Washington Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs

The Honorable Nathaniel R. Jones

During a career of nearly 40 years and in an array of challenging positions, Nathaniel Jones has demonstrated a truly remarkable commitment to equal justice in our nation. Following military service in World War II, Judge Jones received an A.B. and L.L.B. degree from Youngstown State University. In 1956, he began a three-year assignment as Executive Director of the Fair Employment Practices Commission of the City of Youngstown, and in 1960, he was appointed as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio. In 1967, he assumed the post of Assistant General Counsel to President Johnson’s National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders, also known as the Kerner Commission.

In 1969, Judge Jones assumed the responsibilities of general counsel to the NAACP, a position he held until 1979. During his service with the NAACP, he played a leading role in numerous landmark civil rights cases and on numerous occasions worked closely with the National and Washington Lawyers’ Committees. His exceptional advocacy on behalf of school desegregation and in expanding the scope of civil rights protections in the fields of voting rights and equal employment has left an indelible imprint on the NAACP and the country’s civil rights legacy.

In 1979, President Carter appointed Judge Jones to a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. He served with distinction on this court until his retirement in March 2002, championing the cause of equal justice and an expansive view of the civil rights protections.

A commitment to equal justice and ideals inspired by Wiley Branton has been a hallmark of Judge Jones’ professional life. The Committee is proud to honor him with its highest award.

Roger E. Warin

Following his graduation from Georgetown Law School and a clerkship with the Honorable Oliver Gasch, Roger Warin joined the law firm of Steptoe & Johnson in 1971. Today, he serves as Chair of the firm’s Executive Committee. Throughout his distinguished career at Steptoe, Roger has exemplified the highest standard of legal advocacy and commitment to pro bono service and civil rights. The Washington Lawyers’ Committee has been the beneficiary of his legal talents and leadership for over 30 years. We have seen the repeated examples of his unique ability to integrate an active and successful private practice with an expansive commitment to direct representation of civil rights clients and active promotion of his firm’s many pro bono initiatives.

Roger’s work with the Committee began shortly after the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1972, when he served as co-counsel in a major class action brought on behalf of African-American professional employees at the Federal Trade Commission. His skillful counsel in this matter contributed to a landmark settlement that improved the employment opportunities for hundreds of minority employees. His work on the FTC litigation also served as an introduction to the subject of civil rights attorney’s fee representation, a field in which he has become a preeminent authority, having represented the Committee and other civil rights claimants in over 40 cases, beginning in 1975. These matters have included some of the most important and largest fee claims ever litigated.

Of equal significance, Roger’s leadership has been a vital force in Steptoe & Johnson’s exceptional commitment to pro bono service in our community, including notably its decision in 1992 to become one of the first Washington law firms to name a full-time public service counsel. Over the past 30 years, Steptoe has been a leader in supporting virtually every Lawyers’ Committee program initiative. These efforts have included co-counsel roles in a series of major federal sector employment class actions, numerous successful challenges to denials of fair housing and groundbreaking litigation on behalf of clients with disabilities. The firm has been a leader in efforts to support school reform in the District of Columbia, through its creation of partnerships with local schools and the litigation of a major case challenging dangerous building conditions involving thousands of fire code violations at hundreds of D.C. school buildings.

Roger’s leadership has extended well beyond his law firm to encompass service on the Committee’s Board for over 12 years, including a term as Co-Chair. Throughout all of his professional endeavors, Roger has demonstrated the qualities of exceptional judgment, self-effacing leadership, and the commitment to equal rights which we associate with Wiley Branton.