Joseph W. Hatchett facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Joseph W. Hatchett
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| Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit | |
| In office September 20, 1996 – May 14, 1999 |
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| Preceded by | Gerald Bard Tjoflat |
| Succeeded by | R. Lanier Anderson III |
| Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit | |
| In office October 1, 1981 – May 14, 1999 |
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| Appointed by | operation of law |
| Preceded by | Seat established |
| Succeeded by | Charles R. Wilson |
| Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit | |
| In office July 13, 1979 – October 1, 1981 |
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| Appointed by | Jimmy Carter |
| Preceded by | Seat established by 92 Stat. 1629 |
| Succeeded by | Seat abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Joseph Woodrow Hatchett
September 17, 1932 Clearwater, Florida |
| Died | April 30, 2021 (aged 88) Tallahassee, Florida |
| Education | Florida A&M University (BA) Howard University School of Law (JD) |
Joseph Woodrow Hatchett (September 17, 1932 – April 30, 2021) was an important American lawyer and judge. He worked as a private lawyer and served as a judge in high-level courts. These included the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. He also served on the highest court in Florida, the Florida Supreme Court.
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Early Life and Education
Joseph Hatchett was born in Clearwater, Florida, in 1932. He went to Pinellas High School, which was a segregated school at the time. His brother and sister also chose careers helping the public.
Hatchett earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Florida A&M University in 1954. After college, he served in the United States Army as a lieutenant from 1954 to 1956. He then went on to study law at Howard University School of Law, graduating in 1959.
Early Legal Career
After law school, Hatchett worked as a private lawyer in Daytona Beach from 1959 to 1966. During this time, he also helped the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. This group worked to protect the rights of African Americans.
He served in the United States Marine Corps Reserve as a lieutenant colonel. He was a judge advocate, which means he was a lawyer in the military. He held this role from 1977 to 1988. Hatchett also worked for the Daytona Beach Urban Renewal Department. From 1966 to 1971, he was an Assistant United States Attorney for Florida.
Serving on the Florida Supreme Court
In 1975, Florida Governor Reubin Askew chose Joseph Hatchett to be a justice on the Florida Supreme Court. He took the place of Justice David L. McCain, who had left the court. Hatchett was the first African American to serve as a Florida Supreme Court Justice.
He was also the first African American to be successfully kept in office on the Florida Supreme Court after a statewide election. Governor Askew said that Hatchett's race was an important reason for his choice. This happened just a few years after Thurgood Marshall became the first black U.S. Supreme Court justice. Hatchett served on the Florida Supreme Court until 1979.
Federal Judge Appointments
Before joining the Florida Supreme Court, Hatchett was a United States Magistrate for a federal court in Florida. He served in this role from 1971 to 1975.
United States Court of Appeals
In 1979, President Jimmy Carter nominated Joseph Hatchett to be a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. The United States Senate approved his nomination, and he became a judge on July 13, 1979. Hatchett was the first African American to serve on a Federal Appeals Court in the Deep South.
In 1981, he was moved to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. He became the Chief Judge of this court in 1996 and served until 1999. He retired from his judicial service on May 14, 1999.
Life After Being a Judge
After retiring from the federal court, Joseph Hatchett continued his legal career. In 2018, he became an attorney with the law firm Akerman LLP in Tallahassee, Florida.
Honors and Recognition
Joseph Hatchett received many honors throughout his life. He was given honorary Doctor of Laws degrees from four different universities. These included Florida Memorial University (1978), Stetson Law School (1980), Florida A&M University (1996), and Howard University (1998).
In 2022, there was an effort to rename the United States Courthouse in Tallahassee after him. This idea, called S. 2938, was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives. President Joe Biden signed it into law on June 25, 2022. This shows how much Joseph Hatchett was respected for his work and contributions.
See also
