About This Stamp
In 2009, the U.S. Postal Service will issue Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States, a pane of four stamps honoring the contributions of Associate Justices Joseph Story, Louis D. Brandeis, Felix Frankfurter, and William J. Brennan, Jr.
Joseph Story (1779–1845)
Considered one of the nation's finest legal scholars, Joseph Story published lengthy studies about the Constitution and other legal subjects that gave shape to America's developing system of jurisprudence. His commitment to the uniform enforcement of federal regulations helped establish the preeminence of the Supreme Court.
Louis D. Brandeis (1856–1941)
Louis D. Brandeis was the associate justice most responsible for helping the Supreme Court develop the tools it needed to interpret the Constitution in light of the socioeconomic conditions of the 20th century. Devoted to social justice, Brandeis championed the right of all individuals to speak freely.
Felix Frankfurter (1882–1965)
A spirited political activist and legal scholar, Felix Frankfurter was arguably one of the most enigmatic and controversial figures to serve as an associate justice. He was the Supreme Court's strongest proponent of judicial restraint and believed that judges should disregard their own social views when making decisions.
William J. Brennan, Jr. (1906–1997)
The author of numerous landmark decisions and the inspiration behind many others, William J. Brennan, Jr., viewed the law as a force for social and political change. For more than 30 years he worked to protect and expand the rights of all citizens, especially minorities and women.
Stamp Art Director
Ethel Kessler
Ethel Kessler is an award-winning designer and art director who has worked with corporations, museums, public and private institutions, professional service organizations, and now, the United States Postal Service.
After earning a B.F.A. in visual communications from the Maryland Institute College of Art, Kessler worked as a graphic designer and project manager for the exhibits division of the United States Information Agency. Her work was distributed internationally on subjects such as Immigration, Entrepreneurship, Renovation of American Cities, and the Bicentennial of 1976. She was also responsible for exhibits in Morocco, Botswana, and El Salvador.
In 1981, she established Kessler Design, Inc., for which she is creative director and designer. Clients have included the Clinton Government reorganization, the Smithsonian Institution, National Geographic Television, the National Park Service, and the American Institute of Architects.
She has been an art director for the U.S. Postal Service’s stamp development program for more than 25 years. As an art director for USPS, Kessler has been responsible for creating more than 500 stamp designs, including the Breast Cancer Research stamp illustrated by Whitney Sherman. Issued in 1998, the stamp is still on sale and has raised more $98 million for breast cancer research. Other Kessler projects include the popular and highly regarded Nature of America 120 stamp series, a collaboration with nationally acclaimed nature illustrator John Dawson, the 12-year Lunar New Year series with Kam Mak, the American Filmmaking: Behind the Scenes 10 stamps issued in 2003, a 2016 pane of stamps celebrating the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service, and the 2023 stamp honoring Supreme Court Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. And many, many others.
Stamp Artist
Rodolfo Castro
A veteran designer who previously worked with some of the top firms in Washington, D.C., and Atlanta, Rodolfo Castro is Creative Director for Catalone Design. Multitalented and always eager to learn something new, Castro is a man of varied interests — architecture and furniture design among them — and many media.
Castro leads Catalone Design’s ventures into the evolving field of 3D animation and digital media. He guides the creative concept for all projects, overseeing design and art direction. Clients have included the Global Fund for Children, the Arca Foundation, the National Aquarium in Baltimore, the National Gallery of Art, the Embassy of France, and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
Castro is a graduate of Atlanta’s prestigious Portfolio Center and has taught at the Corcoran College of Art + Design. He co-designed the 2009 United States Supreme Court Justices stamps in 2009 with his wife and business partner, Lisa Catalone Castro. More recently they co-designed the 2021 Happy Birthday stamp, which he illustrated.