| James C. McReynolds’ Judicial Robe | |
|---|---|
| |
|
Origin |
James C. McReynolds |
|
Type |
Supreme Court Robe |
|
Effects |
Evacuates out all air within ten feet, creating a temporarily unbreathable area |
|
Downsides |
Explosive decompression which leads to a large explosion |
|
Activation |
Proximity |
|
Collected by |
|
|
Section |
|
|
Aisle |
38492-7146 |
|
Shelf |
65698-4267-482 |
|
Date of Collection |
October 5, 1946 |
| [Source] | |
Origin[]
McReynolds was a former United States Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court, who served on the bench from 1914 to 1941. Before formally becoming a Supreme Court Justice, he was the United States Attorney General for Woodrow Wilson, who would select him to be on the court – presumably to rid the cabinet of McReynolds.
Known for his rudeness and bigotry, most people had a terrible time getting along with McReynolds professionally. Perhaps most disturbing about his behavior was his bigotry – he refused to sit next to Justice Louis Brandeis for the court photograph of 1924 because he was Jewish, turned his back on attorney Charles Hamilton Houston during his entire presentation because he was black, and walked out of the courtroom whenever a woman spoke as an attorney. His black domestic help at home gave him the unfortunate nickname “Pussywillow” in response to his horrid racism. But despite his sour attitude, he was by many counts an equally as charitable man. He adopted thirty three children orphaned after the 1940 London bombing, and left his entire estate to charity when he died.
The effects were pivotal in the Disney film “The Hunchback of Notre Dame”.
Collection[]
These robes were donated to his alma mater Vanderbilt University, and stayed there for only a few short days before the Warehouse was forced to swap the robes for something that didn’t have such adverse reactions towards the new chancellor Harvie Branscomb.
Effects[]
These robes were so infused with McReynolds bitterness and tyrant behavior that they will lash out at anyone McReynolds would have disliked. With a sound similar to a gavel being brought down, these robes surround itself with a temporary vacuous bubble about ten feet in every direction, depriving the area of oxygen briefly. This sudden decompression is extremely painful despite lasting less than two seconds, and the sudden rush of air into the space once the vacuum collapses can cause a fiery explosion.