05 LC 19
6459
House
Resolution 138
By:
Representatives Brooks of the
63rd,
Watson of the
91st,
Smyre of the
132nd,
Beasley-Teague of the
65th,
Jones of the
44th,
and others
A
RESOLUTION
Honoring
the life of Judge William Augustus Bootle and expressing regret at his passing;
and for other purposes.
WHEREAS,
Judge William Augustus Bootle was a judicial pioneer whose long and legendary
legal career earned him a place among the giants of American history;
and
WHEREAS,
he was first appointed a United States Attorney in 1929 by President Calvin
Coolidge; and
WHEREAS,
President Dwight D. Eisenhower named him a judge of the United States District
Court for the Middle District of Georgia in 1954; and
WHEREAS,
acting with tremendous courage and a fearless commitment to justice, Judge
Bootle ruled in ground-breaking desegregation cases in Georgia; and
WHEREAS,
he made history when he ended 160 years of segregation at the University of
Georgia by ordering the admission of two black Atlanta students in 1961;
and
WHEREAS,
in 1962, ending a three-week boycott of Macon City buses, he struck down all
state laws and a Public Service Commission rule requiring bus segregation;
and
WHEREAS,
controversy never deterred Judge Bootle; as his landmark decisions shook
Georgia's segregated establishment, he stood firm in his belief of equal justice
for all; and
WHEREAS,
he retired as senior judge in 1970 but continued presiding over federal cases on
a part-time basis until 1981; and
WHEREAS,
the City of
Macońs
federal courthouse was named in his honor in 1998; and
WHEREAS,
already revered during his lifetime as one of the great judges of our time,
Judge Bootle died on January 25, 2005, at the age of 102.
NOW,
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that the members of
this body honor the life of Judge William Augustus Bootle, express their
gratitude for his enduring contributions to our society and to the ideals of
justice and equality, and express their heartfelt sympathy to his sons and
daughter.
BE
IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized
and directed to transmit an appropriate copy of this resolution to the family of
William Augustus Bootle.