Written by Raven Joy Shonel
Published on 4th May 2021
Joseph Hatchett, a former attorney and Supreme Court Judge, passed away on 30th April 2021 at the age of 88. Hatchett was born on 17th September 1932 in Clearwater, Florida. In 1954, he graduated from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University. He had served as a Lieutenant in the U.S. army. Hatchett attended Howard University, where he graduated with a law degree in 1959. When he was taking the Florida Bar Exam, he was not allowed to stay in the hotel the exam was held in because of Jim Crow laws. After this, he worked as an attorney in private practice.
In 1966, Hatchett was appointed assistant U.S. attorney for the Middle District of Florida. In 1971, he was appointed United States magistrate in the same district. Following this, he became the first Black Judge on the Florida Supreme Court in 1976. President Jimmy Carter appointed Hatchett to the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in 1979. In 2020, Hatchett was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Florida Supreme Court Historical Society. During the ceremony, Hatchett stated, “Honesty and truth are the hallmarks of good lawyers and good judges.”
Read the Full Story at https://theweeklychallenger.com/justice-joseph-hatchett-to-lie-in-state-friday/
