III 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 517 

Honoring the life and legacy of Judge Nathaniel R. Jones. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

FEBRUARY 27, 2020 

Mr. BROWN (for himself and Mr. PORTMAN) submitted the following 

resolution; which was considered and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Honoring the life and legacy of Judge Nathaniel R. Jones. 

Whereas Judge Nathaniel Jones was born on May 13, 1926, 

in Youngstown, Ohio, and died on January 26, 2020, at 

his home in Cincinnati, Ohio, surrounded by family and 

loved ones; 

Whereas Judge Nathaniel Jones served honorably in the 

United States Army Air Corps during World War II; 

Whereas Judge Nathaniel Jones attended Youngstown State 

University, where he earned an undergraduate degree in 

1951 and a law degree in 1955; 

Whereas, in 1957, Judge Nathaniel Jones was admitted to 

the Ohio Bar; 

Whereas, from 1956 to 1959, Judge Nathaniel Jones served 

as the Executive Director for the Fair Employment Practices Commission, where he led efforts to ensure equal 


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access to employment opportunities for African Americans; 

Whereas, in 1962, Judge Nathaniel Jones became the first 

African American to be appointed as Assistant United 

States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio; 

Whereas, in 1967, President Lyndon B. Johnson appointed 

Judge Nathaniel Jones to serve as the Assistant General 

Counsel for the National Advisory Commission on Civil 

Disorders, also known as the Kerner Commission, which 

found racism as the root cause for the civil unrest that 

occurred in the cities of the United States during the 

1960s and determined that the United States was ‘‘moving toward two societies, one black, one white—separate 

and unequal’’; 

Whereas Judge Nathaniel Jones served as the General Counsel for the National Association for the Advancement of 

Colored People from 1969 to 1979, directing efforts to 

desegregate public schools in Northern cities, defended 

affirmative action, and fought against discrimination 

against African-American soldiers in the United States 

Armed Forces; 

Whereas, in 1979, President Jimmy Carter nominated and 

the Senate confirmed Judge Nathaniel Jones as a judge 

for the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, making him the 11th African American to serve as 

a Federal circuit court judge; 

Whereas Judge Nathaniel Jones served on the United States 

Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit until his retirement in 2002; 

Whereas Judge Nathaniel Jones was known as the ‘‘great 

dissenter’’ because he was often in the minority, siding 


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with plaintiffs seeking redress in the courts for violations 

of housing and employment law and civil rights protections; 

Whereas Judge Nathaniel Jones assisted the Republic of 

South Africa in drafting a new constitution following decades of apartheid rule and served as an official election 

monitor for the country’s first free and fair election, 

which ushered in the presidency of Nelson Mandela; 

Whereas Judge Nathaniel Jones received 19 honorary degrees and numerous awards of distinction, such as the 

Spingarn Medal, the highest honor awarded by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the International Freedom Conductor Award from 

the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, the 

Charles Hamilton Houston Medallion of Merit from the 

Washington Bar Association, and the Pillar of Justice 

Award from the Federal Bar Association; 

Whereas Judge Nathaniel Jones was inducted into the National Bar Association Hall of Fame and the Ohio Civil 

Rights Hall of Fame, and, in 2014, the Nathaniel R. 

Jones American Inn of Court was chartered in Youngstown, Ohio; 

Whereas Judge Nathaniel Jones was an initiate of the Beta 

Pi Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity and was the 

65th Laurel Wreath Laureate of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity; 

Whereas, in 2003, Congress passed legislation to name the 

newly constructed Federal building in Youngstown, Ohio, 

the ‘‘Nathaniel R. Jones Federal Building and United 

States Courthouse’’; 


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Whereas, in 2019, the University of Cincinnati College of 

Law renamed its Center for Race, Gender, and Social 

Justice after Judge Nathaniel R. Jones to signify its 

‘‘commitment to and alignment with the principles of 

Judge Jones’ impressive career as a champion for justice’’; 

Whereas Judge Nathaniel Jones devoted his life to answering 

‘‘the Call’’ for racial justice, first sounded by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People 

in 1909, stating in his memoir, ‘‘[A]nswering calls for racial justice has not been confined to a specific time in the 

past or the history of a particular organization, but has 

been defined by the imperatives that guided my life. As 

I enter the twilight of my life, I offer this chronicle of 

the steps I have taken in an effort to advance the baton 

of justice handed to me by forebears who were much 

more surefooted and fearless than me in answering the 

Call.’’; 

Whereas Judge Nathaniel Jones inspired generations of lawyers who served as his law clerks, as well as the countless 

leaders who sought his wise counsel as they worked to 

address inequality in their communities; and 

Whereas Judge Nathaniel Jones will be remembered for his 

dedication to upholding the Constitution of the United 

States and as a tireless advocate for justice: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate honors the life and legacy 

2 of Judge Nathaniel R. Jones and his unwavering commit3 ment to upholding justice and civil rights. 

Æ 


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