Civilrights.org

Volume 10 No. 2

Since the last issue of the Monitor, three great lawyers who made extraordinary contributions to the advancement of civil rights have died: Spottswood W. Robinson, III, Louis Redding and Leon Higginbotham. Spottswood W. Robinson III and Louis Redding were the lead lawyers in two of the four cases that made up Brown v. Board of Education, Virginia and Delaware respectively. Louis Redding was for many years the only African American lawyer in Delaware and continued to work for civil rights throughout his long career. Spottswood Robinson went on to become Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia and was joined by Leon Higginbotham on the Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit as pioneers among a handful of African American appellate jurists. Both were brilliant legal scholars and Higginbotham's books about the history of slavery and separation were widely acclaimed.

It was my great good fortune to have known and worked with all three. Each was a warm, generous, thoughtful person who provided guidance to me and many other lawyers along the way. I hope we will keep alive the memory of their great contributions as a beacon for the continued work of the civil rights movement.

Bill Taylor, Senior Editor