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William Wayne Justice'''William Wayne Justice''' (February 25, 1920 – October 13, 2009) was an United States|American jurist. He served as a Senior United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Texas.
Justice was appointed to the federal bench by President Lyndon B. Johnson. He worked throughout his life to protect civil rights, uphold constitutional freedoms, and ensure equal justice for all. His public service earned awards and recognition, and the Center for Public Interest Law at the University of Texas at Austin honors his name and career. His landmark rulings have safeguarded the rights of minorities, the poor, and the politically powerless in many areas. These decisions addressed race discrimination in schools and housing, inhumane treatment in public facilities, the dilution of voting rights, inadequate education for immigrant and non-English speaking children, and the unnecessary institutionalization of the mentally retarded.[Kemerer, Frank. 2008. ''William Wayne Justice: A Judicial Biography'', 2d ed. Austin: University of Texas Press.]
Early life
Justice was born in 1920 in Athens, Texas. He received his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Texas, graduating from its School of Law in 1942. He joined the U.S. Army and served in India during World War II. In 1946, he began practicing law in Athens with his father, who was known as a voice for the disadvantaged. After serving as City Attorney in Athens for eight years, Judge Justice was selected by President John F. Kennedy in 1961 to serve as the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas. In 1968, President Lyndon B. Johnson appointed him to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, sitting in Tyler. Judge Justice took senior status in 1998 and later sat by designation in the Western District of Texas.
Honors and recognition
In 2004, the William Wayne Justice Center for Public Interest Law was established in his honor at the University of Texas at Austin School of Law. The Justice Center promotes equal justice for all through legal education, scholarship and public service.[''William Wayne Justice Center'' http://www.utexas.edu/law/academics/centers/publicinterest/about/judgejustice.html]
On November 16, 2006, Justice received the first "Morris Dees Justice Award" given annually to a lawyer who has devoted his career to serving the public interest and pursuing justice, and whose work has brought about positive change in the community, state, or nation. It was created by the international law firm of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and The University of Alabama School of Law to honor Morris Dees for his life-long devotion to public service. Dees, who is co-founder and chief trial counsel for the Southern Poverty Law Center in Montgomery, Alabama|Montgomery, Alabama, presented the award at a ceremony in Skadden offices in New York City.[“Civil Rights Legend Morris Dees to Discuss Litigating Against Hate Groups, March 1.” University of Texas at Austin School of Law News & Events. Press release, February 12, 2007. http://www.utexas.edu/law/news/2007/021207_dees.html][McCracken, Jennifer. "Judge Justice Honored with the First Morris Dees Award." University of Alabama. Press Release, September, 2006.]
Although his career on the bench has been a long and distinguished one, Justice was best known for two cases, ''Ruiz v. Estelle'' and ''United States v. Texas''.
In 1972, Texas prison inmate David Ruiz filed a fifteen page handwritten civil rights complaint alleging he was confined under unconstitutional conditions, harassed by prison officials, given inadequate medical care, and subjected to unlawful solitary confinement. His complaint was combined with others to become ''Ruiz v. Estelle''. The trial, which began in October 1978, lasted a year; 349 witnesses testified. The case resulted in a complete overhaul of the Texas prison system[''Ruiz v. Estelle'', 503 ''F. Supp''. 1265 (S.D. Tex. 1980)].
In November 1970, Judge Justice ordered the Texas Education Agency to begin desegregating Texas public schools. The order, known as ''United States v. Texas''[''United States v. Texas'', 506 ''F. Supp''. 405 (E.D. Tex. 1981),] applied to more than 1,000 school districts and 2 million students, and was upheld on appeal by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.
In addition, his ruling in ''Doe v. Plyer''[''Doe v. Plyer'', 458 ''F. Supp''. 569 (E.D. Tex. 1978)] in 1982 opened the doors for children of illegal aliens to attend public schools, tuition free, through grade 12.
Justice died on October 13, 2009 in Austin, Texas|Austin.["Texas Federal Judge, 89, Dies", ''Laredo Morning Times'', October 15, 2009, p. 11A]
Other notable casesMontgomery v. White, 320 ''F. Supp''. 303 (E.D. Tex. 1969)
Roper v. Beto, 318 ''F. Supp''. 662 (E.D. Tex. 1970)
United States v. Texas, 321 ''F. Supp''. 1043 (E.D. Tex. 1970), supplemented by 330 ''F. Supp''. 235 (E.D. Tex. 1971)
Duke v. North Texas State University, 338 ''F. Supp''. 990 (E.D. Tex. 1971)
McGuire v. Roebuck, 347 ''F. Supp''. 1111 (E.D. Tex. 1972)
Graves v. Barnes, 343 ''F. Supp''. 704 (W.D. Tex. 1972)
Morales v. Turman, 383 ''F. Supp''. 53 (E.D. Tex. 1974)
United States v. Hall, 468 ''F. Supp''. 123 (E.D. Tex. 1979)
Wells v. Hutchinson, 499 ''F. Supp''. 174 (E.D. Tex. 1980)
Jones v. Latexo Independent School District, ''499 F. Supp''. 223 (E.D. Tex. 1980)
Young v. Pierce, 544 ''F. Supp''. 1010 (E.D. Tex. 1982)
Lelsz v. Kavanagh, 98 ''F.R.D.'' 11 (E.D. Tex. 1982)
Nash v. Texas, 632 ''F. Supp''. 951 (E.D. Tex. 1986)
Young v. Pierce, 640 ''F. Supp''. 1476 (E.D. Tex. 1986)
Texans Against Censorship, Inc. v. State Bar of Texas, 888 ''F. Supp''. 1328 (E.D. Tex. 1995)
Ruiz v. Johnson, 37 ''F. Supp''. 2d 855 (S.D. Tex. 1999)
Frew v. Gilbert, 109 ''F. Supp''. 2d 579 (E.D. Tex. 2000)
Frew v. Hawkins, 401 ''F. Supp''. 2d 619 (E.D. Tex. 2005)
Publications in his honor
- Blais, Lynn E. "William Wayne Justice: The Life of the Law." ''Texas Law Review'' 77.1 (Nov. 1998): 1-7.
- "Dedication and Tributes. Judge William Wayne Justice." ''Annual Survey of American Law'' 1986 (Apr. 1987): vii-xx.
- Dubose, Louis. "A Texas ‘Advocate for Justice.'" ''The Nation'' 13 November 2000: 20-22.
- Elliot, Janet. "Justice Recognized for a Career built on Seminal Cases." ''Houston Chronicle'' 4 December 2006.
- Gamino, Denise. "High-profile Justice Hitting Trail to Austin." ''The Austin-American Statesman'' 25 May 1998: A1.
- Hall, Michael. "Justice Is Not Done." ''Texas Monthly'', October 2006.
- Hood, Lucy. "Educating Immigrant Students." ''Carnegie Reporter'' 4.2 (Spring 2007).
- Ivins, Molly. "Texas-size Void Left with Exodus of Judge Justice." ''The Fresno Bee'', 13 May 1998: B7.
- Jackson, Bruce. "Texas Prisons Go On Trial." ''The Nation'' 28 October 1978: 437-9.
- Kemerer, Frank R. ''William Wayne Justice: A Judicial Biography''. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1991.
- Klimko, Frank, and Evan Moore. "'Czar of Texas'/William Wayne Justice Takes Heavy Criticism with Grace." ''The Houston Chronicle'' 11 January 1987: 1.
- Maraniss, David. "Justice, Texas Style." ''The Washington Post'' 28 February 1987: G1.
- Martin, Steve J. ''Texas Prisons: The Walls Came Tumbling Down''. Austin: Texas Monthly Press, 1987.
- Mithoff, Richard. "William Wayne Justice: Blessed by the Gifts of This Judicial Giant." ''The Houston Chronicle'' 15 November 1998: 1.
- Mithoff, Richard Warren. "A Tribute to Justice." ''Texas Law Review'' 77.9 (November 1998): 9-12.
- Politz, Henry A. "Judge Justice." ''Texas Law Review'' 77.13 (November 1998): 13-15.
- Vara-Orta, Francisco. "'Activist' Judge Still Battling Injustice." ''Austin American-Statesman'' 12 August 2006: 1.
- Walt, Kathy. "Judge Justice Left Footprints on Host of Social Reforms." ''The Houston Chronicle'' 8 February 1998: 1.
- Ward, Mike. "Judge Says Reforms Worked For Awhile." ''Austin American-Statesman'' 6 May 2007: A7.
- Ward, Mike. "Prisons Lawsuit Drawing to Close." ''Austin American-Statesman'' 8 June 2002:1
References
Scholarly publications
"Address: The Origins of Ruiz v. Estelle." ''Stanford Law Review'' 43 (November 1990): 1-12.
"Burrs Under the Saddle." ''Texas Bar Journal'' 68 (July 2005): 609-610.
"Law Day Address at the University of Texas at Austin: The Enlightened Jurisprudence of Justice Thurgood Marshall." ''Texas Law Review'' 71 (May 1993): 1099-1114.
"The New Awakening: Judicial Activism in a Conservative Age." ''Southwestern Law Journal'' 43 (October 1989): 657-676.
"Recognizing the Ninth Amendment's Role in Constitutional Interpretation." ''Texas Law Review'' 74 (May 1996): 1241-1244.
"A Relativist Constitution." ''University of Colorado Law Review'' 52 (1980–1981): 19-32.
"The Two Faces of Judicial Activism." ''George Washington Law Review'' 61 (November 1992): 1-13.
Sources
- The University of Texas School of Law named its public interest center in honor of Judge Justice
Category:1920 births
Category:2009 deaths
Category:Judges of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas
Category:United States district court judges appointed by Lyndon B. Johnson
Category:American military personnel of World War II
Category:University of Texas at Austin alumni
Category:University of Texas School of Law alumni
Category:People from Henderson County, TexasRelated Images
Sources: StartLearningNow, Wikipedia | Usage license: GNU FDL
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