Nathaniel R. Jones

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Nathaniel R. Jones

Born May 12, 1926 (1926-05-12) (age 82)
Youngstown, Ohio

Judge Nathaniel R. Jones (born May 12, 1926 - ) has served as a lawyer, jurist, academic, and public servant. He was the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit before his retirement in March of 2002.[1] As general counsel of the NAACP, he gained recognition for his legal efforts to end school segregation in the northern United States.[1]

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[edit] Early years

Judge Jones was born in the Smoky Hollow district of Youngstown, Ohio, several blocks from a federal courthouse that now bears his name.[1] He served with the U.S. Air Force during World War II. After the war, he pursued his education at Youngstown State University, receiving his A.B. in 1951, and his LL.B. in 1956. Judge Jones was admitted to the bar in 1957.[2]

[edit] Legal career

After four years in private practice, Judge Jones served as Executive Director of the Fair Employment Practices Commission. In 1962, he became the first African American to be appointed as Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio in Cleveland.[1] He held that position until his 1967 appointment as Assistant General Counsel to President Johnson's National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders (the Kerner Commission).[1] Following his term with the Kerner Commission, Judge Jones returned to private practice with the firm of Goldberg & Jones in Youngstown.

In 1969, he was asked to serve as general counsel of the NAACP by executive director Roy Wilkins.[1] The following year, Judge Jones was honored by more than 600 dignitaries at an NAACP recognition banquet held in Youngstown. In a keynote address, he described the situation of African Americans in the following terms: "We still live in the basement of the great society. We must keep plodding until we get what we are striving for".[3] For the next nine years, Judge Jones directed all NAACP litigation. In addition to personally arguing several cases in the U.S. Supreme Court, he coordinated national efforts to end northern school segregation, to defend affirmative action, to inquire into discrimination against black servicemen in the U.S. military, and successfully coordinated the NAACP's defense on First Amendment grounds in the Mississippi Boycott case.

[edit] Judicial career and beyond

On May 17, 1979, President Jimmy Carter nominated Judge Jones to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Judge Jones took his oath of office on October 15, 1979. Judge Jones served on the court for 23 years, retiring in 2002. He is now employed as Senior Counsel in the Cincinnati office of Blank, Rome LLP.

Judge Jones’ record of community and academic service includes teaching at the Harvard Law School. His efforts in civil and human rights have taken him to countries around the world, and in 1993, he served on the team of observers for the first democratic elections in South Africa.

On May 6, 2003, the second federal courthouse established in his hometown of Youngstown, Ohio, was named in honor of Judge Jones.[4] Former U.S. Representative Louis Stokes of Cleveland was on hand for the naming ceremony. "This building, which will forever carry your name, will be a testament to outstanding public service by a local boy made good", Stokes said.[4]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Skolnick, David. "Retired Judge Jones reminisces as naming of courthouse nears", The Vindicator, April 13, 2003, p. B-5. 
  2. ^ "Atty. Jones to Address YSU Class of '70, Get Doctorate", The Youngstown Vindicator, June 7, 1970. 
  3. ^ Sheehan, Pete. "600 Hail NAACP Chief Counsel: Banquet Honors Nate Jones", The Youngstown Vindicator, April 25, 1970. 
  4. ^ a b Skolnick, David. "Crowd honors Judge Jones as courthouse is named", The Vindicator, May 6, 2003, p. B-1.