DETROIT (WXYZ) — Federal Judge Damon J. Keith passed away at his home in Detroit early Sunday morning, his family confirmed.
The 96-year-old had served on the U.S. District Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit since 1977. Prior to that post, Keith served as a federal judge in Michigan's Eastern District.
"He's part of Detroit's history, he's part of this nation's history," said Keith's nephew, Luther Keith.
Keith is known for dozens of landmark decisions that helped move civil rights forward in the Motor City and in the country.
“He would always point everybody to the words on the top of the U.S. Supreme Court building. Equal justice under law," said Butch Hollowell, a local attorney and family friend.
Keith's decisions led to the integration of the Pontiac public school system and the Detroit Police Department.
According to Hollowell, Keith went to work until his very last days. He even carried a copy of the Constitution in his pocket, he said.
As a teenager, Hollowell remembers the late judge opening his eyes to the legal world and all of its possibilities.
“He had me paint his fence, and then when I was done with that, he let me sit in the corner as long as I didn’t say anything, and I could listen to the movers and shakers when I was in junior high, high school.”
Keith's name serves a legacy and reminder of his mission at Wayne State University, where he received his law degree in 1956.
Peter Hammer is the director of the Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights at Wayne State; he's also worked on biographies of Judge Keith.
"He taught me and he teaches everyone how to be a better human being. You can't leave the Judge's presence and just walk by somebody indifferently. Because he knew everybody, from the president down to the person who cleans the floors," Hammer said.
Channel 7 named Judge Keith Person of the Week in 2017.
“He gave this earth, he gave this profession, he gave the cause of justice everything he had. We should celebrate him, we should mourn for him, and we should try to emulate him," Holloway told 7 Action News.
A public visitation will be held at The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History Saturday, May 11 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Keith's funeral will be held at Hartford Memorial Baptist Church, 18700 James Couzens Fwy., Monday, May 13 at 10 a.m.
