The Black Badge: Deputy United States Marshal Bass Reeves from Slave to Heroic Lawman
Paul L. Brady, a native of Flint, Michigan, received his early education in the Flint public schools. After graduating from high school, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy. Following military service, he attended the University of Michigan and University of Kansas, majoring in psychology.   Judge Brady’s interest in the law was prompted by his personal involvement in what became the landmark case of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas. He attended law school at Washburn University, Topeka, where he received his Juris Doctor Degree. He did further study at the Lawyer’s Institute, Chicago, Illinois; the Center for Administrative Justice, George Washington University; and graduate work at Georgetown Law Center, Washington, D.C.   At the time Judge Brady was attending Washburn, he was living with his aunt, Lucinda Todd, one of the plaintiffs in the Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, which changed the face of American public education. Judge Brady abandoned his psychology career path to pursue a law degree after working with the small group that met and developed the case in his aunt’s home.   His legal experience included twelve years of private practice in Chicago, Illinois, an adjudicator for the Social Security Administration, a Supervisory Trial Attorney for the Federal Power Commission (receiving this Commission’s highest award for efficiency in 1971), and a Hearing Examiner with the Department of Health, Education and Welfare.   In 1972, he was appointed a Federal Administrative Law Judge and became the first African American to be so named. After serving 25 years on the bench, Judge Brady retired. During the last 6 years of his tenure, he presided as Chief Judge of the Atlanta Regional office. In his honor, a Library-Conference Room has been designated the Brady Conference Room in the Sam Nunn Federal Office Building.   Judge Brady is a member of the Judicial Council of the National Bar Association, the Federal Administrative Law Judges’ Conference and the Federal Bar Association. He has also served as a faculty coordinator for a course on Administrative Law Procedure at the National Judicial College, Reno, Nevada. In addition to being a member of several State Bars, he is also admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of the United States. A life member of the NAACP, he has received numerous awards and honors for community involvement, the highlight of which was national recognition for organizing government lawyers in a Volunteer Neighborhood Legal Services Program in Washington, D.C.    Judge Brady serves as Chairman of the Bass Reeves Education Foundation, which provides programs and materials to students to promote a better understanding of the legal system, advances the cause of justice, and coordinates local law enforcement agencies in youth activities. He has also been involved in the Feed the Hungry Program in Atlanta, Georgia, and the Carrie Steele Pitts and Florence Crittendon Orphanages where he provides counsel to the children as well as taking them on their holiday shopping spree. He participates with libraries that sponsor special occasions such as Black History observances.    Judge Brady comes from a long line of individuals who have made major contributions to United States law. His family includes his uncle, Bass Reeves, a former slave, who, in 1875, was appointed U.S. Deputy Marshal and became the first African-American to serve as a federal enforcement officer on the western frontier. Judge Brady has spent his lifetime championing for equal justice, both on the side of those asking and petitioning for equality, and on the side of deciding equal justice for those seeking it. He has volunteered in numerous organizations and speaks to groups on equality for all and the impact Brown v. Board has had on, not only him, but also his family. He has spent time visiting schools to discuss the need for improved race relations and how to accomplish this within the law. He has been