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Keady visited
Parchman on multiple occasions and took his minister with him. At every camp, he saw, “filthy bathrooms, rotting mattresses, polluted water supplies, and kitchens overrun with insects, rodents, and the stench of decay." Keady said, “One part of me had always suspected such things. The
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in St. Louis Law School on a scholarship. In 1935, he married his high school sweetheart, Dorothy
Thompson. A year after getting married, they moved to Greensville, where Keady accepted a job as clerk in the firm of Percy and Farish. In 1937, he and his wife had a son, William Keady Jr. A few years
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William
Colbert Keady was born on April 2, 1913, in Greensville, Mississippi. His parents were Mary Augusta and Michael John Keady. William was the youngest of five children and born with a severe physical handicap; his right arm was extremely deformed with no right forearm and hand. However, Keady
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In court, Keady said, “The record is replete with innumerable instances of physical brutality and abuse in disciplining inmates who are sent to MSU. They include… handcuffing inmates to the fence and to cells for long periods of time, shooting at and around inmates and using a cattle prod to keep
395:
against the
Superintendent of the Penitentiary, the members of the Mississippi Penitentiary Board and the Governor of the State. Judge William Keady decided the case qualified as a class action under federal guidelines. This meant that the outcome would cover all inmates in the prison rather than
403:
The
Mississippi Delta’s nationally infamous penitentiary, Parchman Farm, serves as a vital depiction of racial brutality in America post-Civil war. Parchman is known as “... the quintessential penal farm, the closest thing to slavery that survived the Civil War."
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in education simply had to go." Keady was respected by lawyers for his intelligence and “even-handed demeanor,” though he didn’t get much media attention until 1972, when he covered what is now a landmark court case,
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Keady attended
Greenville High School. His mother died on his sixteenth birthday, and his father died roughly two years later. Despite these losses, Keady persevered and decided to further his education.
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was inevitable and should be accepted. He struggled with his position as judge sometimes, saying, “I am not a crusader, it was never my intention to strike dramatic reforms but to advocate
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423:, and an outrage to “modern standards of decency." Keady believed that “its failure to provide adequate housing, medical care, and physical protection” violated the
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just the four testifying. Another important thing Keady did was add a subclass of black convicts, since racial discrimination had been a key characteristic of
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322:, racial and sexual bias in jury selection, etc. A local attorney said, “He was someone the minorities in this state could turn to and know that the
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Though Keady went through phases of politics, he eventually chose to focus his legal career on becoming a federal judge. In 1940, voters in
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730:
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described him as a man of “vision and courage in the ranks of the federal judiciary” who “shaped a better
Mississippi."
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on April 3, 1968, and received his commission on April 4, 1968. He served as Chief Judge from 1968 to 1982, and assumed
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On
February 8, 1971, Nazareth Gates, Willie Holmes, Matthew Winter, and Hal Zachery filed a
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ended up agreeing with the lower court’s earlier decision, resulting in the abolishment of
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299:, but decided to take a step back from state legislature to focus on his legal practice.
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Judges of the United States
District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi
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259:, and collecting stamps in his free time. Percy was a planter, poet, and attorney.
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216:
431:." He also concluded that the policy of segregating inmates by race violated the
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He followed these findings with an order for “immediate and long-range relief."
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As a federal judge, Keady enforced desegregation plans that were favored by the
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Keady is most widely known for his role in the US District Court case,
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United States
District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi
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United States District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi
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United States District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi
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United States District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi
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United States District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi
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United States District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi
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United States District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi
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The state of Mississippi ended up appealing Keady’s decision to the
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on April 26, 1983. Keady served in that capacity until his death in
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United States district court judges appointed by Lyndon B. Johnson
240:. Keady is best-known for his role in the landmark court case,
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Keady died in a Jackson hospital on June 16, 1989, at age 76.
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when it came to politics and race; however, he believed that
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learned to adapt, often playing tennis with his friend,
314:." The types of issues that came to his court included
671:"Gates v. Collier, 349 F. Supp. 881 (N.D. Miss. 1972)"
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On March 26, 1968, Keady was nominated by President
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later, in 1941, their daughter Peggy Anne was born.
415:In October 1972, Keady found for the plaintiffs,
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342:created by 80 Stat. 75. He was confirmed by the
638:New York Times News Service (June 18, 1989).
354:, Mississippi, on June 16, 1989, at age 76.
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849:Washington University School of Law alumni
854:Washington University in St. Louis alumni
731:Biographical Directory of Federal Judges
684:Lillian, Cunningham (October 23, 2017).
621:Biographical Directory of Federal Judges
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603:Mississippi's Federal Courts: A History
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112:April 4, 1968 – April 26, 1983
50:April 26, 1983 – June 16, 1989
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454:, taking place in September 1974. The
232:(April 2, 1913 – June 16, 1989) was a
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844:People from Greenville, Mississippi
709:"501 F. 2d 1291 - Gates v. Collier"
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408:rest of me was angry and ashamed."
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213:Washington University School of Law
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14:
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640:"U.S. JUDGE WILLIAM C. KEADY, 76"
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287:. In 1944, they elected him as a
752:Seat established by 80 Stat. 75
444:Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.
297:Democratic National Conventions
271:In 1931, Keady began attending
135:Seat established by 80 Stat. 75
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400:since it was founded in 1904.
398:Mississippi State Penitentiary
363:Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals
281:Washington County, Mississippi
1:
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839:20th-century American judges
429:cruel and unusual punishment
295:at the 1940, 1944, and 1960
234:United States district judge
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302:Keady considered himself a
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462:of inmates as well as the
412:them standing or moving."
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801:Lyonel Thomas Senter Jr.
573:Mississippi Encyclopedia
330:Federal judicial service
92:Lyonel Thomas Senter Jr.
781:Claude Feemster Clayton
771:Neal Brooks Biggers Jr.
736:Federal Judicial Center
734:, a publication of the
626:Federal Judicial Center
624:, a publication of the
433:Equal Protection Clause
427:’s prohibition against
257:William Alexander Percy
147:Neal Brooks Biggers Jr.
80:Claude Feemster Clayton
726:William Colbert Keady
616:William Colbert Keady
437:Fourteenth Amendment.
338:to a new seat on the
326:was alive and well."
273:Washington University
230:William Colbert Keady
166:William Colbert Keady
23:William Colbert Keady
344:United States Senate
320:school desegregation
291:. Keady served as a
285:state representative
267:Education and career
788:Chief Judge of the
691:The Washington Post
283:, elected him as a
55:Chief Judge of the
644:chicagotribune.com
569:"William C. Keady"
538:Worse Than Slavery
477:The Clarion-Ledger
460:racial segregation
308:racial integration
807:
806:
798:Succeeded by
768:Succeeded by
686:"Fair Punishment"
601:Hargrove, David.
536:Oshinsky, David.
336:Lyndon B. Johnson
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123:Lyndon B. Johnson
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778:Preceded by
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448:Gates v. Collier
425:Eighth Amendment
421:unconstitutional
385:Gates v. Collier
378:Gates v. Collier
372:Gates v. Collier
243:Gates v. Collier
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157:Personal details
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711:. p. 1291.
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16:American judge
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324:Constitution
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194:(1989-06-16)
142:Succeeded by
134:
118:Appointed by
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87:Succeeded by
64:
45:
34:Senior Judge
824:1989 deaths
819:1913 births
203:Mississippi
183:Mississippi
130:Preceded by
75:Preceded by
813:Categories
795:1968–1982
765:1968–1983
649:2018-10-03
484:References
417:condemning
312:gradualism
250:Early life
179:Greenville
172:1913-04-02
209:Education
108:In office
69:1968–1982
65:In office
46:In office
367:Jim Crow
361:and the
293:delegate
728:at the
720:Sources
618:at the
450:into a
435:of the
352:Jackson
236:of the
199:Jackson
36:of the
470:Legacy
217:LL.B.
189:Died
162:Born
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