BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) _ Alabama's first black federal judge, U.W. Clemon of Birmingham, will be honored next month by a group that opposed his appointment 33 years ago.
The American Bar Association is scheduled to give its 2013 John H. Pickering Award to Clemon, who's now retired. Clemon is scheduled to receive the award in August at the association's annual meeting in San Francisco.
Clemon told al.com (http://bit.ly/13pCeCN ) that he's gratified to be selected for the award. He said it shows how far the association has come and how far he has come.
President Jimmy Carter nominated Clemon for a federal judgeship in 1980. The ABA found at the time that Clemon was unqualified to be a federal judge. But Clemon was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee and by the full Senate.
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