William Bryant, who as a young attorney practicing in the nation’s capital couldn’t even use the library of the District of Columbia Bar Association but rose to become one of America’s most distinguished jurists, died Sunday. He was 94.
Bryant, who drove to chambers each morning until fairly recently and ambled to the bench with the use of a walker, was a determined defender of constitutional law, believing that lawyers had a responsibility to halt injustice in its tracks. He was scheduled to oversee a trial beginning Dec. 5.
It was his growing reputation as a criminal defense lawyer in segregated D.C. in the 1940s and ‘50s – he was a partner in the legendary African American law firm of Houston, Bryant & Gardner – that first gained him attention. After nearly two decades in private practice, he was tapped by the U.S. Attorney as an assistant prosecutor. In 1965, President Lyndon Johnson nominated him for the federal bench.
He became the first African American to serve as the chief Judge for the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia in 1977; he assumed senior status five years later.
I imagine that Judge Bryant suffered great adversities on his way up, yet he overcame them. May his soul rest in peace, with great dignity and honor. His obit is here from the New York Times, and here from BET.