 Johnson thought that some of his Great Society reforms could be ruled unconstitutional by the Court, and he felt that Fortas would let him know if that was to happen.Johnson and Fortas did collaborate while Fortas was a justice; Fortas co-wrote Johnson's 1966 State of the Union speech.Rather than wait passively for a sitting Justice to retire, Johnson actively sought to persuade Justice Arthur Goldberg to resign his seat in order to become Ambassador to the United Nations.