Chess, history-making judge, dies at 88

Jul. 26—HIGH POINT — Sammie Chess Jr., the one-time William Penn High School dropout who returned to school and went on to become the state's first Black Superior Court judge, has died.

The 88-year-old retired judge died Saturday at his home in Jamestown.

Colleagues reflected Monday on the loss of Chess, whom they described not only as a tenacious champion for the underdog but a man of the highest integrity both in and out of the courtroom.

"What a dear, dear friend he was," said longtime High Point attorney Jim Morgan, who knew Chess for more than 50 years.

"There were so many wonderful things about him. He was a great listener, he had great compassion, and he was always very calm in the courtroom — or any time you were around him — which is a great attribute for a judge to have. He was always very humble and caring, just a wonderful human being."

Judge Randy May, who eventually filled Chess' seat as an administrative law judge in High Point, spoke of the respect he had for Chess in the courtroom when May was an attorney.

"As a Superior Court judge, I thought he was extremely fair," May said. "I never had any hesitation in trying or pleading just about anything in front of him."

Chess, whose family moved to High Point in 1946, when he was 12, nearly worked in furniture instead of law. At age 16, he dropped out of William Penn High School and took a factory job at Myrtle Desk, but principal Samuel Burford talked him into returning to school. He graduated in 1952, then earned his undergraduate and law degrees from North Carolina Central University in Durham. After a two-year stint in the Army, he began his law career in High Point in 1960.

As a young, Black attorney with a heart for seeking justice, Chess found the civil rights movement of the 1960s to be fertile ground. In addition to bringing lawsuits aimed at desegregating local hospitals, theaters and workplaces, he represented eight Black students in a suit against the High Point Board of Education, which resulted in the desegregation of city schools.

"Whatever (inequality) we saw, we went with much fervor to eradicate these practices," Chess told The High Point Enterprise during a 2015 interview.

Judge Joe Webster, who wrote Chess' biography ("The Making and Measure of a Judge"), said Chess will be remembered for his courage as a young, Black attorney taking on injustice.

"He represented persons who many other lawyers would not represent during the civil rights struggle," Webster said.

Chess also worked with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund on Griggs v. Duke Power Co., a landmark employment-discrimination case that was heard by the U.S. Supreme Court.

In early 1971, Chess found himself embroiled in another high-profile case in High Point, representing local members of the Black Panther Party who were facing eviction from a house they were renting on Hulda Street. When city police showed up one morning with an eviction notice, the confrontation led to a shootout between police and the Black Panthers.

It was also in 1971 that Chess made North Carolina history, when he was appointed as the state's first Black Superior Court judge. Chess initially balked at the appointment — he felt he could do more good as a civil-rights attorney than a judge — but changed his mind after a couple of colleagues encouraged him to accept the role because it represented "a greater cause."

Webster said Chess undoubtedly faced resentment from individuals who didn't think a Black man was qualified to be a Superior Court judge.

"Judges wield a lot of power, and back then, that was unheard of for a Black person to have that kind of power," Webster said. "But he will be remembered as a judge who never abused his power."

At the conclusion of his four-year appointment, Chess returned to private practice. In 1991, he accepted an appointment as an administrative law judge, a position he held until his retirement in 2007.

Among the many honors bestowed upon Chess, his portrait hangs in a fourth-floor Superior Court courtroom at the Guilford County Courthouse in High Point. He also was awarded the N.C. Bar Association's prestigious Liberty Bell Award, which recognizes an individual "who has strengthened the American system of freedom under law."

Chess will be remembered "as someone of unquestioned integrity who was admired and respected by both Blacks and whites," Webster said. "...He left the world a better place."

Funeral arrangements for Chess are incomplete. Phillips Funeral Service in High Point is handling the arrangements.

jtomlin@hpenews.com — 336-888-3579