U. W. Clemon facts for kids

Uriah W. Clemon, born on April 9, 1943, is a well-known lawyer from Alabama. He used to be a federal judge for the United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama. He was one of the very first African-American lawyers allowed to practice law in Alabama. In 1974, he became one of the first two African Americans elected to the Alabama Senate since the time after the Civil War, known as Reconstruction.

Early Life and Education

Uriah W. Clemon was born in Fairfield, Alabama. His parents were sharecroppers, which means they farmed land owned by someone else and paid rent with a share of their crops.

He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Miles College in 1965. This college is known as a historically black college. At that time, many schools in Alabama were still segregated, meaning Black and white students went to separate schools. Because of this, he could not attend the University of Alabama. Instead, the State of Alabama helped pay for him to go to Columbia University in New York. He earned his law degree from Columbia Law School in 1968.

Career as a Lawyer and Senator

After law school, Clemon worked for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund in New York from 1968 to 1969. This organization works to protect the civil rights of African Americans. From 1969 to 1980, he worked as a private lawyer in Birmingham, Alabama.

From 1975 to 1980, he served as a member of the Alabama Senate as a Democrat.

Fighting for Civil Rights

For twelve years, Clemon worked as a civil rights lawyer. He handled many important cases, especially those about school desegregation in North Alabama.

• In a case called Singleton vs. Jackson School District, a federal court made a new rule. It approved a plan that set specific numbers for Black and white students in schools. It also required school officials to report regularly on how they were working to integrate schools. This case became an important example for other school desegregation cases across the country.
• In 1969, Clemon took legal action against coach Paul "Bear" Bryant. His goal was to end segregation on the University of Alabama's football team.
• He also brought cases against large companies in Alabama. These cases were about stopping unfair hiring practices based on race.

In 1974, Clemon made history. He was one of the first two Black people elected to the Alabama Senate since the Reconstruction period. As a senator, he led important committees. He fought against Governor George Wallace's actions that kept Black citizens from serving on state boards and agencies. He also worked against bringing back the death penalty in Alabama.

Becoming a Federal Judge

President Jimmy Carter chose Uriah W. Clemon to be a federal judge on January 10, 1980. He was nominated for a new judge position. The United States Senate approved his nomination on June 26, 1980. He officially became a judge on June 30, 1980. This made him the first Black federal judge in Alabama's history.

He served as the Chief Judge for the court from 1999 to 2006. He retired from his service as a judge on January 31, 2009.

Important Cases as a Judge

As a judge, Clemon oversaw several important cases. He was the judge for the trial in the Ledbetter v. Goodyear case. He also handled several "multi-district" cases. These are cases where many similar lawsuits from different places are brought together in one court.

After His Time as a Judge

After retiring from being a federal judge, Clemon went back to working as a private lawyer in Birmingham. He continued to be active in legal work as of June 2018.

He kept fighting against segregation in public schools. In 2018, he worked with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund on a successful case. They stopped a plan by Gardendale, Alabama to create a new school system. This plan was seen as racially unfair because it would have created a mostly white school system by separating from the Jefferson County school system.

See also

• List of African-American federal judges
• List of African-American jurists
• List of first minority male lawyers and judges in Alabama