The American Bar Association (ABA) has story about a judge who rose from the state district court level to now chief judge of a large federal appeals court. The article begins with this remarkable little bit of biographical information:
“Growing up, he was forced to attend segregated schools, required to use ‘colored only’ restrooms and water fountains, and made to sit at the back of the bus. At age 3, Stewart watched as white church leaders blocked his parents’ efforts to buy their first home because they didn’t want black people as neighbors. Retail stores refused to let him try on clothes. Customers at his first job in college routinely used the N-word in front of him.”
The article then goes on the describe how Carl Stewart rose through, what would be by any objective account, incredible adversity to become Chief Judge of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.
The article is full of anecdotes and accounts of Stewart’s nobility and fairness on the bench, how attorneys representing a diverse variety of causes all take delight in appearing before him, as they know they will get a fair shot no matter what side they’re on.
I read this article early this morning before heading to the office, and it’s always nice to hear of stories that make me proud to be a part of the American justice system.
The full article can be found here:
Meet the chief judge of the nation’s most divisive, controversial and conservative appeals court. By Mark Curriden