Johnson, Norma L. Holloway 1932–

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Norma L. Holloway Johnson 1932–

Federal judge

At a Glance…

Career Beginnings

The Halls of Justice

Journalists as Professionals

Corruption and Scandal

Congressional Recognition

Sources

As Chief Federal Judge to the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., a court famous in the United States because it handles cases concerning White House personnel and other government officials, Norma L. Holloway Johnson has worked hard to preserve justice in a system all too prone to ignoring it. Norma L. Holloway Johnson has realized the American dream. Johnson’s example of hard work and dedication to her country and her people serve as a positive role model in the legal system and elsewhere. About the new Chief Judge, U.S. District Court Judge Paul Friedman was quoted in Jet as having said, “Johnson is an incredibly hard-working person, dedicated to the court system, the administration of justice, and dedicated to helping young lawyers develop.” Through admirable and consistent efforts, Johnson has seen to it that justice reigns.

Born to H. Lee Holloway and Beatrice (Williams) Holloway in 1932, Norma L. Holloway Johnson was raised until age 14 in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Johnson grew up with her younger brother in this seaport city, rich in lumber, oil, rice, and refineries. Though young Norma’s intelligence and talents were apparent, prospects for a future career in business were limited. Prior to mandated equity for African Americans, young black women mostly sought employment in nursing, education, social work, or other such traditionally female fields. Segregation limited avenues open to young black people. Nonetheless, opportunity knocked for Norma when she was asked to go live in Washington, D.C. with her elderly great-aunt, Bettie B. Henderson, as a companion. Though she found it difficult to part from her family, Norma, at just 14 years old, left her family and went to live with her aunt, who was in great need of assistance.

As a student at Shaw Junior High School, and later at Dunbar High School, Johnson experienced for the first time a challenging and exciting education. No longer bound by limited subjects and mediocre instruction, her disciplines included biology, chemistry, physics, French, Greek and, her favorite subject, Latin. After graduation she pursued a higher education at Miner Teachers College (now the University of the District of Columbia) where she graduated in 1955 as valedictorian of her class. Even then, she had her sights set on improving the quality of life for her fellow African Americans. Supreme

At a Glance…

Born Norma L. Holloway Johnson in Lake Charles, Louisiana to H. Lee Holloway and Beatrice (Williams) 1932, Married Julis A. Johnson on June 18, 1964. Education: Miner Teacher’s College (U. of D.C, 1955 valedictorian); Georgetown University Law Center (1962).

Career: Chief Federal Judge of the U.S. District Court (U.S.D.C.) in Washington, D.C (1997); Federal Judge U.S.D.C. (1980-1997); asst. atty,, Office of Corporation Counsel, Juvenile Division (Chief); Judge for Court of General Sessions [Superior Ct.] (1970); civil trial atty. U.S. Dept of Justice (1963-1967); English instructor Washington, D.C. public schools.

Honors/associations: William Bryant American Inn of Court, President; American Inns of Court Foundation, Trustee; Council for Court Excellence Director; National Institute for Citizen Education in Law, Director; American Judicature Society, Director.

Addresses: Office— U.S. Courthouse, 333 Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20001-2802. (202) 273-0474.

Court decisions which desegregated education in American schools provided Johnson with her first solid opportunity to pursue a law degree without hesitation. Johnson attended Georgetown University Law Center while maintaining employment as an English instructor for the public school system.

Career Beginnings

Upon graduation from Georgetown, Johnson embarked on a career as a civil trial attorney for the United States Department of Justice, where she served from 1963 to 1967. During her four years in this capacity, Johnson married Julius A. Johnson, a native of Saint Louis, on June 18, 1964. Johnson next worked in the Office of the Corporation Counsel for the District of Columbia, from 1967 to 1970, becoming chief of the Juvenile Division. In 1970, President Richard M. Nixon, recognizing Johnson’s talent, appointed her associate judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. For the next ten years, until 1980, Johnson served here while continuing her commitment to juveniles through active community involvement on their behalf. One of Johnson’s goals was to eliminate the jailing of any child in a common prison.

The Halls of Justice

After less than two decades as an attorney, Johnson was appointed, on May 12, 1980, by President Jimmy Carter, as a life-time Judge of the United States District Court in Washington, D.C. Since then, Johnson has ruled on the bench with soundness and integrity. Deemed to be tough, fair, and hard-working, Johnson has sought to dispense justice on any number of matters involving federal laws and their leaders.

In 1983, Johnson was involved in the ruling to allow litigation to proceed against Washington D.C.’s largest bank, Riggs National Bank. Johnson was only the second federal judge to permit allegations to be pursued against banks for their violation of racketeering laws. Because of this, First National Bank of Atlanta was sentenced to repay illegally collected interest to the plaintiff.

In 1989, Johnson ordered that all District of Columbia prisoners be held to the same parole guidelines no matter where they were actually being held. This matter arose from litigation initiated by prisoners being subjected to harsher guidelines than others. Johnson upheld government rules in 1992 to protect the northern spotted owl, rejecting a challenge brought by logging and community groups. Also in 1992, Johnson ruled that the Library of Congress had unfairly treated African American employees and ordered that damages be paid to more than 3,000 employees.

Journalists as Professionals

In a 1995 ruling Johnson denied a former Washington Post employee of significant overtime pay for his writing. While the U.S. District Court in Concord, N.H. held in 1993 that journalists and photographers may be monetarily compensated for overtime labor, Johnson overruled the decision. As quoted in Editor and Publisher, Johnson upheld her decision on the basis that today the “primary duty as a reporter consisted in the performance of work requiring invention, imagination, and talent.” This is opposed to the mere gathering of information to be rewritten by another party, as was the common practice in the 1940s, which made journalists employees of the newspapers rather than professionals working on their own. Therefore, Johnson accorded little weight to the 1949 Labor Department’s interpretations of journalist status.

In January of 1996 Johnson was instrumental in having the 1.3 million-member United Food and Commercial Workers Union turn over documents to Publix Super Markets, Inc. which implicated the union in keeping women in dead-end, low-paying jobs. Additionally, Johnson ordered the union to pay $10,000 in attorney fees to Publix for their prolonged efforts in attempting to secure the documents. Three months later, in April of 1996, Johnson refused to grant class-action status to the Washington Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs against NationsBank Corporation in a fair-lending case. Johnson said that the Lawyers Committee had failed to file their request within the required 90 days of the suit. Claims were made that the bank rejected qualified minority loan applicants. John Relman, a director for the fair-housing project, was confident that the untimely filing error would be rectified. Johnson then proceeded to reject three NationsBank motions attempting to have the case dismissed.

Corruption and Scandal

In May of 1996, Johnson became renowned for her sentencing of former Democratic Representative Dan Rostenkowski of Illinois. Johnson sentenced the representative after he pled guilty to two of 12 counts with which he was charged. After imposing the recommended sentence of 17 months imprisonment and a $ 100,000 fine, (arranged by defense and prosecution counsel) Johnson admonished Rostenkowski for betraying constituent trust. According to The Libertarian, during sentencing she said, “You shamelessly abused your position…. The guilty pleas don’t reflect the breadth of your crimes…. In your important position, you capriciously pursued a course of personal gain for you, your family, and your friends. You have stained them, as well as yourself.” Johnson expressed her contempt for the manner in which Rostenkowski sought personal gain at taxpayer expense.

During June of 1996, Johnson ruled in a matter which again involved a representative of Congress, this time indirectly. Utah’s Republican representative Enid Greene was a rising figure in Congress through 1995 until Greene’s then husband, Joseph Waldholtz, came before the government on charges of heroin use, prescription fraud, forgery, and writing worthless checks, among other criminal acts. Johnson ordered that Waldholtz be released on personal bond in June of 1996, with stipulations that he reside in Pennsylvania with his parents, follow travel restrictions, and not engage in further criminal activity. By the fall of 1996, however, U.S. Attorney Prosecutors were saying that the bond should be revoked because of Waldholtz’s alleged criminal conduct in violation of Judge Johnson’s orders.

In her illustrious judicial rise, Norma L. Holloway Johnson has consistently remembered to put into practice her equally illustrious societal ideals. Maintaining avid community involvements in numerous organizations, Johnson’s presence amongst various politically active groups has continued to ensure greater advancement for youths and minorities. Her membership in professional attorney and judicial organizations included president of the William Bryant American Inn of Court, trustee of the American Inns of Court Foundation, and director for the Council for Court Excellence, the National Institute for Citizen Education in Law, and the American Judicature Societies.

Congressional Recognition

Johnson has since gone on to reach the pinnacles of the U.S. judicial system, where, as a 16-year veteran of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, she now serves as Chief Federal Judge of the court, the first Black woman to do so. Johnson assumed the duties of Judge John Garrett Penn who stepped aside in August of 1997 for her promotion. Johnson’s appointment by President Jimmy Carter in 1980 to the U.S. District Court forever marks her place in history as another first for black women.