David W. Williams facts for kids

David Welford Williams (March 20, 1910 – May 6, 2000) was an important American judge. He made history as the first African-American federal judge to serve west of the Mississippi River. He is remembered for his work against unfair housing rules. He also oversaw many cases after the 1965 Watts riots.

Early Life and Education

Williams was born in Atlanta, Georgia. He grew up in Los Angeles, California. He went to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). He earned a degree there in 1934.

Later, he studied law at the USC Gould School of Law. He finished his law degree in 1937. That same year, he became a lawyer in California.

Fighting for Fairness

From 1937 to 1955, Williams worked as a lawyer in Los Angeles. He helped start the John M. Langston Bar Association. This group was for Black lawyers. It was formed because the main Los Angeles County Bar Association did not allow Black members.

In the 1940s, Williams worked with Thurgood Marshall. Marshall later became a Supreme Court Justice. They fought against "restrictive covenants." These were unfair rules that stopped African-Americans and other minority groups from living in certain areas. These rules were common in Los Angeles and other American cities.

In 1948, the Supreme Court declared these covenants illegal. Williams himself bought land in a nice area of Los Angeles. He made the purchase over the phone. He worried he might not get the land if the seller knew he was Black.

State Judge Service

Williams became a judge in the Los Angeles Municipal Court in 1956. He served there until 1962. From 1962 to 1969, he was a judge in the Los Angeles Superior Court.

As a judge, Williams became known for being strict with sentences. After the 1965 Watts riots, many people were arrested. Williams volunteered to handle about 4,000 of these cases. He took on these difficult cases in a very emotional time. Many of his fellow judges admired him for this work.

Federal Judge Service

Williams was a Republican his whole life. President Richard Nixon chose him to be a federal judge. On June 20, 1969, he became a judge for the United States District Court for the Central District of California.

On January 17, 1981, he took "senior status." This means a judge can work a reduced schedule. He served until May 6, 2000, when he passed away from pneumonia in Los Angeles.

Views on Sentencing

Later in his career, Williams disagreed with "mandatory sentencing." This is when a law tells a judge exactly what sentence to give. California's 1994 "Three Strikes Law" was an example. This law gave very long sentences for people who committed three serious crimes.

Williams said that judges felt like "robots" because they could not decide for themselves. However, in 1989, he was the first judge in California to give a mandatory life sentence under a new federal anti-drug law. It was the first time in his 35 years as a judge that he had given a life sentence without the chance of parole.

See also

• Black conservatism in the United States