Hugo Black was an American lawyer and politician who served as an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court from 1937 to 1971. Appointed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, he was known for his strong support of civil liberties and the First Amendment. Black's judicial philosophy emphasized the importance of individual rights and the separation of powers. Before his Supreme Court tenure, Black was a U.S. Senator from Alabama and a member of the Democratic Party. His early career was marked by controversy due to his affiliation with the Ku Klux Klan, which he later distanced himself from. Despite this, he became a significant figure in American legal history.