In Memoriam: Mabel Rebecca Dole Haden

Mabel Rebecca Dole Haden passed away on October 12, 2006. She was a solo practitioner and a founder of the National Association of Black Women Attorneys and served as its President. She taught in the District of Columbia Public School System while studying law at night at Howard University Law School. Even after she graduated from law school she continued to teach while practicing law part-time. In addition to receiving two law degrees from Howard University Law School she was the first Black woman to receive an L.L.M. (in Estate Planning) from Georgetown University Law Center. She was a distinguished lawyer, teacher, real estate broker, and a poet, who served as an advocate to countless indigent clients, law students, and attorneys. She worked tirelessly to expand opportunities for minorities and women in the legal profession. Her pioneering efforts resulted in her receipt of numerous awards including the Charles Hamilton Houston Medallion of Merit and the Ollie May Cooper Award of the Washington Bar Association and induction into its Hall of Fame; The Gertrude Rush Award and the Scroll of Distinguished Women Lawyers of the National Bar Association; The Generous Heart Award of the Olender Foundation; The Charlotte E. Ray Award of GWAC; and the Visionary Award of the D.C. Rape Crisis Center, to name a few.

Donations can be made to the Mabel Haden Legacy Scholarship of the Washington Bar Association Legal Fund.

In Memoriam: The Honorable Judge William Benson Bryant
An American Hero by Robert L. Bell

Black judges are too often overlooked as real heroes in the quest for equal justice for all under American Law and American Justice. When one contemplates the whole of the twentieth-century, and the gains made as a result of the civil rights movement, the role of the black lawyers who became judges is often unrecognized or overlooked. The general public must be provided knowledge of the essential role these freedom-fighters played in the successes and gains of that epic period of American History. With the groundwork laid by Charles Hamilton Houston, the black lawyer struck a major blow for full freedom and equal justice under law during the first part of the 20th Century. McNeil, Groundwork (1983). In fact, prior to the second half of the twentieth-century, the presence of a black judge in any jurisdiction in our nation was a rarity. See, Washington, Black Judges on Justice (1994). However, in the second half of the 20th Century, there was an exponential increase in the number of black judges across the country empowered to interpret American Law and preside over American Justice. The emergence of black judges is an enduring achievement of the civil rights movement. We cannot allow retrenchment from these hard earned gains. The increase in black judges, and the pool from which black judges are drawn, must become a permanent feature of American Law and American Justice. The study of black judges and lawyers in the District of Columbia, a unique federal city under our Constitution, provides a vantage point for surveying the role of black lawyers and black judges in advancing the quest for equal justice for all under law. Since time nor space will permit this writer to survey the role of black lawyers and black judges in its full compass, the writer will restrict the focus of this article to a single black lawyer, who became a black federal judge, and devoted his life to trying to expand American Law and American Justice to include and protect - - equally - - the constitutional rights of all persons and citizens in the United States of America. Former Chief Judge William Benson Bryant is the prototype or gold standard for the black lawyer who became a judge in 20th Century America. After he reached senior judge status, he continued to serve in the 21st Century as a federal judge until his death on November 14, 2005. Judge Bryant, our quiet and unassuming hero, left an illuminating path though the legal vineyards and minefields in the nation's capital as he rose to the pinnacle of power on the trial bench and at the bar. His pioneering efforts and example have been a guidepost and lifeline for several generations of law students, lawyers and judges. To those of us who were touched by him, or had the benefit of learning from his sterling example, our lives have been the more enriched by this worthy keeper and transmitter of our most cherished values and traditions. Therefore, we are compelled by the recent death of Judge Bryant to pause, look around us and somberly reflect on the true meaning of his life and works in a serious effort to fully appreciate why we were so inspired by his humanity, his efforts, his performance and his enduring legacy which must be transmitted to new generations of law students, lawyers and judges in this new century. Since America is the land of opportunity, Judge Bryant's humble and unselfish approach to work and success provides an excellent role model for using and expanding American Law and American Justice as a dynamic force in achieving and according equal justice to all.

Judge Bryant was born on September 18, 1911 in Wetumpka, Alabama. Under an epic exodus from Alabama, however, he was brought to the nation's capital as an infant by his parents. He attended the public schools of the District of Columbia and graduated from Dunbar High School. He was educated at historically black institutions. He received his undergraduate degree from Howard University in 1932 and his law degree from Howard University School of Law in 1936. For Judge Bryant, life was no "crystal stair." It was constant toil and struggle. To fully understand his noble character, it must be viewed from the perspective of a segregated people, from what has been called "frog perspectives", i.e., looking upward from below, as well as looking around. From this humble perspective, we can see an able young black lawyer initially having difficult finding a good job in the nation's capital. In order to make ends meet and to support his family, among other things, he worked a variety of jobs. For example, as a law student and afterward, Judge Bryant worked as an elevator operator in a D.C. apartment complex; duplicated legal records in the Recorder of Deeds Office in the District of Columbia; held employment at the historic home of Frederick Douglass; as well as worked as a mail messenger and a researcher. See, Ware, William Hastie:Grace Under Pressure, p.147 (1984). More significantly, in the late 1930s and early 1940s, Judge Bryant was a principal research assistant to Dr. Ralph J. Bunche, as he was collaborating in the important research that went into the publication of An American Dilemma (1944). Judge Bryant answered the call of his country by serving in the military from 1943-47. He was honorably discharged as a Lieutenant Colonel from the United States Army. Upon leaving the military, Judge Bryant returned to the District of Columbia and began the private practice of law in 1948. Judge Bryant was later recruited to and served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Columbia. Judge Bryant subsequently returned to private practice of law with the historic Houston law firm, where he handled several landmark and prominent cases, including, but limited to, Mallory v. United States , 354 U.S. 449 (1957) and the Daddy Grace Estate. Judge Bryant became a judge on the United States District Court for the District of Columbia in 1965, where he served as Chief Judge from 1977 to 1981. Judge Bryant was the ultimate family man. His beloved wife of 63 years, Astaire, preceded him in death in 1997. His descendants include two children William (Chip) and Astaire (Penny), two grandchildren (Vaughn and Lauren) and one great-grandchild (Kaniya). Judge Bryant served as a Senior Judge, actively trying cases until his death on November 14, 2005. At the time of his death, he was 94 years of age with active cases on his trial calendar which he intended to preside over as a federal judge in December 2005 and January 2006.

Judge Bryant's legal career, prior to his appoint to the bench, demonstrated that when given an equal opportunity, excellent and talented individuals from the black bar, in both the private sector and the public sector, can be cultivated for judicial service on the local bench and the federal bench. In the public sector, Assistant United States Attorney Bill Bryant became one of the first African-American Assistant United States Attorney to practice law representing his federal government in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. In the private sector, Judge Bryant would often tell friends that he was the "busiest poor lawyer in the city." However, it is no secret that during the 1950s and 1960s obtaining and keeping paying clients was a perennial challenge to the black bar in Washington, D.C. However, while in private practice, Judge Bryant became one of the first black attorneys in Washington, D.C. to be appointed to handle a major estate case. In the early 1960s, the Estate of Daddy Grace, founder of the United House of Prayer for All People, was a major estate with assets reportedly valued between eight to $30 million dollars. Judge Bryant's handling of this estate was not only exemplary, but it made him a legend among members of the legal and broader community because he requested only $30,000.00 in an estate where he potentially was eligible to receive up to $300,000.00 (one percent of the assets). Moreover, in the private sector, Judge Bryant proved to be a highly capable and respected trial lawyer par excellence in the District of Columbia. However, to fully appreciate his greatness as a trial lawyer, one must place in proper historical context the times in which he was practicing. Judge Bryant was appointed to the bench the same year that the Voting Rights Act was signed into law by President Johnson. He won his landmark victory in the Mallory case before the Supreme Court of the United States just two years following: the Supreme Court handing down the Brown v. Board of Education (Brown II) decision on May 31, 1955; the same year that Emmitt Till was murdered in Mississippi; that Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white man in Montgomery, Alabama; and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., emerged as the leader of the Montgomery Bus Boycott. During this historic period, Judge Bryant was a partner in the oldest black law firm in the city. Professor J. Clay Smith assigns the origin of the black law firm in the District of Columbia to the law firm started by William L. Houston, the father of Charles Hamilton Houston in 1892. See, Smith, Emancipation, p.132 (1993). Charles Hamilton Houston joined the law firm after he completed his legal education and was admitted to the bar in 1924. The firm was then known as Houston and Houston. When William Hastie joined the firm in 1931, it became Houston, Houston and Hastie. Bill Bryant began the practice of law in 1948. Before joining the Houston law firm, Judge Bryant hung out his shingles with Wesley Williams. Later, Judge Bryant joined the Houston law firm which was known as Houston, Waddy and Gardner. The firm later became Houston, Bryant and Gardner. The historic Houston law firm has produced more judges, perhaps, then any law firm in the country. Besides Judge Bryant, the names of the long list of judicial appointments are: Annice Wagner, former Chief Judge, D.C. Court of Appeals; late William Benson Bryant, former Chief Judge, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia; Theodore R. Newman, Jr., former Chief Judge, D.C. Court of Appeals; late William H. Hastie, former Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit; late Juanita Kidd Stout, former Chief Judge, Supreme Court of Pennsylvania; late Joseph C. Waddy, U.S. District Judge for the District of Columbia; late William C. Gardner, Associate Judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia; late Margaret Haywood, Associate Judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia; Emmet G. Sullivan, U.S. District Judge for the District of Columbia; and Wendell P. Gardner, Associate Judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Besides producing trailblazing lawyers and judges, the Houston Law Firm has been a legal institution in the District of Columbia for over a century. Johnny Howard is currently the Senior Partner in Houston and Howard, as the firm continues its tradition of excellence into the 21st Century.

Prior to Judge Bryant's appointment to the federal bench, the African-American Deputy United States Marshals, in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, were not receiving individual assignments to judges in the respective federal courtrooms. However, after Judge Bryant's confirmation, he immediately shattered this peculiar practice by requesting that R. Kirkland Bowden, an African-American, be assigned to his courtroom. Mr. Bowden became the first black deputy U.S. Marshal to receive an individual assignment to the courtroom of a federal judge in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. In his humble and down-to-earth-manner, Judge Bryant maintained great rapport with his fellow judges and served with distinction on the federal trial bench. In 1977, he became the first African-American Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. In 1981, while still serving as Chief Judge, Judge Bryant became a member of a historic dream team of black judges who presided over all of the federal and local courts in the nation's capital. Before Judge Bryant stepped down as Chief Judge, after reaching the mandatory retirement age of 70, Spottswood Robinson was the Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia Circuit; Judge Bryant was Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia; Theodore R. Newman, Jr., was the Chief Judge for the District of Columbia Court of Appeals; and H. Carl Moultrie was the Chief Judge for the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The local courthouse in the District of Columbia is named in honor of the late Chief Judge Moultrie. In tribute to the storied career of Judge Bryant, and the high esteem he is held by the legal community in the nation's capital, the President of the United States of America signed congressional legislation in November, 2005 naming the new Annex to the United States Courthouse in honor of Judge William Benson Bryant, Sr. A few days after this honor, Judge Bryant died on Monday, November 14, 2005 in Washington, District of Columbia. Thus, in death, as in life, Judge Bryant not only integrated the federal courthouse as a trial prosecutor, trial judge and chief judge, but he is integrating the federal courthouse with its naming (Prettyman) and Annex (Bryant). The federal court in the District of Columbia is one of the first federal courts in the country which is racially integrated in its naming: Prettyman (courthouse)/Bryant (Annex).

Judge Bryant is truly an American hero and citizen in full. In life, as well as in death, he has earned and held the full and equal citizenship status that is a part of the historic quest of the entire African-American community. He is an example that is accessible to all who will free their mind, respect their neighbors, who refuse to be victims, keep the faith, protect and care for the family unit, toil and struggle in order to bring into being the type of country which accords equal justice under law to all. As both a lawyer and a judge, William Benson Bryant embodied those traditions and values that come from dealing with the realities of things at the time they should be dealt with and continuing the struggle to achieve equal justice for all as a way of life. It was in this spirit that twenty-eight (28) years before his death, Judge Bryant was the 1977 recipient of the Washington Bar Association's Charles Hamilton Houston Medallion of Merit. When Judge Bryant was honored by the Washington Bar Association with our coveted Charles Hamilton Houston Medallion of Merit, he became the first solo recipient of the Houston Medallion. Judge Bryant was a magnanimous judge, lawyer, citizen and family man. He possessed a noble spirit, a tough mind and a tender heart. He was a great man who happened to be modest. He had the ability to observe human activity in its full compass while reserving judgment until all the facts were in and all the legal authorities had been reviewed. He had the requisite intellect, temperament and patience to pass timely judgment in human conflicts which was accepted by all as just. This article is a mere continuation of our reflection and affection for the refreshing rays of light that the life of Judge Bryant provided, and provides, for all those willing to see, to know and to follow his example for the triumph of the right result and equal justice under law for all.

Judge Bryant was given a hero's farewell. His funeral service was held in the chapel at Howard University School of Law. U.S. District Judge Thomas F. Hogan, Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, called Judge Bryant "the soul of our court" during his tribute. "Judge Bryant sought to achieve equal justice and was always careful to preserve the dignity of those who appeared before him," Chief Judge Hogan said. In addition, Judge Bryant's friend and long-time judicial colleague, Senior U.S. District Judge Louis F. Oberdorfer said at the funeral that "he's been my friend, my mentor and my confidant." Howard University President H. Patrick Swygert paid a tribute on behalf of the Howard University community; Senior Judge Henry F. Greene, D.C. Superior Court gave a tribute as a former law clerk and Vernon E. Jordan, Esquire, delivered the eulogy. Dr. Julian Dugas and Deputy, U.S. Marshal, Mr. R. Kirkland Bowden provided scripture readings during the service. The legal and broader community filled the chapel to overflowing capacity at Judge Bryant's funeral. Prior to his interment, a repast was held in the Howard University Law Library.