Norma Holloway Johnson
Norma Holloway Johnson | |
---|---|
Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia | |
In office June 18, 2001 – December 31, 2003 | |
Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia | |
In office March 19, 1997 – June 18, 2001 | |
Preceded by | John Garrett Penn |
Succeeded by | Thomas F. Hogan |
Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia | |
In office May 12, 1980 – June 18, 2001 | |
Appointed by | Jimmy Carter |
Preceded by | George Luzerne Hart Jr. |
Succeeded by | Richard J. Leon |
Personal details | |
Born | Normalie Loyce Holloway July 28, 1932 Lake Charles, Louisiana |
Died | September 18, 2011 Lake Charles, Louisiana | (aged 79)
Political party | Democratic |
Education | University of the District of Columbia (BS) Georgetown Law (JD) |
Norma Holloway Johnson (July 28, 1932 – September 18, 2011), born Normalie Loyce Holloway, was a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia and the first African-American woman to serve as Chief Judge of a United States District Court.
Education and career[]
Born in Lake Charles, Louisiana, Johnson received a Bachelor of Science degree from District of Columbia Teachers College (now the University of the District of Columbia) in 1955 and a Juris Doctor from Georgetown Law in 1962. She entered private practice in Washington, D.C., and then became a trial attorney at the United States Department of Justice Civil Division from 1963 to 1967. She worked as an assistant corporation counsel (a position later retitled Assistant Attorney General) for the District of Columbia from 1967 to 1970. In 1970, Johnson was appointed by President Richard Nixon to be a judge of the District of Columbia Superior Court.[1]
Federal judicial service[]
Johnson was nominated by President Jimmy Carter on February 28, 1980, to a seat on the United States District Court for the District of Columbia vacated by Judge George Luzerne Hart Jr. She was confirmed by the United States Senate on May 9, 1980, and received her commission on May 12, 1980. She served as Chief Judge from 1997 until June 18, 2001, when she assumed senior status. Johnson served in that capacity until her retirement on December 31, 2003.[1]
Notable rulings[]
Johnson ruled on Kenneth Starr's probe of the Clinton administration.[2] She also oversaw the conviction of Rita Lavelle on charges of making false statements, obstruction of a congressional investigation, and perjury and sentenced her to prison.[3]
Death[]
Johnson died September 18, 2011, at her brother's home in her native Lake Charles, following a stroke.[4]
See also[]
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b Norma Holloway Johnson at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
- ^ Cohen, Adam; Viveca Novak (1998-03-16). "The Nonsense Stops Here". TIME. 151 (10): 30. Archived from the original on March 8, 2008. Retrieved 2009-06-17.
- ^ "Rita Lavelle Sentenced To 6 Months". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. 1984-01-10. p. 15. Retrieved 2020-06-26.
- ^ Hevesi, Dennis (21 September 2011). "Norma Holloway Johnson, Judge Who Oversaw Monica Lewinsky Inquiry, Is Dead at 79". The New York Times.
Sources[]
- Norma Holloway Johnson at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
- 1932 births
- 2011 deaths
- African-American judges
- American women judges
- Disease-related deaths in Louisiana
- Georgetown University Law Center alumni
- Judges of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia
- People from Lake Charles, Louisiana
- United States district court judges appointed by Jimmy Carter
- 20th-century American judges
- University of the District of Columbia alumni
- Judges of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia
- United States Department of Justice lawyers
- 20th-century women judges
- United States federal judge stubs