JUSTICE Hugo L. Black brought to the Supreme Court a mind that was brilliantly lucid and a character that was earnest and strong.
Justice Black believed that the primary responsibility of the judiciary was that "of giving force and effect to Constitutional liberties." In his judicial life he did exactly that--with such independence, tenacity, and total integrity of mind that his imprint on the Constitution and on our Nation will be indelible.
His faith in the United States Constitution was absolute, and so his convictions were rooted absolutely.
Mrs. Nixon and I join the Nation in mourning at the death of this noble American.
Note: Justice Black, 85, died of complications following a stroke in Bethesda Naval Hospital. He had served on the Court from 1937 until his retirement in 1971.
The statement was released at Kalispell, Mont.
On the same day, the President signed Executive Order 11620 ordering the flag to be flown at half-staff as a mark of respect to the memory of Justice Black.
The President attended funeral services for Justice Black at the Washington Cathedral on September 28.
Richard Nixon, Statement on the Death of Former Associate Justice Hugo L. Black. Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/240798