Judge Thelton Henderson, Breaking New Ground

Thelton Henderson, presently a Senior United States District Judge in San Francisco, rose from humble origins to become a leading civil rights attorney and innovator of minority admissions programs. This book traces his career from a football star to his work in the 1960's as the first African-American lawyer from the Justice Department in the South to his notable and controversial decisions on such matters as veterans' affairs, educational and prison reform, and the environment. Judge Henderson's background and remarkable achievements challenge readers to consider what it means to be a wise and effective judge in modern America. A documentary film on Judge Henderson's life, Soul of Justice by Abby Ginzberg, was released in 2005.