U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas will visit Wayne State Friday, June 5, to present the 16th annual Edward J. Devitt Distinguished Service to Justice Award to Judge Damon J. Keith, senior judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
The awards ceremony is slated for 6 p.m. in Community Arts Auditorium on the University campus; a reception will follow. Justice Thomas, a member of the award selection committee, will present the award. Thomas is the fourth Supreme Court justice to visit WSU. The others were Earl Warren, 1966; Byron White, 1967; and Warren Burger, 1987.
In addition to Justice Thomas, Detroit Mayor Dennis Archer and Judge Eric Clay, U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit, will give brief remarks in honor of Judge Keith.
The Devitt Award annually recognizes a federal judge who has achieved an exemplary career and has made significant contributions to the administration of justice, the advancement of the rule of law and the improvement of society as a whole.
Judge Keith, a longtime friend of Wayne State, is in his 31st year of service to the judiciary. His career has spanned some of the most pivotal events in recent American history; it has been characterized by his dedication to the constitutional and civil rights of all people and service to the community and to his country.
He has played a particularly important role in American civil rights jurisprudence. This is evidenced in his many landmark decisions, including the frequently cited United States v. Sinclair, commonly referred to as the Keith Decision, in 1972.
In that decision, Judge Keith found that then-President Richard Nixon and then Attorney General John Mitchell could not engage in warrantless wiretap surveillance of three individuals suspected of conspiring to destroy government property because the surveillance was in violation of the Fourth Amendment. The decision was affirmed by the Sixth Circuit and unanimously upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Judge Keith has received more than 30 honorary degrees and many awards, including the American Bar Association's Thurgood Marshall Award in 1997 and the NAACP's highest award, the Springarn Medal.
Lawyers and judges nationwide nominated Judge Keith for this year's Devitt Award. In endorsing him, senior U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Peter Fay said:
"One cannot be around Damon for very long without sensing his commitment to all that is good about our country. But unlike many, he does not limit his commitment to words - his actions speak volumes. He gets involved. He spends the time. He does the work.
"Yes, he gets his hands 'dirty' because there is nothing he will not do if he is convinced it will help others and strengthen our way of life."
Judge Keith began practicing law in Detroit in 1950, at a time when no black judges and few black lawyers existed in Michigan. Wayne State benefited from his pioneer spirit in 1993 when he donated a collection of his papers to the university's Archives of Labor and Urban Affairs at the Walter P. Reuther Library. The Damon J. Keith Law Collection brings together for the first time the substantial historical achievements of African American lawyers and judges.
The Edward J. Devitt Distinguished Service to Justice Award, named for the late Edward J. Devitt, chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota, is made possible through the courtesy of the West Group and administered by the American Judicature Society.
For more information call Faye Nelson, vice president for governmental and community affairs at (313) 577-5284.
(Note to assignment editors: Reservations already indicate a capacity crowd. Because of security considerations, media wishing to attend must obtain credentials before 5 p.m. Thursday, June 4. For media credentials and a parking assignment, please call Tom Sakely or Tisha Saccarelli in the WSU Office of Media Relations by calling (313) 577-2150.)