Education and career
Born November 23, 1914, in Washington, D.C., Atkins received a Bachelor of Laws in 1936 from the Fredric G. Levin College of Law at the University of Florida. He entered private practice inFederal judicial service
Atkins was nominated by President Lyndon B. Johnson on June 28, 1966, to the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida, to a new seat authorized by 80 Stat. 75. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on July 22, 1966, and received his commission on July 22, 1966. He served as Chief Judge from 1977 to 1982. He assumed senior status on December 31, 1982. His service terminated on March 11, 1999, due to his death in Miami.Notable cases
In 1969, Atkins worked on ensuring the desegregation of Miami schools by appointing a special panel to ensure the plan was carried out. In 1970, he ruled on a famous case involving the poet Allen Ginsberg after someone shut off Ginsberg's microphone during a public reading. Atkins ruled that Ginsberg should be given another reading, free of charge. Among the many important cases in a long and distinguished career, Atkins issued landmark rulings protecting the constitutional rights of homeless people in ''Pottinger v. City of Miami'', as well as major rulings in other cases involving the rights of Haitian and Cuban refugees.''Haitian Refugee Center, Inc. v. Christopher'', 43 F.3d 1431 (11th Cir. 1995).References
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* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Atkins, C. Clyde 1914 births 1999 deaths Judges of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida United States district court judges appointed by Lyndon B. Johnson 20th-century American judges 20th-century American lawyers Fredric G. Levin College of Law alumni