Arkansas - History-making federal judge dies at 82 (George Howard Jr.)

Pine Bluff Commercial (excerpt) ^ | April 22, 2007 | Rick Joslin

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Excerpt -

U.S. District Court Judge George Howard Jr. of Pine Bluff, whose tenacity against racial injustice played a major role in prompting and defining his history-making legal career, died early Saturday at Jefferson Regional Medical Center.

Howard, 82, Arkansas’ first black federal judge, had been battling failing health for some time.

“Judge Howard was a lawyer’s lawyer and a truly outstanding judge,” said Pine Bluff attorney Robert Morehead, who began practicing law in 1970.

“He helped so many people both in his work with the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) and as an attorney. He gave legal counsel to many who couldn’t afford representation.

“Oh, my Lord. He’s going to be missed.”

Pine Bluff attorney Othello Cross, in practice since 1979, said Howard “demanded respect by always respecting others.”

Cross said Howard’s courtroom demeanor “was one of always being prepared” and that Howard had little patience for “any lack of preparation by lawyers practicing before him.”

“When I think of him now, I’ll think of a man always ready to proceed,” added Cross.

“He was an imposing figure as a judge. It might seem odd, but I had no fear of him. But I had plenty of respect for him as a judge and an individual.”

Howard had a major judicial role in the Whitewater proceedings that culminated with President Bill Clinton’s 1998 impeachment by the U.S. House of Representatives.

Howard was appointed a U.S. District Court judge for the Eastern and Western districts of Arkansas in 1980 by President Jimmy Carter.

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[fieldmarshaldj]

RIP.