in this collection. Consult reference staff in the Manuscript Division
for information concerning these restrictions. In addition, many collections
are stored off-site and advance notice is needed to retrieve these items for
research use.
Preferred Citation
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the
following information: Container number, William L. Taylor Papers, Manuscript
Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
Biographical Note
Date
Event
1931, Oct. 4
Born, Brooklyn, N.Y.
1952
B. A., Brooklyn College, Brooklyn, N.Y.
1954
LL. B., Yale University Law School, New Haven, Conn.
Married Harriet Rosen
1955
Clerk, Office of the Corporation Counsel, New York, N.Y.
Admitted to New York state bar
1955
1958
Staff attorney, NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, New
York, N.Y.
1959
1961
Legislative representative, Americans for Democratic
Action
1961
1963
Assistant staff director for liaison and information and
special assistant to the staff director, United States Commission on Civil
Rights
1963
1965
General counsel, United States Commission on Civil
Rights
1965
1968
Staff director, United States Commission on Civil
Rights
1968
1969
Senior fellow, Yale University Law School, New Haven,
Conn.
1970
1985
Director, Center for National Policy Review, Catholic
University Law School, Washington, D.C.
Faculty member, Catholic University Law School, Washington,
D.C.
1971
Published
Hanging Together: Equality in an Urban Nation
.
New York: Simon and Schuster
Admitted to District of Columbia bar
1974
Published
Justice Delayed and Denied? Report of Investigation into
Conduct of HEW’s Handling of Responsibility Under Title VI.
Washington,
D.C.: The Center for National Policy Review
1986
Established private law practice, Washington, D.C.
1986
Adjunct professor, Georgetown University Law Center,
Washington, D.C.
1996
1997
Visiting professor of law, Stanford University Law School,
Stanford, Calif.
Scope and Content Note
The papers of William L. Taylor (1931- ) relate primarily to Taylor’s
activities after he established his private law practice in 1986 and focus on
his participation in efforts to pass civil rights legislation and to defeat the
nominations of Robert H. Bork and Clarence Thomas to the United States Supreme
Court. The collection spans the years 1971-1996, with the bulk of the material
dating from 1987 to 1992. It is organized in two series:
[Subject
File](subfile) and
[Miscellany.](miscell)
Topics in the
[Subject
File](subfile) include the Civil Rights acts of 1990 and 1991. The files focus on
the efforts of civil rights organizations, members of Congress, and others to
draft and pass civil rights legislation countering Supreme Court decisions in
the late 1980s which had modified civil rights protections, particularly in the
area of employment. Organizations represented in this series include the
Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, the Leadership Conference on
Civil Rights, and the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. Among the files
on the defeat of Robert H. Bork’s nomination to the Supreme Court in 1987 are
those relating to a letter-writing campaign started by Taylor in which law
professors throughout the country wrote to the Senate Committee on the
Judiciary opposing the Bork nomination. Also in the
[Subject
File](subfile) are transcripts of interviews with Taylor conducted by Michael
Pertschuk and Wendy Schaetzel during the preparation of their book
The People Rising: The Campaign Against the Bork Nomination
(1989). Material pertaining to the nomination and confirmation of
Clarence Thomas in 1991 includes handwritten drafts of testimony prepared by
Taylor for the Congressional Black Caucus.
Included in the
[Miscellany](miscell) series are speeches and writings by Taylor on
civil rights and education. Among the topics covered are affirmative action and
school desegregation.
Arrangement of the Papers
This collection is arranged in two series:
-
[Subject
File, 1971-1996](subfile)
-
[Miscellany,
1983-1992](miscell)
Catalog Record: [https://lccn.loc.gov/mm96083885]
Container List
Container
Contents
1-12
Subject File,
1971-1996
1971-1996
Correspondence, memoranda, reports, notes, testimony, interview
transcripts, newspaper clippings, and printed matter.
Arranged alphabetically by topic and therein chronologically.
1
Bork, Robert H., nomination to
United States Supreme Court
1
Background information,
1971-1976, 1987
1971-1976, 1987
1
General,
1987-1989, undated
1987-1989, undated
(7
folders)
1
Law schools,
1987
1987
2
The People Rising: The Campaign Against the Bork
Nomination
by Michael Pertschuk and Wendy Schaetzel (1989)
2
Interviews,
1988-1989, undated
1988-1989, undated
(2
folders)
2
Miscellany,
1988-1989, undated
1988-1989, undated
2
Response to
Commentary
article by Suzanne Garment,
1988
1988
2
Citizens’ Commission on Civil
Rights,
1992
1992
(2
folders)
2
Civil Rights Act of
1990
2
1989
1989
(2
folders)
3
1990
1990
3
Jan.-Feb.
Jan.-Feb.
(7
folders)
3
Mar.
Mar.
(1
folder)
4
(1
folder)
4
Apr.-Sept.
Apr.-Sept.
(7
folders)
5
Oct.-Dec.
Oct.-Dec.
(3
folders)
5
1991, undated
1991, undated
(4
folders)
5
Civil Rights Act of
1991
5
Business Roundtable
negotiations
6
General
6
1986-1990
1986-1990
(4
folders)
6
1991
1991
6
Jan.-May
Jan.-May
(5
folders)
7
June-Nov.
June-Nov.
(6
folders)
7
1992
1992
8
1996, undated
1996, undated
(3
folders)
8
Jewish organizations,
1990-1991
1990-1991
8
Language issues
8
“Anti-quota,”
1991, undated
1991, undated
8
“Race-naming,”
1991, undated
1991, undated
8
Raspberry, William,
1991
1991
8
Civil Rights Restoration Act of
1987
8
Amendments,
1985-1988, undated
1985-1988, undated
(3
folders)
9
Background information,
1984-1987
1984-1987
9
Congressional support,
1987-1988
1987-1988
9
Drafts of bill,
1987
1987
9
General,
1987-1988, undated
1987-1988, undated
(2
folders)
9
Questions and answers,
1984-1987, undated
1984-1987, undated
(2
folders)
9
Testimony and statements,
1987-1988, undated
1987-1988, undated
9
Council of Chief State School
Officers,
School Success for Students at Risk
,
1988
1988
10
Thomas, Clarence
10
United States Court of Appeals
for the District of Columbia, nomination,
1989-1990, undated
1989-1990, undated
10
United States Supreme
Court
10
Nomination
Background information,
1980-1990
1980-1990
10
Congressional Black Caucus,
1991
1991
(2
folders)
10
General
10
1991
1991
10
June-July
June-July
(5
folders)
11
Aug.-Oct.
Aug.-Oct.
(6
folders)
11
1992
1992
12
1994, undated
1994, undated
(2
folders)
12
Law schools,
1987-1991
1987-1991
12
Record as justice,
1992-1994
1992-1994
12-13
Miscellany,
1983-1992
1983-1992
Speeches and documents relating to speaking engagements, writings,
notes, and a transcript of testimony.
Arranged alphabetically by type of material and therein
chronologically.
12
Engagements,
1986-1988
1986-1988
(3
folders)
12
Speeches
12
1983-1985
1983-1985
12
1986
1986
(3
folders)
13
(1
folder)
13
1987-1991
1987-1991
(4
folders)
13
Testimony, 1988
13
Writings,
1984-1992, undated
1984-1992, undated
(5
folders)