| Damon Jerome Keith | |
|---|---|
| Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit | |
| In office 1977–1995 |
|
| Appointed by | Jimmy Carter |
| Preceded by | Wade Hampton McCree, Jr. |
| Succeeded by | Richard Allen Griffin |
| Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan | |
| In office 1967–1977 |
|
| Nominated by | Philip Hart |
| Appointed by | Lyndon B. Johnson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | July 4, 1922 Detroit, Michigan |
| Spouse(s) | Rachel Boone |
| Alma mater | West Virginia State University, Howard University School of Law, Wayne State University |
Damon Jerome Keith (born July 4, 1922) is a Senior Judge for the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
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Keith grew up in Detroit, where he graduated from Northwestern High School in 1939; Keith then moved on to West Virginia State College (B.A. 1943), Howard University School of Law (J.D. 1949), and Wayne State University Law School (L.L.M. 1956).
Keith married Rachel Boone in 1953 and they had three daughters.[1] Rachel died on January 4, 2007.
In 1964, Keith was elected co-chair of the Michigan Civil Rights Commission with John Feikens, and was a key player in the tumultuous times following the Detroit race riots.
In 1967, Senator Philip Hart suggested Keith to President Lyndon Johnson, who nominated Keith to his seat on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. Keith eventually rose to Chief Judge of the District Court. And in 1977 he was nominated to the Sixth Circuit by President Jimmy Carter where he has remained.[2]
Keith is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.[3]
In 2008, Keith received an honorary doctorate in law from Harvard University.[4]
In United States v. Sinclair (1971), Keith famously ruled that Nixon's Attorney General John Mitchell had to disclose the transcripts of illegal wiretaps that Mitchell had authorized without first obtaining a search warrant. Keith's decision was upheld by the Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and the U.S. Supreme Court.[1] The Supreme Court's landmark decision in United States v. U.S. District Court (1972) (also known as "the Keith case") contributed in 1978 to president Jimmy Carter signing the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). That decision is commemorated as a "Michigan Legal Milestone" called "the Uninvited Ear" and erected by the State Bar of Michigan.[5]
He has been called a father-figure to Michigan governor Jennifer Granholm, he administered the oath of office to her in both 2002 and 2006.[6] Former law clerks also include Lani Guinier, first African-American woman to gain tenure at Harvard Law School;[7][8] Judge Eric L. Clay, who now serves with Judge Keith on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit;[2] Ronald Machen, the current United States Attorney for the District of Columbia;[9] Constance L. Rice, prominent civil rights activist and co-founder of the Advancement Project;[10] Rashad Hussain, Deputy Associate Council to President Barack Obama, and the U.S. representative to the Organisation of the Islamic Conference;[11] and Jocelyn F. Benson, an Assistant Professor of Law at Wayne State University Law School and the 2010 Democratic candidate for Michigan Secretary of State.[12]