- J. Skelly Wright
Infobox Judge
name = James Skelly Wright
imagesize = 150 px
caption =
office = Judge on theUnited States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
termstart =March 30 ,1962
termend =August 6 ,1988
nominator =John F. Kennedy
appointer =
predecessor =E. Barrett Prettyman
successor =Douglas H. Ginsburg
office2 =
termstart2 =
termend2 =
nominator2 =
appointer2 =
predecessor2 =
successor2 =
birthdate = birth date|1911|1|14|mf=y
birthplace =New Orleans ,Louisiana
deathdate = death date and age|1988|8|6|1911|1|14|mf=y
deathplace =Westmoreland Hills ,Maryland
spouse =James Skelly Wright (
January 14 ,1911 -August 6 ,1988 ) was a judge for theUnited States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit .Early life and education
Wright was born in 1911 in
New Orleans ,Louisiana , where he lived for much of his early life. Wright attendedLoyola University New Orleans where he received his undergraduate in 1932, and theLoyola University New Orleans College of Law where he received his law degree in 1936. While attending Loyola he was a member ofAlpha Delta Gamma National Catholic Fraternity.Career as a District Court judge
Prior to his appointment in the US Court of Appeals, Judge Wright served at the
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana from 1949 to 1962, where he was an important leader in the battle for the desegregation of New Orleans area schools. His first desegregation order was for the Louisiana State University Law School in 1951. His vigorous enforcement ofBrown v. Board of Education , however, made him many enemies amongst the predominately white political and business culture of New Orleans to the extent that his entire family was soon ostracized and isolated from much of New Orleans' society life. [Judge James Skelly Wright. http://www.tulanelink.com/tulanelink/skellywright_box.htm, accessed November 21, 2006.]Career as an Appellate judge
In 1962, President
John F. Kennedy nominated Wright to the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia to fill a seat vacated by JudgeE. Barrett Prettyman . He served with distinction in this role, helping protect the rights of African-Americans inHobson v. Hansen (eliminating "tracking systems" in schools), and interpreting the concept of contractunconscionability in order to prevent the exploitation of the poor inWilliams v. Walker-Thomas Furniture Co. [James Wright. Answers.com. West's Encyclopedia of American Law, The Gale Group, Inc, 1998. http://www.answers.com/topic/james-wright, accessed November 22, 2006.] Wright served as Chief Judge of the DC Circuit between 1978-1981.In 1986, Wright achieved
senior status , his seat being succeeded byDouglas H. Ginsburg . Wright died in 1988 inWestmoreland Hills ,Maryland . JusticeWilliam J. Brennan, Jr. wrote a memoriam for Judge Wright in theHarvard Law Review .Notable former clerks
*
Keith P. Ellison - U.S. District Judge,United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas
*Susan Estrich - Lawyer andFox News personality
*Raymond C. Fisher - U.S. Circuit Judge for theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
*Sally Katzen - Former official in the Clinton White House
*Victoria Radd Rollins - Former official in the Clinton White House
*Michael W. McConnell - U.S. Circuit Judge,United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
*L. Michael Seidman - professor at theGeorgetown University Law Center
*Randall Kennedy - professor atHarvard Law School and author
*Carol Steiker - professor atHarvard Law School
*Richard Fallon - professor atHarvard Law School
*Robert Weisberg - professor atStanford Law School
*John Herfort - Partner atGibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP Notes
External links
* [http://www.fjc.gov/servlet/tGetInfo?jid=2661 Profile] from the
Federal Judicial Center
* [http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?faid/faid:@field(DOCID+ms003076) Registry of Judge Wright's papers] from theLibrary of Congress
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