Honoring Judge Sol Blatt Jr.
The late U.S. District Judge Sol Blatt Jr., for whom the library is named at the Charleston School of Law, inspired scores of lawyers to serve as attorneys with excellence. His lifetime of public service continues to inspire students and attorneys today.
In his honor, the school is seeking to raise $300,000 to benefit and enhance offerings at the library through the Judge Sol Blatt Jr. Library Research Scholars Program.
About Judge Blatt
The late U.S. District Judge Solomon Blatt Jr. (1921-2016) received an honorary degree from the Charleston School of Law in May 2009 “for exemplifying the highest ideals of human endeavor through his lifelong devotion to public service and the law; for setting an example of respect and dignity in the courtroom; for his willingness continually to go above and beyond the call of duty.”
With the toughness of the boxer he was and the dedication to fairness he had, Judge Blatt continues to serve as an example to scores of lawyers across South Carolina. Respected for taking on tough cases, Judge Blatt’s 38 years on the federal bench were remarkable for their commitment to justice, leadership and respect for the law.
Born in 1921 in Barnwell, S.C., to a family devoted to public service, Judge Blatt was an only child who wanted to be a lawyer like his father, legendary South Carolina House Speaker Solomon Blatt. As a student athlete in 1940 at the University of South Carolina, he became the Southern Conference Lightweight Boxing champion. About the same time, he met his future wife, the former Carolyn Gayden, whom he married in 1942. Judge Blatt received his bachelor’s degree in 1941.
In 1943 after his second year at the University of South Carolina School of Law, Judge Blatt entered the U.S. Navy. During the war, he served as the anti-submarine officer on a destroyer escort. When he got out of the Navy in 1945, he completed law school in 1946 and joined his father’s law firm in Barnwell.
For the next 25 years, Sol Blatt practiced law as a “country lawyer” in the firm Blatt and Fales, defending those charged in criminal cases and representing plaintiffs in personal injury cases. In 1971, he was honored to become a federal trial judge when he was appointed to the U.S. District Court by President Richard M. Nixon. In 1986, Sol Blatt became chief judge for the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina. Four years later, he took senior status. In December 2006, Judge Blatt became the longest-serving district judge in the 200-plus history of the District of South Carolina.
Highly respected by the bench and bar across the state and nation, Judge Blatt was honored in July 2004 by the Charleston School of Law when it named its law library for him because of how he inspired people “to achieve the highest standards of legal education and professionalism in the service to society.”
Charleston School of Law Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public charity. All donations are tax exempt to the extent provided by federal law.
