By Tom Kirvan
Legal News
As a freshman at West Virginia State University in 1939, Damon Keith could never have imagined what will take place Wednesday, Aug. 13, at his alma mater.
The distinguished federal jurist will be in the spotlight when the “Judge Damon J. Keith Scholars Hall” is dedicated during a special ceremony on the WVSU campus. It will mark the opening of the new $30 million, 291-bed, suite-style residence hall bearing the name of the longtime U.S. Court of Appeals judge, reportedly the first new dormitory built on the campus in nearly 45 years.
Keith was just 17 when he first set foot on the WVSU campus after graduating from North-western High School in Detroit. It was an “emotional” experience for the son of a Detroit autoworker.
“I was the first in my family to attend college and I literally cried at the thought of having such an opportunity to pursue a college education,” said Keith, who had never left Michigan before heading to the Mountaineer state. “It was the time of the Great Depression, and I came from a family background of limited financial means. The chance to go to college was a true privilege.”
Now, little more than a month after celebrating his 92nd birthday, Judge Keith will be joined for the special occasion by his three daughters, his son-in-law, and his Administrative Manager Kim Kendrick. It will be the first time his children have visited the campus and will rekindle memories of another first time visit.
“My dad, who was very sick at the time, came down to see me graduate from West Virginia State in 1943,” Keith recalled. “It was the first time he was able to visit and I can remember him telling me as we walked around campus, ‘Son, God was good to allow me the chance to see you graduate.’ A few days later after I returned to Detroit, my father died, but he passed away knowing that his son had graduated.”
He would be even more delighted to know that his son has since earned law degrees from Howard University (J.D. 1949) and Wayne State University (LL.M. 1956), as well as more than 40 honorary degrees from institutes of higher learning.
A judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit since 1977, Keith has been a staunch defender of constitutional rights and civil liberties, and has been involved in a series of landmark cases, including United States v. Sinclair, commonly known as the “Keith decision,” in which he found that the federal government had no power to wiretap any individual without a warrant. His ruling in Detroit Free Press v. Ashcroft also drew national attention when he wrote that “Democracies die behind closed doors,” a statement that continues to echo in the wake of any constitutional infringement.
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