Damon Keith
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Keith was the 1997 recipient of the Edward J. Devitt Distinguished Service to Justice Award.
Early life and education
Keith received his Bachelor of Arts from West Virginia State College in 1943, his Bachelor of Laws Degree in 1943 from Howard and his Master of Laws degree from Wayne State in 1956. From 1943 to 1946, he served in the United States Army.[1]
Legal career
Between 1950 and 1964, Keith was a solo legal practitioner and then joined the firm of Keith, Conyers, Anderson, Brown & Whals in 1964, where he remained until 1967.[1]
Eastern District of Michigan
Keith was nominated by President Lyndon Johnson on September 25, 1967 to a seat vacated by Thomas Thornton as Thornton Confirmed by the Senate on October 12, 1967, and received commission on October 12, 1967. Keith served as the Chief Judge for the Eastern District of Michigan from 1975-1977 before leaving the Eastern District of Michigan on November 22, 1977 due to his appointment to the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. [2][1]
Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals
On the recommendation of U.S. Senator Carl Levin, Keith was nominated by President Jimmy Carter on September 28, 1977 to a seat vacated by Wade Hampton McCree, Jr. as McCree resigned from judicial service. Keith was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on October 20, 1977 on a senate vote and received commission on October 21, 1977. Keith later assumed senior status on May 1, 1995.
Opinions
On Open Government
In the 2002 case Detroit Free Press v. Ashcroft, which dealt with the Freedom of Information Act, Judge Keith remarked that “Democracies die behind closed doors.”[3]
Honors
Judge Keith was honored by Wayne State University with a building that is named in his honor. The University presented this honor during a ground-breaking ceremony on May 17, 2010 that named the university's civil rights education center in the his name. Many people viewed Judge Keith as a advocate for civil rights throughout his entire professional career as an attorney and judge.
Keith said during the ceremony: "I hold the words 'equal justice under the law' closely." The judge also stated: "I hope the words 'equal justice under the law' will guide the work done at the Keith Center."[4].
References
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Federal judges who have served the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit |
|---|---|
| Active judges |
Chief Judge: Boggs • Batchelder • Clay • Cole • Cook • Gibbons • Gilman • Griffin • Kethledge • Martin • McKeauge • Moore • Rogers • Sutton • White • Vacancy |
| Senior judges |
Daughtrey • Engel • Guy • Keith • Kennedy • Lively • Merritt • Milburn • Nelson • Norris • Ryan • Siler • Suhrheinrich • Wellford |
| Former judges |
Allen • Arant • Brooks • Brown • Cecil • Celebrezze • Combs • Contie • Day • Denison • Donahue • Edwards • Hamilton • Hickenlooper • Hicks • Jackson • Jones • Kent • Knappen • Krupansky • Lurton • Mack • Martin • McAllister • McCree • S. Miller • W. Miller • Moorman • Neilson • O'Sullivan • Peck II • Phillips • Richards • Severens • Simons • Stewart • Taft • Warrington • Weick |
