[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 39 (Thursday, February 27, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Page S1232]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE RESOLUTION 517--HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF JUDGE NATHANIEL 
                                R. JONES

  Mr. BROWN (for himself and Mr. Portman) submitted the following 
resolution; which was considered and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 517

       Whereas Judge Nathaniel Jones was born on May 13, 1926, in 
     Youngstown, Ohio, and died on January 26, 2020, at his home 
     in Cincinnati, Ohio, surrounded by family and loved ones;
       Whereas Judge Nathaniel Jones served honorably in the 
     United States Army Air Corps during World War II;
       Whereas Judge Nathaniel Jones attended Youngstown State 
     University, where he earned an undergraduate degree in 1951 
     and a law degree in 1955;
       Whereas, in 1957, Judge Nathaniel Jones was admitted to the 
     Ohio Bar;
       Whereas, from 1956 to 1959, Judge Nathaniel Jones served as 
     the Executive Director for the Fair Employment Practices 
     Commission, where he led efforts to ensure equal access to 
     employment opportunities for African Americans;
       Whereas, in 1962, Judge Nathaniel Jones became the first 
     African American to be appointed as Assistant United States 
     Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio;
       Whereas, in 1967, President Lyndon B. Johnson appointed 
     Judge Nathaniel Jones to serve as the Assistant General 
     Counsel for the National Advisory Commission on Civil 
     Disorders, also known as the Kerner Commission, which found 
     racism as the root cause for the civil unrest that occurred 
     in the cities of the United States during the 1960s and 
     determined that the United States was ``moving toward two 
     societies, one black, one white--separate and unequal'';
       Whereas Judge Nathaniel Jones served as the General Counsel 
     for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored 
     People from 1969 to 1979, directing efforts to desegregate 
     public schools in Northern cities, defended affirmative 
     action, and fought against discrimination against African-
     American soldiers in the United States Armed Forces;
       Whereas, in 1979, President Jimmy Carter nominated and the 
     Senate confirmed Judge Nathaniel Jones as a judge for the 
     United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, making 
     him the 11th African American to serve as a Federal circuit 
     court judge;
       Whereas Judge Nathaniel Jones served on the United States 
     Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit until his retirement 
     in 2002;
       Whereas Judge Nathaniel Jones was known as the ``great 
     dissenter'' because he was often in the minority, siding with 
     plaintiffs seeking redress in the courts for violations of 
     housing and employment law and civil rights protections;
       Whereas Judge Nathaniel Jones assisted the Republic of 
     South Africa in drafting a new constitution following decades 
     of apartheid rule and served as an official election monitor 
     for the country's first free and fair election, which ushered 
     in the presidency of Nelson Mandela;
       Whereas Judge Nathaniel Jones received 19 honorary degrees 
     and numerous awards of distinction, such as the Spingarn 
     Medal, the highest honor awarded by the National Association 
     for the Advancement of Colored People, the International 
     Freedom Conductor Award from the National Underground 
     Railroad Freedom Center, the Charles Hamilton Houston 
     Medallion of Merit from the Washington Bar Association, and 
     the Pillar of Justice Award from the Federal Bar Association;
       Whereas Judge Nathaniel Jones was inducted into the 
     National Bar Association Hall of Fame and the Ohio Civil 
     Rights Hall of Fame, and, in 2014, the Nathaniel R. Jones 
     American Inn of Court was chartered in Youngstown, Ohio;
       Whereas Judge Nathaniel Jones was an initiate of the Beta 
     Pi Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity and was the 65th 
     Laurel Wreath Laureate of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity;
       Whereas, in 2003, Congress passed legislation to name the 
     newly constructed Federal building in Youngstown, Ohio, the 
     ``Nathaniel R. Jones Federal Building and United States 
     Courthouse'';
       Whereas, in 2019, the University of Cincinnati College of 
     Law renamed its Center for Race, Gender, and Social Justice 
     after Judge Nathaniel R. Jones to signify its ``commitment to 
     and alignment with the principles of Judge Jones' impressive 
     career as a champion for justice'';
       Whereas Judge Nathaniel Jones devoted his life to answering 
     ``the Call'' for racial justice, first sounded by the 
     National Association for the Advancement of Colored People in 
     1909, stating in his memoir, ``[A]nswering calls for racial 
     justice has not been confined to a specific time in the past 
     or the history of a particular organization, but has been 
     defined by the imperatives that guided my life. As I enter 
     the twilight of my life, I offer this chronicle of the steps 
     I have taken in an effort to advance the baton of justice 
     handed to me by forebears who were much more surefooted and 
     fearless than me in answering the Call.'';
       Whereas Judge Nathaniel Jones inspired generations of 
     lawyers who served as his law clerks, as well as the 
     countless leaders who sought his wise counsel as they worked 
     to address inequality in their communities; and
       Whereas Judge Nathaniel Jones will be remembered for his 
     dedication to upholding the Constitution of the United States 
     and as a tireless advocate for justice: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate honors the life and legacy of 
     Judge Nathaniel R. Jones and his unwavering commitment to 
     upholding justice and civil rights.

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