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Spottswood Robinson
Spottswood William Robinson III (1916-1998) was a federal judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. He was the first black judge to serve on either of these courts.[1]
DC Circuit
Robinson was nominated to the DC Circuit by President Lyndon Johnson on October 6, 1966, to a seat vacated by George Thomas Washington; he was confirmed by the Senate on October 20, 1966, and received commission on November 3. He served as chief judge from 1981-1986. He assumed senior status on September 1, 1989, and served in that capacity until his death on October 11, 1998.[2]
DC District
Robinson received a recess appointment to the United States District Court for the District of Columbia from President Lyndon Johnson on January 6, 1964, to a seat vacated by James W. Morris; he was nominated on February 3, 1964, confirmed by the Senate on July 1, 1964, and received commission the next day. He served he was elevated to the DC Circuit on November 8, 1966.[2]
Education
- Howard University, LL.B., 1939[2]
Professional career
- Faculty, Howard University School of Law, 1939-1948
- Private practice, Richmond, Virginia, 1943-1960
- Counsel / representative, Virginia NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, 1948-1950
- Southeast regional counsel, NAACP, 1951-1960
- Professor / dean, Howard University School of Law, 1960-1963
- U.S. Commission of Civil Rights, 1961-1963[2]
Footnotes
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Active judges |
Chief Judge: James E. BoasbergChief Judge: Rudolph Contreras • Christopher Reid Cooper • Tanya S. Chutkan • Randolph D. Moss • Amit Priyavadan Mehta • Dabney Friedrich • Timothy J. Kelly (District of Columbia) • Trevor McFadden • Carl Nichols • Katherine E. Oler • Jia Cobb • Loren AliKhan • Ana Reyes • Judith Pipe • Amir Ali • Sparkle Sooknanan | ||
Senior judges |
Barbara Rothstein • Royce Lamberth • Thomas Hogan • Emmet Sullivan • Henry Kennedy • Richard Roberts (District of Columbia) • Ellen Huvelle • Rosemary Collyer • Reggie Walton • John Bates • Richard Leon • Paul Friedman • Joyce Green (District of Columbia) • Amy B. Jackson • Beryl A. Howell • | ||
Magistrate judges | G. Michael Harvey • Zia Faruqui • | ||
Former Article III judges |
Michael Boudin • Thomas Anderson (District of Columbia) • William Matthew Merrick • David Kellogg Cartter • George Purnell Fisher • Abram Baldwin Olin • Andrew Wylie • David Campbell Humphreys • Arthur MacArthur • Walter Smith Cox • Alexander Burton Hagner • Charles Pinckney James • Edward Franklin Bingham • Martin Montgomery • Andrew Coyle Bradley • Charles Cleaves Cole • Louis Emory McComas • Thomas H. Anderson • Job Barnard • Harry Clabaugh • Ashley Mulgrave Gould • Jeter Connelly Pritchard • Wendell Phillips Stafford • Daniel Thew Wright (District of Columbia) • Thomas Jennings Bailey • James Harry Covington • William Hitz • Walter Irving McCoy • Frederick Lincoln Siddons • Adolph Hoehling • Peyton Gordon • Louis Oberdorfer • Gladys Kessler • James Robertson (District of Columbia) • Ricardo Urbina • Colleen Kollar-Kotelly • Harold Leventhal • Alfred Adams Wheat • Jesse Corcoran Adkins • Joseph Winston Cox • Oscar Raymond Luhring • Fred Dickinson Letts • Daniel William O'Donoghue • James McPherson Proctor (Federal judge) • Bolitha Laws • Thomas Goldsborough • James W. Morris (Federal judge) • Thomas Penfield Jackson • Walter Bastian • Edward Tamm • William Bryant • Howard Corcoran • Edward Curran • Edward Eicher • Thomas Flannery • Oliver Gasch • Gerhard Gesell • June Green • Harold Greene • Stanley Harris • George Hart • Norma Johnson • Alexander Holtzoff • William Jones (District of Columbia) • Richmond Keech • James Kirkland • Burnita Matthews • Joseph McGarraghy • Matthew McGuire • Charles McLaughlin • John Penn • David Pine • John Pratt • George Revercomb • Charles Richey • Aubrey Robinson • Spottswood Robinson • Henry Schweinhaut • John Sirica • John Lewis Smith (United States District Court for the District of Columbia judge) • Stanley Sporkin • Joseph Waddy • Leonard Walsh • Luther Youngdahl • Barrington Daniels Parker, Sr. • Florence Pan • Robert Leon Wilkins • Ketanji Brown Jackson • | ||
Former Chief judges |
David Kellogg Cartter • Edward Franklin Bingham • Harry Clabaugh • James Harry Covington • Walter Irving McCoy • Royce Lamberth • Thomas Hogan • Alfred Adams Wheat • Fred Dickinson Letts • Bolitha Laws • William Bryant • Edward Curran • Edward Eicher • George Hart • Norma Johnson • William Jones (District of Columbia) • Richmond Keech • Matthew McGuire • John Penn • David Pine • Aubrey Robinson • John Sirica • John Lewis Smith (United States District Court for the District of Columbia judge) • Beryl A. Howell • |
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1964 |
Anderson • Bratton • Christie • Collins • Cowen • Davis • Ely • Freedman • Gordon • Higginbotham • McNichols • Muecke • Nichols • Port • Rabinovitz • Robinson • Simons • Suttle • Weber • Whelan • Zampano | ||
1965 |
Bryant • Celebrezze • Coffin • Coleman • Collinson • Corcoran • Doyle • Eubanks • Fortas • Frankel • Gasch • Gibson • Gordon • Harris • Hemphill • Hill • Hunter • Landis • Langley • Leventhal • Maxwell • McEntee • Mehrtens • Nichol • Reynolds • Russell • Smith • Tamm • Thornberry • Young | ||
1966 |
Ainsworth • Atkins • Boyle • Cabot • Cassibry • Copple • Craven • Cummings • Dyer • Fairchild • Feinberg • Ferguson • Fullam • Garrity • Godbold • Goldberg • Goodwin • Gray • Guinn • Harvey • Hauk • Heaney • Heebe • Hickey • Hogan • Kaufman • Kinneary • Krentzman • Lay • Leddy • Lord • Lynch • MacKenzie • Mansfield • McCree • McRae • Mitchell • Motley • Napoli • Nichols • Noland • Peck II • Peckham • Pettine • Pittman • Porter • Real • Roberts • Robinson • Robinson • Rubin • Russell • Scott • Seals • Seitz • Simpson • Singleton • Skelton • Smith • Smith • Taylor • Thomas • von der Heydt • Watson • Winter • Wise | ||
1967 |
Arnow • Beckworth • Belloni • Butzner • Cancio • Carter • Clayton • Combs • Comiskey • Curtin • Eaton • Edenfield • Fernandez-Badillo • Gesell • Gordon • Jones • Keith • Kellam • Lambros • Maletz • Marshall • Masterson • Merhige • Morgan • Murray • Neville • Pollack • Pregerson • Theis • Troutman • Van Dusen • Waddy • Weiner • Weinstein • Whipple • Williams | ||
1968 |
Aldisert • Baldwin • Bownes • Bright • Green • Gubow • Henderson • Holloway • Hufstedler • Judd • Justice • Keady • Kerner, Jr. • Lasker • Latchum • Lawrence • McMillan • Morgan • Newman • Nixon • Pratt • Re • Rosenstein • Schwartz • Smith • Stahl • Travia • Woodward |