Judge Thelton Henderson was presented with the AIC Professionalism Award for the Ninth Circuit. Judge Henderson (center) is pictured here with AIC Foundation president Justice Randy Holland and Chief Judge Mary Schroeder of the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
Thelton Henderson was born in Shreveport, Louisiana and moved to Los Angeles at the age of three. His mother was a domestic worker and his father a janitor, except for a period during World War II when both were able to obtain better jobs in a defense plant. He grew up in the Watts area of Los Angeles and attended public schools in South Central Los Angeles. He is the first in his family to attend college and law school.
Judge Henderson identifies his mother as the strongest influence in his life. "She insisted," he writes, "that I study hard, get a good education, and 'make something of myself’” which, to her, meant a professional career as a doctor or lawyer. She made sure that her son studied hard and did well in high school and kept him focused on attending college. The young Henderson was a talented halfback and went on to earn a football scholarship at the University of California at Berkeley, where he graduated in 1956.
Prior to attending law school, Henderson served in the Army from 1956 to 1958. After graduating from Boalt Hall Law School in 1962, he began his professional career as an attorney with the Civil Rights Division of the United States Department of Justice. One of the government’s first black attorneys to investigate and prosecute voting rights cases throughout Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana in the turbulent early ‘60s.
Thereafter, he entered the general practice of law-first as an associate attorney with the law firm of Fitzsimmons & Petris (1964-1966), and later as a founding partner of the firm of Rosen, Remcho & Henderson in San Francisco (1977-1980). During this same time period, he was the Directing Attorney for the Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County, East Palo Alto, California.
Henderson has also enjoyed a distinguished career in academia. From 1968 to 1976, he served as the Assistant Dean of the Stanford University School of Law. Moreover, while in private practice from 1977 through 1980, he served as an Associate Professor at the Golden Gate University School of Law.
President Jimmy Carter appointed Judge Henderson to the federal court in 1980. When, on November 16, 1990, he became Chief Judge, he became the first African-American to ascend to that position in the Northern District of California. A capable and skilled administrator, he worked to implement and oversee the Northern District’s alternative dispute resolution and case management programs, among the first and most successful in the nation.
When asked about his philosophy as a judge, he replied “I would like everyone who comes into my Court to leave feeling that they have had their day in Court, whether they won or lost the matter at hand. It is important to me that those appearing before me - and this especially includes those appearing in pro per - recognize that they have been listened to, heard, and considered.”
Judge Henderson credits much of his success to the many willing mentors who helped mold him from the early days in Watts through his judicial career. His involvement with young law students and his willing and friendly sharing of knowledge and experience with others have added to his respect and admiration among those who have come into contact with him over the years. He feels that his experiences as a judge have exceeded his expectations. In particular, he notes: “This has been the most stimulating and fulfilling job I have thus far had. On an almost daily basis I find myself dealing with important issues facing the community and society. As a "generalist" I find myself being educated by attorneys and experts on the workings of our stock market, our savings and loan industry, drug trafficking, etc. … an endless, interesting menu.”
Though he took senior status in 1998, Judge Henderson is still an active judge. His primary outside interest these days is watching his eight year-old grandson, Brian grow up. He is an avid fisherman, from fly-fishing in Montana, to Marlin fishing in Mexico, and an avid card player, having played with the same group of friends for the past 35 years.
Judge Henderson is also very involved with a program in Oakland, California called the Mentor Drug Diversion Program. This Program identifies young adults who have been arrested for a drug offense, and attempt to present them with educational, employment, cultural and mentor opportunities. If the young adult successfully completes the program by maintaining employment and obtaining an educational degree, the arrest is expunged from his or her record.