Chief Justice Earl Warren in his judicial robes.
Earl Warren was a legal giant and one of the most influential figures in American history. The Warren Court brought about immense changes. Earl was born on March 19, 1891, in Los Angeles, CA. He grew up in Bakersfield, an oil town that was rebuilt after a fire there in 1889. Matt, his father, worked for the railroad. He was murdered in 1938, and the culprit was never found. [In Earl’s chart Mars in the 4th House opposed by Uranus in the 10th is certainly suggestive of murder as one possible outcome.]
Warren was a crusading district attorney in Alameda County. He prosecuted thousands of cases in the thirteen years he spent in that position. They ranged from murder to window breaking. (UC San Diego, Earl Warren College, “Biography of Earl Warren”) He also relieved the sordid condition of most jails and established a prison farm for nonviolent inmates where they grew vegetables for county hospitals, did laundry, and routine maintenance. (The Memoirs of Chief Justice Earl Warren, p. 121)
In 1938 Earl won an election and became Attorney General. He sought the position because of its higher salary. He had married and had six children. (Ibid, 120)
In his natal chart Mercury and Jupiter are in the 2nd House of Money and possessions. Jupiter was the traditional ruler of Pisces until the discovery of Neptune. His Cancer Moon is associated with family and home. It is in the 7th House of marital Partners.
Warren was an effective Attorney General. He shut down illegal dog racing tracks and offshore gambling ships. (130-136)
Saturn, the planet of restriction, is in the 8th House of crime and large business.
Earl was elected Governor of California three times as a Republican. A political moderate he reduced taxes and created budget surpluses. Warren also passed legislation that aided the mentally ill, elderly, and severely injured. (Oyez: “Earl Warren,” www.oyez.org)
In 1953 Earl was sworn in as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. The following cases exemplify how the court under his leadership transformed our society:
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954)- Segregated education of minority children on the basis of race in separate facilities deprived them of equal opportunities.
Loving v. Virginia (1967)- Miscegenation statutes that prevented the marriage of people of different races were found to be violative of the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.
Miranda v. Arizona (1966)- After a person has been taken into custody, the prosecution may not use statements obtained by interrogating police officers unless he has been told that he has the right to remain silent, any statement obtained can be used against him, and that he has the right to have an attorney present.
Gideon v. Wainright (1963)- An indigent defendant has the right to counsel.
Brandenburg v. Ohio (1969)- Freedom of speech and press includes advocating for the use of force and violating the law except when that advocacy is directed at producing imminent lawless action.
Harper v. Board of Education (1966)- Voter qualifications cannot be based on a fee (poll tax).
Griswold v. Connecticut (1965)- A state law prohibiting the use of contraceptives violates the right of privacy in marriage.
Baker v. Carr (1962)- Each vote should carry equal weight (one man, one vote). States cannot have a district with few voters and another with many and declare them equal.
Katzenbach v. McClung (1964)- Congress has broad and sweeping power in the field of interstate commerce.
Earl Warren’s Horoscope
Earl represented the best of Pisces, for he was compassionate and benevolent. [Sun, Mercury, Jupiter there.] His Moon was in sympathetic Cancer while Capricorn Rising contributed administrative ability. Sun trine the Moon can indicate a person who is quite well-adjusted.
Jupiter was trine Uranus which blended leadership, humanitarianism, and originality. (Parker’s The Compleat Astrologer, p. 145) Uranus, the most elevated planet, was in the 10th House of Career and community standing. Warren was far-sighted.
Mars in determined Taurus was trine Saturn in meticulous Virgo. He had the ability to work with large groups of people. It was also in opposition to Uranus. Rather than argue he led people to an end that was right.
The Sun’s ruling planet, Neptune, was in communicative Gemini and conjoined with Pluto, the planet of regeneration and transformation. As these are generational planets, this placing perhaps showed how widespread his efforts would be.