Collins, Robert Frederick

1931-2009 · Contribution: 1978

First African American federal judge in the Deep South

Law & Civil Rights — collage image
Law & Civil Rights

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Impact on the world

Became the first African American federal judge to serve in the Deep South in 1978, a significant breakthrough in a region with a particularly entrenched history of judicial segregation.

Life & background

Collins became the first African American federal judge in the Deep South in 1978, an important milestone in a region where Black judicial representation had lagged even behind other parts of the formerly segregated South.

Sources

  1. Federal Judicial Center biographical directory; Vanderbilt Univ. 'Who Speaks for the Negro?' archive