Internet Resources Enhance Judge Johnson Biography

NewSouth’s reissue of Frank Sikora’s authorized biography of Judge Frank Johnson, The Judge, offers a definitive, personal insight into this important man. The following list of Internet resources serves to enhance the information presented in the book:

The Medal of Freedom offers information Presidential Medal of Freedom winners. Judge Johnson was awarded the medal in 1995 by President Bill Clinton. From the website:

In his speech to the distinguished civil rights judge, Clinton says that Johnson stood strong against the “unremitting social and political pressure to uphold the traditions of oppression and neglect in his native South” and “never once did he yield. His landmark decisions in the areas of desegregation, voting rights, and civil liberties transformed our understanding of the constitution.”

The Academy of Achievement‘s short biography of Judge Johnson details many of his landmark cases and decisions in the fight for civil rights, including Browder v. Gale (1956), in which Johnson, following on the heels of the Montgomery bus boycott started by Rosa Parks, ruled that the statute allowing for segregation in buses was unconstitutional; Lee v. Macon County Board of Education (1963), in which Johnson issued Alabama’s first statewide desegregation order; and Williams v. Wallace, in which Johnson ordered that the road from Selma to Montgomery should be opened to protesters, led by Martin Luther King, Jr., due to “the enormity of the wrongs” being protested.

Time Magazine has recently made a 1967 interview with Judge Johnson available online. The article highlights the importance of Johnson to the Civil Rights Movement, noting that his courtroom decisions were crucial to the successes of such leaders as Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rosa Parks.

That’s Alabama, a website focused on the important history of the state, has a section dedicated to the heroes of Alabama that includes a biography of Frank M. Johnson and a brief list of his achievements.

The African American Registry emphasizes the importance of African American history, particularly throughout the Civil Rights Movement. They explain Judge Johnson’s the court cases, focusing on how his decisions aided the Civil Rights Movement.

The Judge: The Life and Opinions of Alabama’s Frank M. Johnson, Jr. is available from NewSouth Books, Amazon.com, or your favorite online and retail booksellers.