Federal Appeals Judge. He graduated magna cum laude from Centre College with a B.A. in history and English literature. During World War II, he served as an officer in the U.S. Navy, winning commendation for bravery aboard the U.S.S. Crosley when it came under kamikaze attack in the Okinawa campaign. After the war, he studied law at the University of Virginia and after graduating in 1948, he was a clerk for U.S. Sixth Circuit Appellate Judge Shackelford Miller, Jr., in Louisville, Kentucky. In 1952, he joined the board of trustees of Centre, and he would be on it the rest of his life, one of the longest tenures in higher education history. During the 1960s and 1970s, he served on the biracial Human Relations Council, the Kentucky Commission on Economy and Efficiency in Government, and the Kentucky Judicial Advisory Committee. On Sept. 12, 1972, he was appointed to the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. He served as chief judge of the Sixth Circuit from 1983 to 1988. He then took senior status, but continued to hear cases and write opinions, only fully retiring in 1997. As a judge, he decided high-profile cases on school desegregation, environmental protection, freedom of speech, and separation of church and state. His opinion on a Tennessee school textbook controversy made national news. He also had a key role as chairman of the Advisory Committee on the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure. He relished all aspects of his judicial career, especially crafting opinions (every word written by him, in longhand, standing at an elevated desk) and discussing cases with his clerks. He has been described by a law professor as someone who "brought to the court a quiet dignity and a passion for precise reasoning and clear writing … His opinions are models of legal reasoning that have had enormous impact on American law." and as "a fiery defender of civil liberties, using his power to restrain governments and religions from forcing themselves on individuals." In retirement, he also found a way to stay involved with the law and serve Centre further, by teaching constitutional law courses with Professor Daniel Stroup. This volunteer assignment continued until he was almost 90 years old.
Federal Appeals Judge. He graduated magna cum laude from Centre College with a B.A. in history and English literature. During World War II, he served as an officer in the U.S. Navy, winning commendation for bravery aboard the U.S.S. Crosley when it came under kamikaze attack in the Okinawa campaign. After the war, he studied law at the University of Virginia and after graduating in 1948, he was a clerk for U.S. Sixth Circuit Appellate Judge Shackelford Miller, Jr., in Louisville, Kentucky. In 1952, he joined the board of trustees of Centre, and he would be on it the rest of his life, one of the longest tenures in higher education history. During the 1960s and 1970s, he served on the biracial Human Relations Council, the Kentucky Commission on Economy and Efficiency in Government, and the Kentucky Judicial Advisory Committee. On Sept. 12, 1972, he was appointed to the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. He served as chief judge of the Sixth Circuit from 1983 to 1988. He then took senior status, but continued to hear cases and write opinions, only fully retiring in 1997. As a judge, he decided high-profile cases on school desegregation, environmental protection, freedom of speech, and separation of church and state. His opinion on a Tennessee school textbook controversy made national news. He also had a key role as chairman of the Advisory Committee on the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure. He relished all aspects of his judicial career, especially crafting opinions (every word written by him, in longhand, standing at an elevated desk) and discussing cases with his clerks. He has been described by a law professor as someone who "brought to the court a quiet dignity and a passion for precise reasoning and clear writing … His opinions are models of legal reasoning that have had enormous impact on American law." and as "a fiery defender of civil liberties, using his power to restrain governments and religions from forcing themselves on individuals." In retirement, he also found a way to stay involved with the law and serve Centre further, by teaching constitutional law courses with Professor Daniel Stroup. This volunteer assignment continued until he was almost 90 years old.
