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Winston E. Arnow

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{{Infobox Biography
| subject_name =Winston E. Arnow
| image_name =WinstonArnowPortrait.jpg| image_size =200px
| image_caption =
| date_of_birth =[[March 13]], [[1911]]
| religion =
| spouse =Francis Day Cease Arnow
| parents =Joseph Leslie Arnow
| children =[[Ann Moulton]]
| signature =
The Honorable '''Winston Eugene "Bo" Arnow''' ([[1911]]-[[1994]]) was a federal judge serving in the [[District Court of North Florida]] who presided over numerous [[civil rights]] cases.
Born in [[1911]], Judge Arnow grew up near Gainesville, Florida. He received his a B.B.A. from the University of Florida in 1932 and a J.D. from the university's College of Law in 1933. He joined served as a law clerk in the Army Florida Supreme Court from 1934-35, then practiced law and became served as a Major municipal judge in Gainesville (from 1940-42). After the JAG Corps during United States entered [[World War II]]he joined the Army and became a Major in the JAG Corps. Returning to Gainesville after the war, he again served as a municipal judge (from 1946-49) then resumed his law practice.
He practiced law in Gainesville for over 30 years, serving as a municipal judge from 1940-42 and 1946-49, and Arnow moved to Pensacola in 1966. He When a new judicial seat was nominated to the federal bench created by 80 Stat. 75, President [[Wikipedia:Lyndon B. Johnson|Lyndon B. Johnson]] nominated him to the bench on [[November 29]], [[1967]], and . He was confirmed by the Senate and received his commission on [[December 7]].<ref>http://www.fjc.gov/servlet/tGetInfo?jid=63</ref> Arnow was the first federal judge to live in the city since the death of Judge [[William B. Sheppard]] in [[1934]].
Judge Arnow made a number of landmark [[civil rights]] decisions that affected the area. In [[1969]], he ordered the [[Segregation|desegregation]] of the [[Escambia County School District]]. He issued the [[1973]] injunction against [[Escambia High School]]'s use of the nickname "Rebels" and Confederate battle flag for their sports teams. In [[1978]] he ruled in favor of black groups to established single-member districts, which resulted in the election of African-Americans to the [[Pensacola City Council]], [[Escambia County Commission]] and [[Escambia County School Board]]. In [[1981]] he sealed a settlement in a discrimination case, requiring the Air Force to establish a $2 million fund and [[Eglin Air Force Base]] to hire 100 black workers for its civilian labor force and promote others already on the payroll. Judge [[Lacey Collier]] said of these decisions, "Judge Arnow was a man who was clearly ahead of his time, and, of course, damned and vilified for it. But history has proved he was right, not just legally but also morally."<ref>"Judge Winston Arnow, 83, whose civil rights rulings changed state." ''St. Petersburg Times'', December 1, 1994.</ref>
Arnow also presided over the case of the [[Wikipedia:Gainesville Eight|Gainesville Eight]], a group of Vietnam War veterans and protestors who were charged with planning an assault on the [[Wikipedia:1972 Republican National Convention|1972 Republican National Convention]]. All eight defendants were ultimately acquitted by a jury. In [[1985]] he issued a gag order silencing the four defendants in the high-profile [[Christmas abortion bombings]] case.
[[Image:Arnow-Collier-Vinson.jpg|thumb|right|Judge Arnow with [[Lacey Collier]] and [[Roger Vinson]]]]
Congressman [[Jeff Miller]] later recalled of Arnow:
<blockquote>He was a friendly, soft-spoken country lawyer. Friends and colleagues regarded Judge Arnow as a southern gentleman in the traditional sense; very formal in court, yet very warm and friendly in everyday life. An avid sportsman, he was a good shooter and could frequently be found in his mint-condition green Jeep on his way to a dove hunt. … A political conservative and a strict constructionist, Judge Arnow believed firmly in the United States Constitution and followed the statutes and higher Federal Court decisions to the letter, even if he may have personally disagreed.<ref>[http://jeffmiller.house.gov/index.cfm?Fuseaction=Speeches.Detail&Article_id=23 H.R. 1572, the Winston E. Arnow Federal Building Designation Act]</ref></blockquote>
Arnow was chief judge when he reached senior status in [[1981]]. He continued to take jury cases until 1990 and retained chambers in the courthouse for other matters until 1993. After months of declining health, he passed away at age 83 on [[November 28]], [[1994]]. In [[2003]], the old Spanish mission-style courthouse on [[Palafox Street]] was designated the [[Winston E. Arnow Federal Building]] by Congress in his honor.The building was dedicated on [[May 20]], [[2011]]. ==Images==<gallery>Image:Arnow-family.jpg|Arnow with his daughter and wifeImage:Arnow-1981-retirement-reagan.jpg|1891 letter from President Reagan acknowledging Arnow's retirement from active serviceImage:Arnow-hunting.jpg|Arnow on a hunting tripImage:Arnow-whibbs-award.jpg|Arnow receiving an award from [[Pensacola Mayor]] [[Vince Whibbs]]</gallery>
==References==
[[Category:Federal judges|Arnow, Winston]]
[[Category:Building namesakes|Arnow, Winston]]

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