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James Lopez Watson

Judge, U.S. Court of International Trade · 1966–1980

James Lopez Watson , Judge, U.S. Court of International Trade. James Lopez Watson (May 21, 1922 – September 1, 2001) was an American lawyer who served as a federal judge of the United States Court of International Trade. While serving as a judge around the country, Watson became the first African-American to head a federal court in the American Deep South.

Education

  • New York UniversityB.A., 1947
  • Brooklyn Law SchoolLL.B., 1951

Career

U.S. Army, 1943-1945; Private practice, 1951-1953; State senator, New York, 1954-1963; Judge, Civil Court of the City of New York, 1963-1966

Biography

James Lopez Watson (May 21, 1922 – September 1, 2001) was an American lawyer who served as a federal judge of the United States Court of International Trade. While serving as a judge around the country, Watson became the first African-American to head a federal court in the American Deep South.

From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).

More

From Senate roll call votes, Wikidata, Wikipedia and Office of Government Ethics records.

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Capitol Receipts, “James Lopez Watson : Judge, U.S. Court of International Trade,” https://www.capitolreceipts.com/appointee/j3220/james-lopez-watson (accessed 2026-10-13).