Barrington Daniels Parker (November 17, 1915 – June 2, 1993) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.

Education and career

Parker was born in Rosslyn, Virginia, on November 17, 1915. His father was dean of the now-closed

Terrell Law School The Robert H. Terrell Law School was a historically black law school in Washington, D.C., that offered evening classes from its founding in 1931 until 1950. It was founded by George A. Parker, Philip W. Thomas, Louis R. Mehlinger, Benjamin Gaskin ...

in Washington, D.C. Barrington attended Dunbar High School in Washington, and graduated from Lincoln University in Pennsylvania in 1936 with an

Artium Baccalaureus Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

degree in economics, and from the University of Pennsylvania in 1938 with a Master of Arts, finally receiving a

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

from the University of Chicago Law School in 1947.

Federal judicial service

On September 15, 1969, Parker was nominated by President Richard Nixon to a seat on the United States District Court for the District of Columbia vacated by Judge

Joseph Charles McGarraghy Joseph Charles McGarraghy (November 6, 1897 – November 29, 1975) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. Education and career McGarraghy was born in Washington, D.C., and graduated ...

. Parker was confirmed by the United States Senate on December 18, 1969, and received his commission on December 19, 1969. Parker assumed senior status on December 19, 1985, and served in that capacity until his death. He died on June 2, 1993 at Holy Cross Hospital in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Notable cases

Parker's most high profile case was the criminal trial of

John Hinckley Jr. John Warnock Hinckley Jr. (born May 29, 1955) is an American man who attempted to assassinate U.S. President Ronald Reagan in Washington, D.C. on March 30, 1981, two months after Reagan's first inauguration. Using a .22 caliber revolver, Hinck ...

Parker also ordered the closure of the

High Security Unit High Security Unit (HSU) was a "control" unit for women within the Federal Medical Center in Lexington, Kentucky. In the less than two years that the HSU was operational it became a focus of national and international concern over human rights ab ...

Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is a city in Kentucky, United States that is the county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, Fayette County. By population, it is the List of cities in Kentucky, second-largest city in Kentucky and List of United States cities by popul ...

, a women's prison wing used to house certain prisoners in isolation based on their political beliefs or affiliations. Parker said in his ruling that: '"The treatment of the plaintiffs has skirted elemental standards of human decency. The exaggerated security, small group isolation and staff harassment serve to constantly undermine the inmates' morale". He ordered the Bureau of Prisons to rewrite its regulations and transfer the handful of prisoners held there into the general prison population.Jan Susler, "The Women's High Security Unit in Lexington, KY", ''Yale Journal of Law and Liberation'' 31 (1989): 31-42.

Personal life

Parker's son,

Barrington Daniels Parker Jr. Barrington Daniels Parker Jr. (born August 21, 1944) is a senior United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Background Parker's father, Barrington Daniels Parker Sr., was a judge on the United S ...

, is a senior judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Parker, Barrington Daniels 1915 births 1993 deaths Judges of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia United States district court judges appointed by Richard Nixon 20th-century American judges African-American judges Washington, D.C., Republicans 20th-century American lawyers Dunbar High School (Washington, D.C.) alumni