Famed Charlotte civil rights attorney James Ferguson has died at age 82. He was part of the legal team that won a landmark U.S. Supreme Court case in 1971 that required school districts to use busing to integrate.
Ferguson and fellow attorney Julius Chambers founded North Carolina’s first integrated law firm in the late 1960s, along with Adam Stein, the father of Gov. Josh Stein.
Soon after, Ferguson and Chambers represented Daris and Vera Swann, along with nine other parents. They filed a lawsuit against the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education, saying the school district was not doing enough to integrate its schools.
At the time of the case, the law firm of Ferguson and Chambers was set on fire by an arsonist.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Swanns, and Charlotte began an extensive busing program to integrate its schools. Busing became widespread in school systems throughout the nation that were trying to end persistent segregation. Charlotte became known nationally as the city that made desegregation work.
CMS, however, moved away from busing in the early 1990s in favor of magnet programs to produce diversity. In 1999, a federal judge declared that busing had been a success and ended the court order that mandated the program.
Ferguson — who was widely known as "Fergie" — also defended the Wilmington 10, a group that was wrongfully convicted of arson and conspiracy in 1971 for the firebombing of a white-owned grocery store.
Former Gov. Bev Perdue pardoned the 10 in 2012.
Praise pours in
As news of his death spread, tributes poured in from elected officials and those who had interacted with Ferguson over the years.
The Black Political Caucus of Charlotte-Mecklenburg released a statement on Monday saying Ferguson "was not only an exceptional legal mind but also a courageous advocate for the Black community. His career was marked by a tireless pursuit of justice, most notably through his defense of civil rights activists and his role in landmark cases that helped shape our understanding of equality under the law.”
Mecklenburg County Commissioner Leigh Altman said on social media that Ferguson's legacy will live on.
“It is hard to comprehend the courage and tenacity James Ferguson summoned for the battles he undertook over the course of his storied career. His achievements for justice reverberate through time and are an inspiration for the next generation, who must carry the torch he held so high,” she wrote.
"He was more than worthy of every accolade that can be afforded a lawyer, but he distinguished himself with a willingness to challenge authority and convention in defense of those most vulnerable to the excesses of others," said Mecklenburg County District Attorney Spencer Merriweather.
Ferguson had served as president of Ferguson, Stein, Chambers, Gresham and Sumter since 1984. The firm’s website says he led its catastrophic injury and wrongful death team.
He also co-founded South Africa's first trial advocacy program and taught trial advocacy in the United Kingdom and throughout the United States.
He served for more than 15 years as general counsel and a member of the executive committee for the American Civil Liberties Union.
