Roby Calvin Thompson was a Virginia lawyer and federal judge

United States federal judge

In the United States, the title of federal judge usually means a judge appointed by the President of the United States and confirmed by the United States Senate in accordance with Article II of the United States Constitution....

. He was born in Saltville, Virginia

Saltville, Virginia

As of the census of 2000, there were 2,204 people, 909 households, and 660 families residing in the town. The population density was 273.7 people per square mile . There were 1,003 housing units at an average density of 124.5 per square mile...

.

Thompson graduated from the University of Virginia School of Law

University of Virginia School of Law

The University of Virginia School of Law was founded in Charlottesville in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson as one of the original subjects taught at his "academical village," the University of Virginia. The law school maintains an enrollment of approximately 1,100 students in its initial degree program...

, receiving his LL.B. in 1922.

He practiced law in Abingdon, Virginia

Abingdon, Virginia

Abingdon is a town in Washington County, Virginia, USA, 133 miles southwest of Roanoke. The population was 8,191 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Washington County and is a designated Virginia Historic Landmark...

, from 1922-1957.

He served as deputy clerk of the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia

United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia

The United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia is a United States district court.Appeals from the Western District of Virginia are taken to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit The United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia (in...

, from 1928-1938.

He was the Commonwealth's Attorney for Washington County, Virginia

Washington County, Virginia

As of the census of 2000, there were 51,103 people, 21,056 households, and 14,949 families residing in the county. The population density was 91 people per square mile . There were 22,985 housing units at an average density of 41 per square mile...

 from 1939-1947, and town attorney for Abingdon

Abingdon, Virginia

Abingdon is a town in Washington County, Virginia, USA, 133 miles southwest of Roanoke. The population was 8,191 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Washington County and is a designated Virginia Historic Landmark...

 from 1940-1957.

President Dwight Eisenhower nominated Thompson on August 16, 1957, to a seat on the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia

United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia

The United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia is a United States district court.Appeals from the Western District of Virginia are taken to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit The United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia (in...

 vacated by Alfred D. Barksdale

Alfred D. Barksdale

Alfred Dickinson Barksdale was a soldier, Virginia lawyer and legislator, state court judge, and United States federal judge.-Military career:...

. The United States Senate

United States Senate

The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...

 confirmed the nomination on August 28, 1957. Thompson acted as chief judge, from 1958-1960. He was succeeded on the bench by Thomas J. Michie

Thomas J. Michie

Thomas Johnson Michie was a Virginia lawyer and federal judge.-Family, education, and early career:Michie was the son and nephew of the founders of The Michie Company, a lawbook publisher based in Charlottesville, Virginia....

.

Along with his colleague Ted Dalton

Theodore Roosevelt Dalton

Theodore Roosevelt Dalton American lawyer,judge and politician known as "Ted" and as Virginia's "Mr. Republican".- Family :...

 and Senior Judge John Paul, Thompson presided over school integration cases in Western Virginia, implementing the Supreme Court

Supreme Court of the United States

The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...

's decision in Brown v. Board of Education

Brown v. Board of Education

Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, 347 U.S. 483 , was a landmark decision of the United States Supreme Court that declared state laws establishing separate public schools for black and white students unconstitutional. The decision overturned the Plessy v. Ferguson decision of 1896 which...

. Thompson ordered the integration of the public schools in Floyd County, Virginia

Floyd County, Virginia

As of the census of 2000, there were 13,874 people, 5,791 households, and 4,157 families residing in the county. The population density was 36 people per square mile . There were 6,763 housing units at an average density of 18 per square mile...

 and Galax, Virginia

Galax, Virginia

Galax is an independent city in the southwestern part of the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is bounded to the northeast by Carroll County and to the southwest by Grayson County. The population was 7,042 as of 2010...

 in 1959 and Pulaski County, Virginia

Pulaski County, Virginia

As of the census of 2000, there were 35,127 people, 14,643 households, and 10,147 families residing in the county. The population density was 110 people per square mile . There were 16,325 housing units at an average density of 51 per square mile...

in 1960, noting that more than five years had passed since the Brown decision.

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