Remembering the Honorable Matthew J. Perry

GaffneyLewis remembers with affection and honor, Matthew J. Perry on the 10th anniversary of his passing.  Those of us privileged to have appeared before him recall with great affection his gentle demeanor and pleasing temperament, his empathy and fairness to all, and his profound love of the law. 

Chief United States District Judge Joseph Anderson once wrote “to say that Matthew Perry was good in the courtroom is like saying Mickey Mantle knew how to swing a bat . . . Aristotle taught that lawyers and judges should be the very personification of justice. Matthew J. Perry Jr. comes as close as any person I have known to meeting Aristotle’s ideal.”

As a lawyer, Perry led many landmark civil rights cases, including the case that resulted in the integration of Clemson.  He was appointed by President Jimmy Carter to the United States District Court in 1979 and was South Carolina’s first African American Federal Judge.  He remained active as a Judge until his death in 2011.  The Matthew J. Perry Federal Courthouse in Columbia is a fitting tribute to such a distinguished jurist, lawyer, and activist.

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