James Lopez Watson

James Lopez Watson (May 21, 1922 – September 2, 2001) was a judge of the United States Customs Court and of its successor, the United States Court of International Trade.

Judge Watson was born in Harlem, New York, the son of James S. Watson and his wife Violet. During World War II he fought in Italy with the Army, and was awarded the Purple Heart. He received a B.A. from New York University in 1947 and an LL.B. from Brooklyn Law School in 1951.

In 1954 he was elected to the New York State Senate. In 1963 he was elected to the New York City Civil Court.

On March 7, 1966, President Lyndon Johnson appointed him to the United States Customs Court (which became the United States Court of International Trade in 1980). Because judges of that court are periodically assigned to federal courts around the country, Watson became the first African-American judge to head a federal court in the South since Reconstruction. He took senior status in 1991, but continued to serve on the court until his death from cancer in 2001.

In 2003 the courthouse at 1 Federal Plaza in Manhattan was renamed the James L. Watson United States Court of International Trade Building in his honor.

Notes

New York State Senate
Preceded by Julius Archibald	New York State Senate, 21st District 1955–1963	Succeeded by Constance Baker Motley