Rock, John S.
1825-1866 · Contribution: 1865
Law & Civil Rights
First African American admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court
Portraits are AI-generated interpretations, not photographs.
Quick facts
- Born
- 1825-1866
- Category
- Law & Civil Rights
Impact on the world
Rock's admission to the Supreme Court bar, mere weeks after the end of slavery, was a powerful symbol of Black citizenship and legal equality.
Sources
- National Constitution Center
1 more sources and references are available to members.
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