Judge Raymond Jackson ’70
Raymond Jackson left an enduring legacy at Norfolk State University. The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia appointed Raymond Alvin Jackson as a senior federal judge. President Bill Clinton nominated him, and he joined the court in 1993. Jackson earned his bachelor's degree from Norfolk State University in 1970 and his J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1973. In addition, from 1973 until 1977, Jackson was a captain in the U.S. Army's Judge Advocate General Corps. Since 1977, Jackson has been a colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve. Jackson decided in May 2012 that using Facebook's "like" button does not qualify as First Amendment-protected free expression. Five employees, including a sheriff's deputy, were sacked for liking the Facebook page of a rival who was challenging their employer. "The Court concludes that merely 'liking' a Facebook page is insufficient speech to merit constitutional protection," Jackson wrote in his ruling. On Tuesday, February 28, 2023, the Black Law Students Association (BLSA) of the University of Chicago Law School honored Judge Raymond A. Jackson of the Eastern District of Virginia at the yearly James B. Parsons Legacy Dinner. Judge Jackson is involved with Just the Beginning, an organization that helps students of color and members of underrepresented groups pursue careers in law. In an effort to broaden the diversity of federal judicial clerks, he has led a clerkship program.