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 Geor-
gia) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Com-
mittee 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 Waynes-
boro, 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 African- 
American admitted to the Augusta Bar Association, 
against the wishes of his mother who feared for his safe-
ty; 
Whereas Jack Ruffin fought with great courage against in-
justices in his community throughout his life, most nota-
bly when he filed the lawsuits that desegregated the pub-
lic 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, hon-
orably 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 Au-
gusta, Georgia, will be named in Jack Ruffin’s honor, a 
decision made by the Augusta-Richmond County Com-
mission in 2009; 
Whereas Jack Ruffin retired from the Georgia Court of Ap-
peals 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 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) recognizes Jack Ruffin as a great jurist in 
the State of Georgia and as an important figure in 
the civil rights movement; and 
(2) recognizes the selfless and brave contribu-
tions that Jack Ruffin made to his community and 
to the law. 
Æ 
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