Citing racism, Rutgers removes name of former Supreme Court justice, an alumnus, from building

Rutgers University-Newark university leaders recently voted to remove the name of a former Supreme Court justice and prominent alumnus from a campus building.

Rutgers University Board of Governors approved a resolution Oct. 6 to strip the name of Joseph P. Bradley from “Bradley Hall,” which houses two academic departments, a learning center, theatre and campus post office.

Bradley graduated from Rutgers College in 1836 and was appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1870, the university’s website states. In 1971, the Board of Governors approved naming the building after Bradley, who also served as a Trustee of Rutgers from 1858 to 1892, according to university documents.

While the former Associate Justice of the Supreme Court’s name has appeared on the building for nearly 50 years, officials cited Bradley’s judicial record as the reason for the change.