Johnson, Frank Minis, Jr.

Born October 30, 1918, in Winston County, AL
Died July 23, 1999, in Montgomery, AL

Federal Judicial Service:
Judge, U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama
Received a recess appointment from Dwight D. Eisenhower on October 22, 1955, to a seat vacated by Charles B. Kennamer; nominated to the same position by Dwight D. Eisenhower on January 12, 1956. Confirmed by the Senate on January 31, 1956, and received commission on February 1, 1956. Served as chief judge, 1966-1979. Service terminated on July 12, 1979, due to appointment to another judicial position.

Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
Nominated by Jimmy Carter on April 2, 1979, to a new seat authorized by 92 Stat. 1629. Confirmed by the Senate on June 19, 1979, and received commission on June 21, 1979. Service terminated on October 1, 1981, due to reassignment.

Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
Reassigned on October 1, 1981, to a new seat authorized by 94 Stat. 1994. Assumed senior status on October 30, 1991. Service terminated on July 23, 1999, due to death.

Other Federal Judicial Service:
Judge, Temporary Emergency Court of Appeals, 1972-1982

Education:
University of Alabama School of Law, LL.B., 1943

Professional Career:

U.S. Army, 1943-1946
Private practice, Jasper, Alabama, 1946-1953
U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Alabama, 1953-1955

Bibliography

Bass, Jack. Taming the Storm: The Life and Times of Judge Frank M. Johnson, Jr., and the South's Fight over Civil Rights. New York: Doubleday, 1993.

Garrow, David J. "Visionaries of the Law: John Minor Wisdom and Frank M. Johnson, Jr." Yale Law Journal 109 (April 2000): 1219-36.

Kennedy, Robert Francis. Judge Frank M. Johnson, Jr.: A Biography. New York: Putnam, 1978.

Krotoszynski, Ronald J., Jr. "Equal Justice Under Law: The Jurisprudential Legacy of Judge Frank M. Johnson, Jr." Yale Law Journal 109 (April 2000): 1237-51.

Lewis, John. "Reflections on Judge Frank M. Johnson, Jr."Yale Law Journal 109 (April 2000): 1253-6.

Marshall, Burke. "In Remembrance of Judges Frank M. Johnson, Jr. and John Minor Wisdom." Yale Law Journal 109 (April 2000): 1207-18.

Sikora, Frank. The Judge: The Life & Opinions of Alabama's Frank M. Johnson. Montgomery, Ala.: Black Belt Press, 1992.

Thompson, Myron H. "Measuring a Life: Frank Minis Johnson, Jr." Yale Law Journal 109 (April 2000): 1257-9.

Yarbrough, Tinsley E. Judge Frank Johnson and Human Rights in Alabama. University: University of Alabama Press, 1981.

Manuscript Collections

Library of Congress
Washington, D.C.
Frank Minis Johnson, Jr. papers, 1945-1989.
133.6 linear ft. (116,000 items); finding aid; restricted; correspondence, memoranda, agendas, minutes, reports, case files, clippings, and printed material relating to Johnson's judicial career.

Oral History

Johnson, Frank M. "Southern Oral History Program." Interview conducted on July 10, 1974. Southern Historical Collection, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, N.C., 1974. Transcript.

Federal Judicial Center

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Johnson, Frank Minis, Jr.