JOHN PAYTON ADDRESSES SUPPORTERS AT A STAND FOR FREEDOM RALLY.


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munity reeling. On hearing news of his death, President Obama issued a statement praising Payton “as a true champion of equality [who] helped protect civil rights in the classroom and at the ballot box. T e legal community has lost a legend, and while we mourn John’s passing, we will never forget his courage and fi erce opposition to discrimina- tion in all its forms.”


N DIVERSITY & THE BAR® JULY/AUGUST 2012


ot surprisingly, Payton’s unexpected death from multiple myeloma on March 22 at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore has left large swaths of the legal com-


A champion of civil rights since his college days, Payton


(who was 65 when he died) worked to ensure the rights of U.S. minorities and black South Africans while also serving as a mentor and advocate for young lawyers. T roughout much of his multi-decade career, Payton was a partner in private practice where he excelled as both commercial litigator and civil rights attorney. He joined the LDF in 2008. “John was the fi rst LDF director-counsel to come from outside the organization. We waited in anticipation to see what direction he’d take us and what his particular imprimatur on the LDF would be,” says Debo P. Adegbile, acting director-counsel. “T ough we had great faith in his ability, we still


wondered what his lens would be on criminal justice issues MCCA.COM


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