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[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E592-E593]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
CELEBRATING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF JUDGE DAMON J. KEITH
______
HON. RASHIDA TLAIB
of michigan
in the house of representatives
Tuesday, May 14, 2019
Ms. TLAIB. Madam Speaker, it is with great honor that I rise today to
recognize the Honorable Judge Damon J. Keith for his leadership and
tremendous contributions to the civil rights movement, and to honor his
memory.
Born on July 4th, 1922 in Detroit, Michigan--a fitting birth date for
a man who upheld the rights so cherished by our nation--Damon Keith was
the youngest of six children born to Annie and Perry Alexander, a Ford
factory worker. Keith was a proud graduate of the Detroit Public School
System, graduating with honors from Northwestern High School in 1939.
Keith was the first of his family to attend college and from there he
went on to serve in the military before graduating from Howard
University Law School in 1949. Judge Keith returned to Detroit to begin
his legal career, earning an LLM from Wayne State University.
Damon Keith worked in his own private law practice until 1967 when he
was appointed by President Lyndon Johnson to the U.S. District Court
for the Eastern District of Michigan. Judge Keith served as Chief Judge
from 1975 to 1977 before he was appointed by President Jimmy Carter to
the Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
Judge Keith's career is distinguished by his tireless defense of the
U.S. Constitution. He decided several important cases that advanced
civil rights in the State of Michigan. His legacy in the civil rights
movement includes deciding cases against segregating schools,
employment and housing discrimination, and federal wiretapping
policies. Key among these cases are a 1970 decision ordering
desegregation of Pontiac schools, a 1971 ruling that Nixon and AG
Mitchell violated the federal constitution by wiretapping students in
Ann Arbor, and lastly a 2002 ruling that deportation hearings held in
private are unconstitutional--an opinion in which he famously wrote,
``Democracies die behind closed doors.'' He was also instrumental in
upholding the rights of local workers across the state. In 1973, Judge
Keith ordered Detroit Edison to pay $4 million to black employees who
were victims of job discrimination and ordered the company to create an
affirmative action program. He also ordered the union to pay $250,000
for failing to protect their workers from discrimination. His tireless
work and fight to advance the quality of life for all people are
memories and values we will forever cherish and continue to uphold.
It is a great privilege to recognize a gentleman who contributed so
much of his life to fight for human rights and civil equality for human
beings. This is in recognition of a great
[[Page E593]]
loss to our state and a tribute to Judge Keith's surviving family as we
honor his legacy.
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