Black History in the Making: Judge John England

Anybody in Tuscaloosa that has had to deal with the justice system in Tuscaloosa has heard of Judge England. But what many don't know is that Judge John England was the first black circuit judge in Tuscaloosa and one of the first (along with Charles Steele, Jr.) to serve on the Tuscaloosa's first elected city council.

According to the Tuscaloosa Area Virtual Museum, John H. England, Jr. was born in Uniontown, AL and attended public schools in Birmingham before attending Tuskegee Institute and the University of Alabama Law School. He also served in the U.S. Army before he began practicing law in Tuscaloosa. He was elected to the Tuscaloosa City Council in 1985 (becoming one of the first black men to serve on the council, along with Charles Steele, Jr.) before being appointed to the Tuscaloosa County Circuit Court by Governor Jim Folsom.

In 1999, England was appointed by Governor Don Siegelman to the Alabama Supreme Court, where he served for over a year before returning to the Circuit Court of Tuscaloosa County. He has held numerous leadership positions in various organizations and continues to serve on the Board of Directors for over a dozen civic organizations.

Judge England was inducted into the Tuscaloosa County Civic Hall of Fame in 2006.