Call Number:

BLL.009

Repository:

University of Pennsylvania: Biddle Law Library

Extent:

3.75 linear feet (7 boxes, 1 oversized folder )

Language:

English

Preferred Citation:

[Identification of item], in the Judge Arlin Adams Papers, BLL.009, Biddle Law Library, University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School.

Date:

1945-2012 (inclusive)

Creator:

Biddle Collections

Abstract:

The Judge Arlin Adams papers, 1945-2012, consist of correspondence, awards, and articles that document Judge Adams' research interests and community involvement. Arlin Adams graduated from the University of Pennsylvania Law School (now known as the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School) in 1946. In 1969, President Nixon nominated Judge Adams to the Third Circuit Court. Judge Adams spent seventeen years on the bench before retiring in 1988 and returning to private practice at Schander Harrison Segal and Lewis. This collection primarily contains material from Judge Adams work with professional, charitable, and educational organizations after he retired from the federal bench. Other material includes research files from his time lecturing at Penn Law and source material for speeches that he wrote.

Arlin Adams was born on April 16, 1921 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Temple University in 1951 and began attending the University of Pennsylvania Law School (now known as the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School) but left to enlist in the navy during World War II. He returned and finished his law degree in 1946. He also obtained a Master of Arts in Economics from Temple University in 1950.

Post-graduation, Adams worked in private practice at the firm Schnader Harrison Segal and Lewis. He also taught at the University of Pennsylvania from 1952 to 1956 and served as a secretary of public welfare for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania from 1963 to 1966.

In 1969, President Nixon nominated Judge Arlin Adams to the Third Circuit Court. While on the bench, Adams was considered for the Supreme Court on three separate occasions. President Richard Nixion considered nominating Adams in 1971, President Gerald Ford considered nominating Adams in 1975, and in 1987 he was considered for the seat vacated by Lewis Powell. He resigned from the bench in 1988 and returned to private practice at Scnader Harrison Segal and Lewis.

Adams became known for several of his legal cases in the 1990s including his 1995 appointment to serve as a trustee in the New Era bankruptcy case, then the largest nonprofit bankruptcy in history. He also served as independent counsel in the investigation of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development from 1998 to 2002.

Adams has been awarded for his involvement in charitable and educational organizations. Throughout this life, he served on many boards including the William Penn Foundation, the University of Pennsylvania Board of Overseers, the Einstein Medical Center, the American Philosophical Center, and the Annenberg Research Institute. In 1997, Judge Adams received the Philadelphia Award for service to the community and in 1999 he received the Philadelphia Bar Association's Gold Medal Award. In 2001, Susquehanna University created the Arlin M. Adams Center for Law and Society in his honor and the University of Pennsylvania Law School established the Arlin M. Adams Professorship on Constitutional Law in 2005.

Arlin Adams was married to Neysa Adams, with whom he had three daughters. He was good friends with Walter Annenberg, another winner of the Philadelphia award, a philanthropist, and owner of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Arlin Adams passed away in December 2015 at the age of 94.

The Judge Arlin Adams papers, 1945-2012, consist of correspondence, awards, and articles that document Judge Adams' research interests and community involvement.

Series I: Correspondence and Events, 1952-2011, contains letters, programs, press releases, and photographs about events that Adams attended. The folders labeled "Correspondence with other judges" primarily consist of photocopied articles and speeches that judges on the Third Circuit Court shared with Judge Adams. Also included are news clippings that Adams collected about his family, cases, awards, and possible nomination to the Supreme Court.

Series II: Education and Research, 1950-2005, contains a copy of Adams' M.A. thesis, articles and quotations that Adams used for writing speeches, and journal articles about practicing law. The series also contains research material on law and religion. There are lecture notes, paper outlines, and collected articles that Adams used to teach the class "Freedom of Speech and Religion" at Penn Law from 1979 to 1981.

Series III: Board Positions, Appointments, and Honors, 1945-2012, contains certificates, congratulatory letters, photographs, and acceptance speeches from awards or honors that Adams received. Also included are files pertaining to boards that Adams served on including the Albert Einstein Medical Center and the American Philosophical Society. These folders contain awards, press clippings, reports, and correspondence.

Series IV: Mementos, 1976-1981 contains items that Adams collected throughout his involvement in community and professional organizations, including a paper weight from the Federal Bar Association and a plaque from a moot court competition.

The collection is arranged into the following series: Series I. Correspondence and Events, 1952-2011; Series II. Education and Research, 1950-2005; Series III. Board Positions, Appointments, and Honors, 1945-2012; Series IV. Mementos, 1976-1981.