Sam C. Pointer Jr.

Sam C. Pointer Jr.
Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama
In office
November 19, 1999 – April 3, 2000
Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama
In office
1982–1999
Preceded byFrank Hampton McFadden
Succeeded byU. W. Clemon
Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama
In office
October 14, 1970 – November 19, 1999
Appointed byRichard Nixon
Preceded bySeat established by 84 Stat. 294
Succeeded byKaron O. Bowdre
Personal details
Born
Sam Clyde Pointer Jr.

(1934-11-15)November 15, 1934
Birmingham, Alabama
DiedMarch 15, 2008(2008-03-15) (aged 73)
EducationVanderbilt University (A.B.)
University of Alabama School of Law (J.D.)
New York University School of Law (LL.M.)

Sam Clyde Pointer Jr. (November 15, 1934 – March 15, 2008) was an attorney in Birmingham, Alabama, and a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama from 1970 to 2000. He was a noted figure in complex multidistrict class-action litigation.

Early life, education, and career

He was born in Birmingham, Alabama, and graduated from Ramsay High School in 1952. He received an Artium Baccalaureus degree from Vanderbilt University in 1955, and a Juris Doctor from the University of Alabama School of Law in 1957, finishing first in his class. He was admitted to the Alabama State Bar in 1957, and went on to receive a Master of Laws in tax law from New York University School of Law in 1958. He was in the United States Army Reserve in the summer of 1957 until 1970, where he served in the 87th Maneuver Area Command and rose to the rank of major. He was in private practice in Birmingham from 1958 to 1970, working for his father, Sam C. Pointer Sr.[1]

Federal judicial service

Pointer was nominated by President Richard Nixon on September 22, 1970, to the United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama, to a new seat authorized by 84 Stat. 294. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on October 8, 1970, and received his commission on October 14, 1970. He served as Chief Judge from 1982 to 1999. He assumed senior status on November 19, 1999. His service terminated on April 3, 2000, due to his retirement.[1]

Following the failure of the Robert Bork nomination, President Reagan's Justice Department officials showed some interest in naming Pointer to the Supreme Court seat formerly held by Lewis F. Powell Jr..[2] Judge Pointer reached Arthur B. Culvahouse Jr.'s second list of eight candidates in early October, but Edwin Meese and William Bradford Reynolds omitted Pointer from the final list of three candidates at the end of the month.[2]

Notable cases

While on the bench, Pointer ruled that Jefferson County Schools should bus students to achieve racial integration in the 1970s, for which he received numerous death threats.[3] He also issued orders regarding conditions and hiring policies at Birmingham's and Jefferson County's jails.[4] He upheld the City of Birmingham's Affirmative Action hiring plan in 1981[5] and again in 1992,[6] saying that:

while the failure of Fort McLennan to achieve its affirmative actions goals was not a matter in which to take pride, it was not a violation of civil rights laws[5]

He also made significant rulings in litigation against the manufacturers of silicone gel breast implants, a national case involving as many as twenty-six thousand lawsuits[7] assigned to him by the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation.[8] He was also involved in antitrust litigation against cast iron pipe and plywood manufacturers.[9]

Other service

In addition to his work on the bench, Pointer was principal author of the Manual for Complex Litigation, 2nd edition and served on the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation.[10] From 1980 to 1987 he served on the Temporary Emergency Court of Appeals and from 1991 to 1993 was Chair of the Advisory Committee on Civil Rules.[10]

Post-judicial service

After retiring, Pointer joined the Birmingham firm of Lightfoot, Franklin & White as a partner.[11] He led the 2007 investigation into alleged academic improprieties surrounding the Hoover High School football team, concluding that athletes were given special treatment. The report led to the resignation of coach Rush Propst.[12]

References

  1. ^ a b Sam Clyde Pointer Jr. at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
  2. ^ a b Yalof, David Alistair (1999). Pursuit of Justices: Presidential Politics and the Selection of Supreme Court Nominees from Herbert Hoover to George W. Bush. University of Chicago Press. pp. 162–163. ISBN 0226945456.
  3. ^ "Retired U.S. Judge Sam Pointer, 73, Faced Threats in Integration Cases". The Washington Post. Associated Press. March 17, 2008.
  4. ^ Childress, Mark (April 2, 1978). "For City: Pointer Calls for Sweeping Jail Reforms". The Birmingham News. p. 1.
  5. ^ a b "Judge Rules Against Blacks in Suite Against Ft. McClellan". The Alexander City Outlook. Alexander City, Alabama. July 8, 1981. p. 2A.
  6. ^ Bennett v. Arrington, 806 F. Supp. 926 (N.D. Ala. August 14, 1992).
  7. ^ "Sam Pointer 1934–2008: Judge Integrated Schools in Alabama". Chicago Tribune. Associated Press. March 24, 2008. p. 10.
  8. ^ In Re Silicone Gel Breast Implants Liability, 887 F. Supp. 1469 (N.D. Ala. April 25, 1995).
  9. ^ "Court to Review Plywood Ruling". Longview Daily News. May 17, 1982. p. A2.
  10. ^ a b "Pointer, Judge Sam Jr". Obituaries. The Birmingham News. March 17, 2008.
  11. ^ Gravatt, Ryan (April 14, 2000). "Ex-Judge Is Ending a Short Retirement". Birmingham Post-Herald. pp. E1, E2.
  12. ^ "Hoover Story Attracts National Attention: Impact of Controversy Worries Officials". The Birmingham News. October 27, 2007. pp. 1A, 3A.

Sources

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