Age, Biography and Wiki

John Payton was born on 27 December, 1946 in Los Angeles, California, U.S., is an American civil rights attorney. Discover John Payton's Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. Learn How rich is he in this year and how he spends money? Also learn how he earned most of networth at the age of 66 years old?

Popular As N/A
Occupation N/A
Age 66 years old
Zodiac Sign Capricorn
Born 27 December, 1946
Birthday 27 December
Birthplace Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Date of death 2012
Died Place Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
Nationality Los Angeles, California

We recommend you to check the complete list of Famous People born on 27 December. He is a member of famous attorney with the age 66 years old group.

John Payton Height, Weight & Measurements

At 66 years old, John Payton height not available right now. We will update John Payton's Height, weight, Body Measurements, Eye Color, Hair Color, Shoe & Dress size soon as possible.

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Dating & Relationship status

He is currently single. He is not dating anyone. We don't have much information about He's past relationship and any previous engaged. According to our Database, He has no children.

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John Payton Net Worth

His net worth has been growing significantly in 2023-2024. So, how much is John Payton worth at the age of 66 years old? John Payton’s income source is mostly from being a successful attorney. He is from Los Angeles, California. We have estimated John Payton's net worth, money, salary, income, and assets.

Net Worth in 2024 $1 Million - $5 Million
Salary in 2024 Under Review
Net Worth in 2023 Pending
Salary in 2023 Under Review
House Not Available
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Source of Income attorney

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Timeline

1946

John A. Payton (December 27, 1946 – March 22, 2012) was an African-American civil rights attorney.

1966

He successfully defended the NAACP against an anti-trust lawsuit brought by white merchants in Mississippi who had lost business in the wake of a 1966 desegregation boycott.

In City of Richmond v. J.A. Croson Co., Payton unsuccessfully defended the city's set-aside affirmative action plan established to assist minority businesses in receiving city construction contracts.

He argued the case in the Supreme Court of the United States where the Court narrowly ruled against the city and determined, for the first time, that all government uses of race - including affirmative action programs - would be subject to strict scrutiny.

1973

He graduated in 1973.

He left the admissions position after receiving a Watson fellowship, which allowed him to study literature in West Africa for a year and, while abroad, he applied to law school.

After being accepted at and entering Harvard Law School, Payton worked on several civil rights cases and was a member of the editorial board for the Harvard Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Law Review.

1977

He graduated from law school in 1977.

Following law school, Payton spent a year clerking for then-U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California Judge Cecil Poole.

He then moved to Washington, D.C. where he was recruited to Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering (now known as WilmerHale) by James Robertson.

While at the firm, Payton worked on several important civil rights cases.

1991

When Sharon Pratt Dixon was elected mayor of Washington, D.C. in 1991, Vernon Jordan tapped Payton to become the District's corporation counsel.

As corporation counsel, he reorganized, centralized and streamlined the corporation counsel offices.

Early in his term, Payton dealt with the aftermath of the Mount Pleasant riots and worked to improve Latino and police relations in the city.

He also participated in balancing the city's budget in the face of a major crisis.

1993

In 1993, President Bill Clinton nominated Payton to head the U.S. Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division.

Following objections from the Congressional Black Caucus and despite some prominent African-American support for Payton, Payton withdrew his name for consideration.

1994

In 1994 Payton left the D.C. Corporation Counsel office to join his wife, Gay McDougall, in South Africa.

Ms. McDougall was in South Africa working as a member of the Independent Electoral Commission, which ran South Africa's first democratic elections that year.

Nelson Mandela was elected president.

At the same time, Payton served on an international observer team that included lawyers from the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.

The couple remained in South Africa for several months before going back to D.C.

Returning to Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering, Payton took on a civil practice that included representing corporations in employment matters, the American Legacy Foundation in its efforts to prevent youths from smoking, and Fannie Mae in a major class action challenge.

While still at the firm, Payton was tapped to be the lead counsel for the University of Michigan in defending its law and undergraduate schools' use of race in their admissions processes.

For more than six years, Payton handled the two high-profile cases in the trial court and in the court of appeals, and argued Gratz v. Bollinger before the Supreme Court.

He organized a broad coalition from higher education, the military and top businesses in support of diversity initiatives.

In a narrow decision in Grutter v. Bollinger, the Supreme Court upheld the use of race in college admissions.

2001

Payton served as president of the District of Columbia Bar for one year in 2001.

He also served as a visiting professor at Harvard Law School, Georgetown University Law Center and Howard University School of Law.

He was repeatedly recognized by his peers and news outlets as one of the nation's top lawyers.

2008

In 2008, he was appointed the sixth president and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund serving in that post until his death.

Prior to this, he was a partner at the law firm WilmerHale for 20 years.

Payton was tapped to be the lead counsel for the University of Michigan in defending its law and undergraduate schools' use of race in their admissions processes.

For more than six years, Payton handled the two high-profile cases in the trial court and in the court of appeals, and argued Gratz v. Bollinger before the Supreme Court of the United States.

Payton grew up in Los Angeles, California, where he graduated from high school.

He attended Pomona College in Claremont, California, where he became heavily involved in civil rights and anti-war protests.

Payton was one of the founders of Pomona's Black Student Association.

For three years, Payton served as an admissions officer at the Claremont Colleges, a position that he helped create to recruit black students.

In 2008, Payton was appointed the sixth director-counsel and president of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. following in the footsteps of such civil rights giants as Thurgood Marshall and Jack Greenberg.

2017

The annual Payton Distinguished Lectureship at Pomona College, established in 2017, is named in his honor.