Fifth Court of Appeals Justice John Browning and former Chief Justice Carolyn Wright researched J.H. Williams’ story and asked the Texas Supreme Court to grant him posthumous bar admission. Courtesy photos
An African American man who aspired to be a lawyer in the 1880s, but was denied bar admission because of his race, has been vindicated by the work of two lawyer-historians and a receptive Texas Supreme Court.
Because of a request based on seven years of historical sleuthing work by former Fifth Court of Appeals Chief Justice Carolyn Wright and newly appointed Justice John Browning, the high court on Oct. 19 issued an order that granted posthumous admission to J.H. Williams to the State Bar of Texas.
