Court remembers Shaw.

The life of Justice Leander J. Shaw, Jr., was honored at a memorial service at the Florida Supreme Court on March 2, where former colleagues gathered to recognize his achievements and recall fond memories.

The former justice served from 1983 until retirement in 2003, and was the first African-American to become chief justice between 1990-1992. Justice Shaw passed away in Tallahassee on December 14, 2015.

Former Justice Joseph W. Hatchett--who was there to speak of his longtime friend--was the first African-American to serve on the Florida Supreme Court.

"I'm here today to talk about a pioneer. A pioneer in the law. A pioneer in civil rights. A dedicated public servant. A friend and a buddy," Hatchett said.

"Before becoming chief justice of the Florida Supreme Court, before passage of the Civil Rights Act, before passage of the Voting Rights Act, before Dr. Martin Luther King came to St. Augustine, Chief Justice Shaw was a leader in the civil rights movement in Jacksonville and throughout Florida."

Hatchett said they became friends in law school at Howard University, which was then, "the civil rights law school of that time. A place where social engineers were born and raised." They both turned into Florida lawyers, Florida Supreme Court justices, and fishermen--occasionally catching a few fish together over the years. He said Shaw knew firsthand about racial segregation and discrimination.

"I was with him when we took the Florida bar exam in a segregated hotel," Hatchett said. "He practiced law in segregated courtrooms where he was seeking equal justice under the law.... He contributed to all the projects and efforts that launched Florida and America to the improved state that they are in today."

He recalled, "Lee was a trusted friend, the kind of friend you go and talk to when you really need someone to set you on a straight and narrow path. As a justice, I appeared before him, so I know. He listened well. He was deliberate. He did not rush to judgment and wrote opinions that the lawyers and litigants could understand. Chief Justice Shaw had all the qualities of a great justice. He had temperament. The ability to deal calmly and cautiously. The ability to listen and consider what was argued on all sides. He had intelligence.... He had courage...."

Justice Shaw's 21-year judicial assistant, Jean Hendry Couver, said, "To me, one of his more memorable traits was his great sense of humor." She read a poem written by Margaret Shaw, published...