[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 64 (Tuesday, April 18, 2023)]
[House]
[Pages H1764-H1765]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1015
       CELEBRATING THE EXTRAORDINARY CAREER OF JUDGE U.W. CLEMON

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Alabama (Ms. Sewell) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. SEWELL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the extraordinary 
career of a legal giant and civil rights activist, Alabama's first 
Black Federal judge, the Honorable U.W. Clemon, who celebrated his 80th 
birthday on April 9.
  A native of Alabama, Judge Clemon was born in 1943. Despite spending 
much of his childhood in the segregated school system of Jefferson 
County, Clemon broke down barriers, graduating as a two-time 
valedictorian, first at Westfield High School in 1961 and then Miles 
College in 1965.
  As a college student, Judge Clemon was a leading voice for civil 
rights. He marched in countless student demonstrations under the 
direction of Dr.

[[Page H1765]]

King and played a pivotal role in the Selective Buying Campaign to 
boycott segregated stores in downtown Birmingham.
  Before graduating from Columbia Law School in 1968, Clemon clerked at 
the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, forming a lifelong association serving as 
local counsel on numerous civil rights lawsuits throughout Alabama.
  Judge Clemon always understood the importance of the law in the fight 
for justice and equality. He quickly gained a reputation as an 
effective and fearless lawyer, taking on Coach Paul ``Bear'' Bryant to 
desegregate the all-White University of Alabama football team. He took 
on the U.S. Steel Corporation, which led to the desegregation of the 
American steel industry.
  By 1974, Judge Clemon took his advocacy to the Alabama State 
Legislature, making history as one of the first two African Americans 
elected to the Alabama Senate since Reconstruction.
  His tenure as a pioneering lawmaker and skilled attorney caught the 
attention of President Jimmy Carter, who appointed then-Senator Clemon 
to serve as Alabama's first Black Federal judge in 1980. He went on to 
serve on the Federal bench for 30 years until 2009.
  Judge Clemon was a highly respected jurist inside and outside the 
courtroom. He was known as fair but tough. He demanded that lawyers 
before him represent their clients competently and effectively. Judge 
Clemon served as the Chief Judge for the United States District Court 
for the Northern District of Alabama from 1999 to 2006.
  Despite retiring from the bench in 2009, Judge Clemon has remained a 
vibrant member of the Birmingham legal community where he continues to 
practice law, serving the underrepresented, vulnerable, and 
underserved.
  He has received numerous awards, holds three honorary degrees, two 
street namings, and most recently, an elementary school was named in 
his honor.
  On a personal note, Judge Clemon is a trusted adviser, counselor, and 
a loving father figure to me. My most formative legal experience was 
serving as a law clerk for Judge Clemon after graduating from law 
school in 1992.
  I learned so much serving as his law clerk. I learned more about the 
practice of law and saw firsthand what justice looks like by witnessing 
him in his courtroom. Sitting with him in his chambers was always an 
educational experience. The judge tested my knowledge, stretched my 
legal acumen, challenged my views, and inspired me to be a better 
lawyer and person.
  I know that I now serve as Alabama's first Black Congresswoman 
because I was blessed by a transformative experience clerking for 
Alabama's first Black Federal judge.
  I thank his loving family, his wife of 50 years, Ms. Barbara, and his 
two children, Michelle and Isaac, for sharing him with so many of us.
  I ask my colleagues to join me in celebrating the 80th birthday and 
the extraordinary career of an exceptional jurist, lawmaker, public 
servant, and wonderful counselor, Judge U.W. Clemon, whose life's work 
stands as a testament to the power of one person to change the world.
  May the seeds that Judge Clemon sowed continue to bear fruit for 
generations to come.
  Happy birthday, Judge.

                          ____________________