The two men have been very intimate and reliable friends throughout their lives.

For most of their lives, the two men had shared confidences, swapped advice and supported each other’s ambitions. The dozens of letters that Justice Blackmun saved document a relationship of sometimes startling intimacy.

Tens of thousands of youngsters from low-income families who were eligible for a children’s health insurance program in Florida, instead of being allowed into the program, were diverted by state officials to a long waiting list.