Private practice In 1931, Emerson joined
Engelhard, Pollak, Pitcher & Stern (earlier Simpson, Warren &
Cardozo and later Engelhard, Pollak, Pitcher, Stern & Clarke). Emerson worked primarily for
Carl Stern and
Walter Pollak.
Politics In 1948, Emerson ran for governor of Connecticut on the ticket of the
1948 Progressive Party, whose US presidential candidate was former US Vice President
Henry A. Wallace. {{cite news {{cite book {{cite book {{cite book
Major cases Emerson's successful argument before the
United States Supreme Court include: • 1957: •
Sweezy v. New Hampshire (academic freedom related to
Marxist economist
Paul Sweezy) •
Watkins v. United States (
contempt of Congress by
HUAC against
First Amendment rights of John Thomas Watkins,
United Auto Workers union official) • 1965:
Griswold v. Connecticut (contraceptives as part of privacy rights for Estelle Griswold of New Haven's
Planned Parenthood Center) During the 1960s, Emerson supported efforts to secure the release of
Morton Sobell, convicted in 1951 of espionage as part of the case of
Julius Rosenberg and
Ethel Rosenberg.
Associations Emerson was a member of the
National Lawyers Guild and served as its national president (1950–1951). He refused to quit the organization when president, despite its labeling at a Communist front. Previously, he was a member of the
International Juridical Association (IJA). {{cite book Emerson was also a member of the
American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), in which he was active, as well as the New Haven Civil Liberties Council (later Connecticut Civil Liberties Union). He also co-founded the
Emergency Civil Liberties Committee (ECLC). He joined the National Committee to Abolish the House Un-American Activities Committee and also the National Committee Against Repressive Legislation; he opposed the
Federal Loyalty Program of US President
Harry S. Truman. His support for civil liberties led the
Federal Bureau of Investigation to keep a file on him from 1941 to 1977.
Congressional testimony On February 28, 1940, Emerson testified with other members of the NLRB, his case with regard to "the present state of the Board's docket, as far as concerns the question of delay in the issuance of Board decisions." On April 4, 1950, Emerson appeared before HUAC as a representative of the
1948 Progressive Party. In 1953, Emerson was mentioned in hearings of a House Select Committee to Investigate Tax-exempt Foundations and Comparable Organizations. The proceedings note allegedly subversive activities: • 1930s: Co-authored "What is the I.J.A.?" by the International Juridical Association, "an offshoot of
International Labor Defense," legal arm of the
CPUSA • 1940s: Co-sponsored the
Southern Conference for Human Welfare, cited by HUAC in 1944 as a "Communist front" • 1944: Served on committees of the National Lawyers Guild, cited by House Report No. 3123 of 1950 as "the foremost legal bulwark of the Communist Party • 1948: Co-signed a letter in defense of the
Jefferson School of Social Science, listed on the 1947
AGLOSO • 1949: • Co-sponsored the
Cultural and Scientific Conference for World Peace in New York City (March 25–27, 1949), held under the auspices of the
National Council of the Arts, Sciences, and Professions • Spoke to the
United Public Workers of America, a
CIO union • Sponsored a meeting of the
Civil Rights Congress, listed on the 1947
AGLOSO • 1950: • Appeared before Congress on behalf of the Communist-backed
1948 Progressive Party • Co-signed a letter published in the
Daily Worker to protest legal proceedings against lawyers defending
CPUSA in the
Foley Square trial • 1951: • Signed a petition for the
Joint Anti-Fascist Refugee Committee, listed on the 1947
AGLOSO • Received an award from the New York City
Teachers Union, another communist front ==Personal life and death==