Overstreet, Morris
1953- · Contribution: 1991
First African American elected to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals
Portraits are AI-generated interpretations, not photographs.
Impact on the world
Became the first African American elected to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals in 1991, a distinction from Louis Sturns' earlier appointment to the same court, since Overstreet won his seat through popular election.
Life & background
Admitted to the bar in 1975, Overstreet became the first African American elected to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals in 1991, the first Black Texan to win statewide judicial election to that court.
Sources
- BlackPast.org (Morris Overstreet); Houston Public Media obituary (Mar 8, 2024)
More in Law & Civil Rights
Allen, Macon Bolling
1816-1894
First African American lawyer in the United States (1844); among the earliest Black judicial officeholders (Justice of the Peace, 1847)
Bedford, Louis A. Jr.
1926-2014
First African American judge in Dallas County, Texas
Bolin, Jane Matilda
1908-2007
First Black woman to become a judge in the United States
Booker, Cory Anthony
1969-
First African American U.S. senator from New Jersey