The Honorable James R. Spencer
Judge James R. Spencer was born on March 25, 1949 in Florence, South Carolina. He was among the first in his family to attend college, enrolling at Clark College in Atlanta, Georgia in 1967. He graduated magna cum laude in 1971, and went on to study at Harvard Law School, where he obtained his J.D. degree in 1974. The following year, Spencer graduated in the top five percent of his class at the Judge Advocate General’s School at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia. Spencer later studied at the Howard University School of Divinity, graduating in 1985.
Spencer’s interest in law began in 1967, while working under civil rights activist Marian Wright Edelman at her public interest law firm, the Washington Research Project. Upon graduating from Harvard Law School, he worked as a staff attorney with the Atlanta Legal Aid Society. He went on to serve as a prosecutor, and then as chief of justice, with the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps from 1975 to 1978. From there, Spencer became an assistant attorney general, serving the U.S. Attorney’s Office of District of Columbia. He was the first African American attorney assigned to the office’s Major Crimes Division. In 1983, he moved to the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Eastern District of Virginia, where he remained until 1986 when he was appointed by President Ronald Reagan as the first African American district court judge of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. From 1987 to 1996, Spencer also served as an adjunct professor of law at the University of Virginia. In 2004, Spencer was appointed as chief justice of the district, serving until 2011. In 2014, Spencer assumed the rank of senior judge. He presided over a number of high-profile cases over the course of his career, including the 2006 patent infringement suit between Research In Motion, the maker of BlackBerry devices, and the patent holding company NTP, Inc.; and the 2014 corruption trial of Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell.
Spencer was a member of numerous professional, civic and fraternal organizations, including the State Bar of Georgia, the District of Columbia Bar, the Virginia State Bar, the National Bar Association, the Old Dominion Bar Association, and the Federal Bar Association, Big Brothers of America, the NAACP, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Alpha Kappa Mu, Sigma Pi Phi, and Phi Beta Kappa. Spencer also earned a black belt and was a member of the U.S. Karate Association. He served as associate pastor of the 3rd Union Baptist Church in King William, Virginia.
Judge James R. Spencer was interviewed by The HistoryMakers on December 8, 2016.
A2016.132
Male
12/8/2016
Spencer
Married
R.
Clark Atlanta University
Harvard Law School
Howard University School of Divinity
Carver Elementary Magnet School
Wilson High School
Wilson Junior High School
James
Florence
SPE64
Fall
South Carolina
Nassau
I Was Young But Now I'm Old But I Have Never Seen The Righteous Forsaken.

Virginia
3/25/1949
Richmond
United States
Rib Eye With Grits
Judge James R. Spencer (1949 - ) worked for civil rights activist Marian Wright Edelman at the Washington Research Project, and was the first African American federal district court judge in the Eastern District of Virginia.
Washington Research Project
Atlanta Legal Aid Society
U.S. Army Judge Advocate General's Corps
District of Columbia
Eastern District of Virginia
University of Virginia
Blue
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Tape: 1 Story: 9 - The Honorable James R. Spencer remembers his early neighborhood in Florence, South Carolina
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Tape: 1 Story: 11 - The Honorable James R. Spencer remembers segregation in Florence, South Carolina
Tape: 2 Story: 1 - The Honorable James R. Spencer remembers an early case in his judicial career
Tape: 2 Story: 2 - The Honorable James R. Spencer recalls working as a caddy at Florence Country Club in Florence, South Carolina
Tape: 2 Story: 3 - The Honorable James R. Spencer remembers a racist encounter at a movie theater
Tape: 2 Story: 4 - The Honorable James R. Spencer talks about his education at Carver Elementary School in Florence, South Carolina
Tape: 2 Story: 5 - The Honorable James R. Spencer remembers a discouraging teacher
Tape: 2 Story: 6 - The Honorable James R. Spencer recalls reading Jet Magazine as a child
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Tape: 2 Story: 8 - The Honorable James R. Spencer talks about the Civil Rights Movement
Tape: 2 Story: 9 - The Honorable James R. Spencer remembers attending Center Baptist Church in Florence, South Carolina
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Tape: 2 Story: 11 - The Honorable James R. Spencer talks about his activities at Wilson High School in Florence, South Carolina
Tape: 2 Story: 12 - The Honorable James R. Spencer remembers playing music with his brother and cousin
Tape: 3 Story: 1 - The Honorable James R. Spencer remembers the social gatherings of his youth
Tape: 3 Story: 2 - The Honorable James R. Spencer recalls his decision to attend Clark College in Atlanta, Georgia
Tape: 3 Story: 3 - The Honorable James R. Spencer talks about classism in the South
Tape: 3 Story: 4 - The Honorable James R. Spencer recalls the congregation's support of his educational endeavors
Tape: 3 Story: 5 - The Honorable James R. Spencer remembers his father's death
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Tape: 3 Story: 7 - The Honorable James R. Spencer remembers his early influences at Clark College in Atlanta, Georgia
Tape: 3 Story: 8 - The Honorable James R. Spencer recalls learning about African American history at Wilson High School
Tape: 3 Story: 9 - The Honorable James R. Spencer remembers meeting Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Tape: 3 Story: 10 - The Honorable James R. Spencer talks about his summer internship with the Washington Research Project in Washington, D.C.
Tape: 3 Story: 11 - The Honorable James R. Spencer remembers his professors at Clark College
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Tape: 4 Story: 2 - The Honorable James R. Spencer recalls his decision to attend Harvard Law School
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Tape: 4 Story: 7 - The Honorable James R. Spencer describes his experiences in Judge Advocate General's Corps
Tape: 4 Story: 8 - The Honorable James R. Spencer talks about his family
Tape: 4 Story: 9 - The Honorable James R. Spencer recalls being hired as an assistant United States attorney
Tape: 5 Story: 1 - The Honorable James R. Spencer describes his experiences as assistant district attorney
Tape: 5 Story: 2 - The Honorable James R. Spencer recalls attending Howard University School of Divinity
Tape: 5 Story: 3 - The Honorable James R. Spencer remembers his appointment as a federal judge
Tape: 5 Story: 4 - The Honorable James R. Spencer describes the work of a federal judge
Tape: 5 Story: 5 - The Honorable James R. Spencer recalls meeting Oliver W. Hill
Tape: 5 Story: 6 - The Honorable James R. Spencer reflects upon his role as a federal judge
Tape: 5 Story: 7 - The Honorable James R. Spencer remembers the patent case, NTP, Inc. v. Research in Motion, Ltd., pt. 1
Tape: 5 Story: 8 - The Honorable James R. Spencer remembers the patent case, NTP, Inc. v. Research in Motion, Ltd., pt. 2
Tape: 5 Story: 9 - The Honorable James R. Spencer recalls his efforts to improve diversity in government positions in Richmond, Virginia
Tape: 5 Story: 10 - The Honorable James R. Spencer recalls becoming chief judge
Tape: 6 Story: 1 - The Honorable James R. Spencer remembers the Kemba Smith case
Tape: 6 Story: 2 - The Honorable James R. Spencer talks about discriminatory drug laws
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Tape: 6 Story: 4 - The Honorable James R. Spencer describes his role as senior judge
Tape: 6 Story: 5 - The Honorable James R. Spencer shares his judicial philosophy
Tape: 6 Story: 6 - The Honorable James R. Spencer reflects upon his life
Tape: 6 Story: 7 - The Honorable James R. Spencer talks about his children's accomplishments
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Tape: 6 Story: 9 - The Honorable James R. Spencer describes how he would like to be remembered
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