Louisiana Legends; Judge J. Skelly Wright
- Series
- Louisiana Legends
- Episode
- Judge J. Skelly Wright
- Producing Organization
- Louisiana Public Broadcasting
- Contributing Organization
- Louisiana Public Broadcasting (Baton Rouge, Louisiana)
- AAPB ID
- cpb-aacip/17-0644jvfv
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- Description
- Episode Description
- This episode of the series "Louisiana Legends" from 1983 features an interview with Judge J. Skelly Wright conducted by Gus Weill. Wright, a New Orleans native, served as a U.S. District Court Judge in the Eastern District of Louisiana from 1949-1962, where he struck down unconstitutional and segregationist laws passed by the Louisiana State Legislature and called for the integration of the New Orleans public schools in 1960. He discusses: the impact of his World War II experience on his pro-Civil Rights stance; witnessing segregation at a Christmas Eve party for the blind in New Orleans; attending Loyola University Law School at night while he worked as a teacher; the impact of his experience as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in shaping his views on justice; arguing in front of the Supreme Court on behalf of Willie Francis; the harassment he and his family faced because of his pro-Civil Rights decisions; the harassment faced by other judges in the South; not being appointed to the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals because of the difficulty in receiving confirmation votes from Southern Senators; and his appointment as a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia by President John F. Kennedy in 1962.
- Description
- An interview with Judge J. Skelly Wright conducted by Gus Weill for Louisiana Legends. Wright, a District Court Judge in the Eastern District of Louisiana during the Civil Rights Movement, struck down unconstitutional and segregationist laws passed by the Louisiana State Legislature and called for the integration of the New Orleans public schools in 1960. He discusses the impact of his World War II experience on his pro-Civil Rights stance; witnessing segregation at a Christmas Eve party in New Orleans; attending Loyola University Law School at night while he worked as a teacher; his experience as an Assistant U.S. Attorney; arguing in front of the Supreme Court in the Willie Francis case on behalf of a black teenager from St. Martin Parish who was convicted of murder and sent to the electric chair, which malfunctioned during his execution and did not kill him; the harassment faced by himself and his family because of his pro-Civil Rights decisions; the harassment faced by other judges in the South; not being appointed to the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals because of difficulties in receiving confirmation votes from Southern Senators; and his appointment as a U.S. District Judge in Washington, D.C.
- Date
- 1983-00-00
- Asset type
- Episode
- Genres
- Interview
- Topics
- Biography
- Subjects
- CivilRights: Court Rulings; Civil Rights: African American Civil Rights; Civil Rights: School Desegregation; Courts; Supreme Court; African Americans; Segregation; Civil Rights
- Rights
- Louisiana Educational Television Authority/Louisiana Public Broadcasting. Restricted Use. For permission or licensing information contact: comments@lpb.org
- Media type
- Moving Image
- Duration
- 180:27:34
- Credits
-
-
Assistant Director: Fourrier, Clay
Audio: Ward, Randy
Copyright Holder: Louisiana Educational Television Authority
Director: Harrison, Jr., Joseph L.
Executive Producer: Courtney, Beth
Interviewee: Wright, J. Skelly
Interviewer: Weill, Gus
Photographer: Carroll, Mark
Photographer: James, Frank
Producer: Grigsby-Breazeale, Kathryn
Producing Organization: Louisiana Public Broadcasting
Video: Labauve, Doug
Video: Hatfield, Kent
- AAPB Contributor Holdings
-
Louisiana Public Broadcasting
Identifier: H27 (Louisiana Public Broadcasting Archives)
Format: 1 inch videotape: SMPTE Type C
Generation: Master
Duration: 00:29:17
-
Louisiana Public Broadcasting
Identifier: H27.mp4 (Louisiana Public Broadcasting Archives)
Format: video/mp4
Generation: Copy: Access
Duration: 180:27:34
-
Louisiana Public Broadcasting
Identifier: H27.mxf (Louisiana Public Broadcasting Archives)
Format: application/mxf
Generation: Master
Duration: 180:28:01
-
Louisiana Public Broadcasting
Identifier: C1180 (Louisiana Public Broadcasting Archives)
Format: U-matic
Generation: Master
Duration: 00:29:17
If you have a copy of this asset and would like us to add it to our catalog, please contact us.
- Citations
- Chicago: “Louisiana Legends; Judge J. Skelly Wright,” 1983-00-00, Louisiana Public Broadcasting, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC, accessed January 6, 2025, http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-17-0644jvfv.
- MLA: “Louisiana Legends; Judge J. Skelly Wright.” 1983-00-00. Louisiana Public Broadcasting, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Web. January 6, 2025. <http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-17-0644jvfv>.
- APA: Louisiana Legends; Judge J. Skelly Wright. Boston, MA: Louisiana Public Broadcasting, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Retrieved from http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-17-0644jvfv