James L. Watson, 79; Senior Judge for U.S. Trade Court
James Lopez Watson, 79, a senior judge for the U.S. International Court of Trade who was one of the most senior African American members of the federal court system, died of cancer Sept. 1 at his home in New York City.
Like other judges on the International Court of Trade, Watson was periodically assigned to federal courts throughout the country. He decided Customs Court cases in California, Oregon and Washington. He also was the first black judge to head a federal court in the Deep South. His assignments included Atlanta, Houston and Dallas.
Watson, whose father was also a judge, was born in Harlem. He served with the Buffalo Soldiers of World War II in the all-black 371st Infantry Regiment, 92nd Division. He received a Purple Heart and an Infantry Combat Badge.
He graduated from New York University in 1947 and from Brooklyn Law School in 1951. He was elected to the New York state Senate in 1954.
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