Federal Courthouse in Arkansas Named for African-American Educational Pioneer

The federal courthouse in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, was recently dedicated to the memory of the late George Howard Jr. In 1954 Howard was one of the first African Americans to earn a law degree at the University of Arkansas.

Howard was the first black judge appointed to the Supreme Court of Arkansas. In 1980 he was named by President Jimmy Carter as the first black federal judge in the state. He served on the federal bench for more than a quarter-century and presided over several of the trials resulting from the Whitewater investigation.

Judge Howard died in 2007 at the age of 82.

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