Maryland Chapter: Trailblazing Series – Shattering Barriers: A Conversation with Hon. Willie J. Epps, Jr.

In honor of Black History Month, we are honored to present the Hon. Willie J. Epps, Jr., Chief Magistrate Judge for the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri, to lead a discussion on the remarkable lives and careers of the first nine Black Americans to serve as federal judges. Like Robinson, the first Black federal judges blazed a trail and left an indelible mark on our society. Decades of institutionalized discrimination had created a federal court system that Judge A. Leon Higgenbotham, Jr. described as “both exclusionary and racially homogeneous.” During a time when segregation permeated nearly all aspects of American life—from schools to workplaces, restaurants, hotels, public restrooms, water fountains, and swimming pools—nine Black Americans were able to overcome these barriers. Judge Epps will address why and how presidents from Truman to Johnson named Black judges to the federal bench. He will discuss these judges’ backgrounds and key achievements, and he will lead a discussion of their lasting legacies and continued relevance today.

Presented by the Maryland Chapter’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee, the FBA’s Diversity and Inclusion Standing Committee, and the Professional Development Committee.

[Register Online]

About the Presenter

Judge Epps was born in Natchez, Mississippi and raised in St. Louis, Missouri.  He has been a U.S. Magistrate Judge, Western District of Missouri since 2017. Judge Epps received his J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1985, and his A.B. from Amherst College in 1992.  He had a wealth of experience before joining the bench, such as Judge Advocate & Captain, U.S. Air Force JAG Corps, 1995-1999; Assistant Special Counsel, The Waco Investigation, U.S. Department of Justice, 1999-2000; Solo Practitioner, The Epps Law Firm LLC, 2000-2003; VP & Deputy Compliance Officer/VP & Chief Compliance Officer, Charter Communications, 2003-2006;  Partner, Shook, Hardy & Bacon LLP, 2006-2013; Partner,  Dowd Bennett LLP, 2013-2014; and Associate General Counsel & Head of Litigation, Edward Jones, 2014-2017.

About the Moderator

A journalist-turned-litigator, Chelsea Jones Crawford joined Brown, Goldstein & Levy in September 2015 and has extensive experience representing individuals and entities in complex civil matters, including federal civil rights litigation, serious personal injury and wrongful death, and commercial disputes.

At Brown, Goldstein & Levy, Chelsea has obtained some of the largest settlements in the State of Maryland. In 2021, she obtained a $6.5 million settlement on behalf of the family of Eric Sopp, an unarmed man in distress who was shot and killed by a Baltimore County police officer. In 2020, she helped obtain a nearly $8 million settlement for two men who were wrongfully convicted and imprisoned, and in 2018, she was part of a team that obtained a $9 million settlement on behalf of an innocent man who spent 21 years wrongfully incarcerated.

A former journalist covering daily news, Chelsea brings a passion for storytelling to every case. Chelsea has practiced before administrative agencies, courts across Maryland and in the District of Columbia, and in federal courts nationwide.

Prior to joining Brown Goldstein & Levy, Chelsea clerked for the Honorable Andre M. Davis on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and for the Honorable Stephanie A. Gallagher on the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland.

During law school, Chelsea served as the Executive Articles Editor of the University of Maryland Law Journal of Race, Religion, Gender and Class, Vice-President of the Black Law Students Association, and member of the law school’s National Moot Court Team. Chelsea received the 2013 Elizabeth Maxwell Carroll Chesnut Prize, known as the “Dean’s Award,” for her scholarship, personal drive, and excellence in writing and was awarded Order of the Barristers.

Before law school, Chelsea spent several years working in broadcast news. She began her career at KYW-TV in Philadelphia, where she worked the news desk. She later joined National Public Radio’s flagship afternoon program, All Things Considered, as an Assistant Editor.

Chelsea is active in several bar associations and organizations in Maryland, including the Alliance of Black Women Attorneys of Maryland and the Monumental City Bar Association. She is also a member of the Baltimore City Trial Court Judicial Nominating Commission and served on Attorney General Anthony Brown’s Transition Team.

Chelsea has been recognized multiple times by Lawdragon for her work, including on the “500 Leading Litigators in America” list for 2024, the “500 X – The Next Generation” list for 2023, and the “500 Leading Plaintiff Employment and Civil Rights Lawyers” list for 2022 and 2023. Best Lawyers lists her as “One to Watch” in the Civil Rights Law, Commercial Litigation, Criminal Defense (General Practice), Labor and Employment Law (Employee), Litigation (Labor and Employment), and Personal Injury Litigation (Plaintiffs) categories. She has also been selected a Maryland Super Lawyers Rising Star since 2018.