YOUNGSTOWN Crowd honors Judge Jones as courthouse is named

One former lawmaker said the judge is an inspiration.
By DAVID SKOLNICK
VINDICATOR POLITICS WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Retired senior U.S. Judge Nathaniel R. Jones described himself as a "lawbreaker" and an "outlaw" in his youth.
The laws involved segregation and racial discrimination when he was growing up on Court Street in Youngstown's Smoky Hollow section.
"We challenged the way race was used," he said. "I was taught to cope with adversity and to dream and to make my dreams a reality."
Since then, he has spent a lifetime distinguishing himself in the fields of law and civil rights.
On Monday, the judge, who has received numerous awards in the past, received the ultimate honor: The city's second federal courthouse was named for him.
"When young people pass this building or come to this building, many will ask, 'Who is Nathaniel Jones?'" he said. "I hope that someone can answer that."
About the judge
Judge Jones, 76, was the first black to be appointed assistant U.S. attorney for the Northeast District of Ohio, in 1962; served as assistant general council to President Johnson's National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders; served 10 years as general counsel for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and argued two cases in front of the U.S. Supreme Court in that capacity; and was appointed a judge on the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in 1979. He retired last year from the bench and is senior counsel with a Cincinnati law firm.
Judge Jones becomes only the fourth black person to have a federal building named in his honor.
Several people -- including judges, politicians, prominent businessmen as well as the judge's friends and family -- packed the bankruptcy courtroom Monday to pay tribute to the Youngstown native.
"Judge Jones has involved himself through his lifetime in the struggle for justice and equality," said senior Judge Damon J. Keith of the 6th Circuit and a longtime friend of the judge.
An inspiration
Former U.S. Rep. Louis Stokes of Cleveland said young people should be inspired by the example set by the judge.
"This building, which will forever carry your name, will be a testament to outstanding public service by a local boy made good," he said.
The $22 million, four-story federal building on the corner of East Commerce Street and Wick Avenue, which opened in October, features a portrait of the judge and a dedication plaque. "Nathaniel R. Jones" was added to the courthouse's exterior over the weekend above "U.S. Courthouse and Federal Building."
"You are truly one of the great ones, period; and you are absolutely one of the great ones from the Valley," said Carmen Policy, president of the Cleveland Browns and a lawyer, who said Judge Jones assisted him with his first federal trial during the mid-1960s.
skolnick@vindy.com