David W. Williams

David W. Williams
Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the Central District of California
In office
January 17, 1981 – May 6, 2000
Judge of the United States District Court for the Central District of California
In office
June 20, 1969 – January 17, 1981
Appointed byRichard Nixon
Preceded byPeirson Mitchell Hall
Succeeded byEdward Rafeedie
Personal details
Born
David Welford Williams

(1910-03-20)March 20, 1910
Atlanta, Georgia
DiedMay 6, 2000(2000-05-06) (aged 90)
Los Angeles, California
EducationUniversity of California,
Los Angeles
(AB)
USC Gould School of Law (LLB)

David Welford Williams (March 20, 1910 – May 6, 2000) was an American attorney and United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Central District of California, the first African-American federal judge west of the Mississippi.[1] He is best known for his work in the abolition of restrictive covenants and for overseeing 4,000 criminal cases that stemmed from the 1965 Watts riots.

  1. ^ Potter, Joan and Claytor, Constance, African-American Firsts: Famous, little-known and unsung triumphs of blacks in America (1994).