Howard University School of Law

Howard University School of Law
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Name	Howard University School of Law
Established	0 1869
Type	Private law school
Parent	Howard University
Dean	Danielle Holley-Walker
City	Washington, D.C.
Country	United States
Website	law.howard.edu

Howard University School of Law. Howard University School of Law is a private, historically black law school located in Washington, D.C., and is part of Howard University. Founded in 1869, it is one of the oldest law schools in the United States dedicated to providing legal education to African Americans. The school has played a pivotal role in the U.S. Civil Rights Movement, producing a significant number of the nation's leading civil rights attorneys, judges, and public officials.

History and Founding

Howard University School of Law was established in 1869 by a group of trustees of Howard University, which itself was founded in 1867. Its creation was a direct response to the post-Civil War need to educate freedmen and prepare them for leadership and the legal profession. The school's first dean was John Mercer Langston, a pioneering African-American attorney, congressman, and diplomat. Initially operating with limited resources, the law school was a critical institution during the Reconstruction era, dedicated to the principle of training lawyers who would advocate for racial equality. It moved to its first permanent building, known as "The Annex," in 1879. The school has been continuously accredited by the American Bar Association since 1931 and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools.

Role in the Civil Rights Movement

The law school served as an intellectual and strategic nerve center for the Civil Rights Movement throughout the 20th century. Under the leadership of deans like Charles Hamilton Houston, who served as vice-dean from 1929 to 1935, the school adopted a explicit mission to train "social engineers"—lawyers who would use the law as a tool to dismantle racial segregation and fight for justice. Houston, along with his star pupil Thurgood Marshall, developed the legal strategy that would eventually lead to the landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision in 1954. Faculty and students were deeply involved in litigation, research, and advocacy through organizations like the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.

Notable Alumni and Faculty

The school boasts an extraordinary roster of graduates and professors who have shaped American law and society. Its most famous alumnus is Thurgood Marshall, the first African-American U.S. Supreme Court Justice. Other notable alumni include former U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris; civil rights attorney and former U.S. Solicitor General Spottswood William Robinson III; and former Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin. Distinguished faculty have included Charles Hamilton Houston, who is often called "The Man Who Killed Jim Crow"; legal scholar and later federal judge Patricia Roberts Harris; and constitutional law expert J. Clay Smith Jr..

Academic Programs and Centers

Howard University School of Law offers the Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree, as well as a Master of Laws (LL.M.) program. Its curriculum emphasizes public interest law, civil rights, and clinical education. The school houses several specialized centers and institutes that focus on social justice, including the Thurgood Marshall Civil Rights Center, which serves as a hub for advocacy, research, and training. Other significant programs include the Howard Law Journal and the Human Rights and Globalization Law Review. The school's clinical programs allow students to gain practical experience in areas such as fair housing, juvenile justice, and immigration law.

Landmark Cases and Legal Advocacy

Attorneys educated at or affiliated with Howard Law have been counsel in numerous landmark U.S. Supreme Court cases that advanced civil rights. The most famous is Brown v. Board of Education (1954), argued by Thurgood Marshall. Other pivotal cases include Shelley v. Kraemer (1948), which struck down racially restrictive housing covenants; Smith v. Allwright (1944), which outlawed white primaries; and Gideon v. Wainwright (1963), which established the right to counsel for indigent defendants, a case for which former Howard Law professor Abe Fortas served as counsel. The school's legacy of advocacy continues through its clinics and centers addressing contemporary issues like voting rights and criminal justice reform.

Influence on Legal Education

Howard University School of Law has profoundly influenced legal education by championing the model of the lawyer as a public servant and agent for social change. Its "social engineer" philosophy, pioneered by Charles Hamilton Houston, demonstrated how law schools could have a direct impact on society beyond traditional practice. The school has been a national leader in increasing diversity within the legal profession, producing a disproportionate number of African-American lawyers, judges, and law professors. Its emphasis on clinical legal education and public interest law has been adopted by many other institutions. The school remains a top producer of applicants to the U.S. Department of Justice and other public service academies Department of the United States Department of the United States Department of the United States Department of the United States Department of the United States Department of the United States|United States|States, the United States.