extraordinarily distinguished career in law.
A Fairmont, N.C., native, and Vanderbilt University
graduate, Judge Oxendine was a successful attorney in
Atlanta and a district and superior court judge in Gwinnett
County. He heard death penalty cases and mega-million
dollar civil cases.
Judge Oxendine spoke October 5 to a "Law, Politics
and Justice" class at UNC Pembroke. His advice was
drawn from seasoning that only a full career in the law can
furnish.
He advocated for a career in public service.
"When I was appointed a district court judge, I had
been making a lot of money working for a large law firm,"
Judge Oxendine said. "I almost quit because of the pay. I
realized that I would not be much of a person if I left that
job because of money," he said. "It was a tough choice,
but thank God we have good people willing to work for
the public."
Judge Oxendine advised
students to worry less about
money and more about hap-
piness.
"When you get there and
you're happy with it, hang
in there," he said. "When
you go to bed at night,
you'll sleep better."
Judge Oxendine said he
is becoming fond of his new
job retirement. But from
the sound of it he still has
his hand in Georgia politics.
"When my son (John) was elected Insurance Commis-
sioner, he was the youngest person ever elected to a state-
wide office at age 27," he said. "He is one of five people
running for governor, and the polls show he is leading the
pack."
But Judge Oxendine spoke mainly of inspiration, of
"climbing the mountain," an expression used by his favor-
ite elementary school teacher Opel Hunt.
"As a student, you need to say, `I'm not on top of that
mountain yet, but I'm climbing,'" he said. "My teachers
There were other teachers, including one with UNCP
connections.
"Clifton Oxendine, the man they named this building
after, was my math and science teacher," Judge Oxendine
said. "He taught me that the color of my skin did not mat-
ter, but the content of my character was the key to getting
where I wanted to go."
Judge Oxendine was the first American Indian to be
admitted to the Georgia Bar and the first to argue a case
before the U.S. Supreme Court. He believes that talent
should be the deciding factor not race or other factors in
the selection of Supreme Court justices and everything
else.
"We need more women on the Supreme Court," he
quipped. "We need to get away from looking at race; Con-
gress has not quite crossed that river yet."
Judge Oxendine's career crossed a river of a different
death penalty cases he
heard from the bench.
"I tried three death
penalty cases, and a man
who killed a policeman got
death," he said. "When it
was time to deliver the sen-
tence, I didn't know what
to say.
"I took a month off after
that trial," he said. "It made
me appreciate life more."
Judge Oxendine deliv-
ered a history lesson. He
American law.
"1965 was not all that long ago; I had already become
a successful attorney, but to many others the door was
closed," he said. "In that decision, lawmakers realized that
America could not become a great nation unless it was
totally free."
Judge Jim Oxendine's life makes a strong case for that
point.
self, a family member or a special friend on the campus. Your name or the name of a loved one will be inscribed on a
beautifully crafted bench to be located at strategic sites throughout campus.