Teaching and civil-rights practice
Born in Richmond, Virginia, Robinson graduated from Howard University School of Law in 1939 and joined its faculty. He also practised in Richmond, working with NAACP legal networks on civil-rights cases.
He returned to Howard as law-school dean in 1960 and served on the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights from 1961 to 1963. Teaching, local practice and public investigation preceded his federal judicial appointments.
The student strike and the Davis case
In 1951 students in Farmville, Virginia, struck against unequal school facilities and sought NAACP assistance. Oliver Hill and Robinson helped turn their campaign into a challenge to segregated schooling itself.
Davis v. County School Board of Prince Edward County became one of the state cases addressed in the Supreme Court's Brown decision. Robinson's role connected a local student protest with the preparation of a constitutional challenge.
References: [2]
Service on the federal bench
President Lyndon Johnson gave Robinson a recess appointment to the District of Columbia federal district court in 1964, followed by Senate confirmation. He was that court's first African American judge. In 1966 he joined the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
He served as chief judge of that appellate court from 1981 to 1986, took senior status in 1989 and remained in judicial service until his death in 1998. Senior status thus marked a change in assignment rather than the immediate end of his service.