IV 

111TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. RES. 1087 

Honoring the life of John H. ‘‘Jack’’ Ruffin, Jr. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 22, 2010 

Mr. BARROW (for himself, Mr. LEWIS of Georgia, Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, 

Mr. BROUN of Georgia, Mr. BISHOP of Georgia, Mr. KINGSTON, Mr. 

WESTMORELAND, Mr. SCOTT of Georgia, Mr. LINDER, Mr. MARSHALL, 

Mr. PRICE of Georgia, Mr. DEAL of Georgia, and Mr. GINGREY of Georgia) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 

RESOLUTION 

Honoring the life of John H. ‘‘Jack’’ Ruffin, Jr. 

Whereas Jack Ruffin left a lasting impact on his State and 

the United States during his distinguished legal career as 

a civil rights attorney and as the first African-American 

chief judge of the Georgia Court of Appeals; 

Whereas Jack Ruffin was born in the rural town of Waynesboro, Georgia, in 1934, where he spent his formative 

years and where today his portrait hangs in the Burke 

County Courthouse; 

Whereas Jack Ruffin graduated from Morehouse College in 

1957 and from Howard University School of Law in 

1960; 


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•HRES 1087 IH 

Whereas Jack Ruffin became, in 1961, the first AfricanAmerican admitted to the Augusta Bar Association, 

against the wishes of his mother who feared for his safety; 

Whereas Jack Ruffin fought with great courage against injustices in his community throughout his life, most notably when he filed the lawsuits that desegregated the public school systems of Richmond County and of Burke 

County; 

Whereas Jack Ruffin honorably served, from 1986 to 1994, 

as the first African-American Superior Court judge in the 

Augusta Judicial Circuit; 

Whereas Jack Ruffin, having been appointed by Governor 

Zell Miller to the Georgia Court of Appeals in 1994, honorably served as a member of that Court until 2008; 

Whereas Jack Ruffin became the first African-American 

Chief Judge of the Georgia Court of Appeals in 2005 and 

served honorably in that position until 2006; 

Whereas the new Richmond County judicial center in Augusta, Georgia, will be named in Jack Ruffin’s honor, a 

decision made by the Augusta-Richmond County Commission in 2009; 

Whereas Jack Ruffin retired from the Georgia Court of Appeals in 2008 and spent the rest of his life giving back 

to his community by teaching students at his alma mater, 

Morehouse College; 

Whereas Jack Ruffin died the night of January 29, 2010, at 

the age of 75, in Atlanta, Georgia, and is survived by his 

wife, Judith Ruffin, his father, John Ruffin, Sr., his son, 

Brinkley Ruffin, and two grandsons; 


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•HRES 1087 IH 

Whereas the passing of Jack Ruffin is a great loss to the 

legal community and to the State of Georgia, and his life 

should be honored with great praise and appreciation for 

the many contributions he made to the legal system in 

the United States and to the civil rights movement; and 

Whereas it is the intent of the House of Representatives to 

recognize and pay tribute to the life of Jack Ruffin, his 

achievements for civil rights, his zeal for justice, and his 

passion for the law: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) recognizes Jack Ruffin as a great jurist in 

3 the State of Georgia and as an important figure in 

4 the civil rights movement; and 

5 (2) recognizes the selfless and brave contribu6 tions that Jack Ruffin made to his community and 

7 to the law. 

Æ 


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