South of Broad in Charleston in Charleston County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

Judge J. Waties Waring

(1880-1968)

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, May 2, 2019

1. Judge J. Waties Waring Marker

Inscription. Born in Charleston, son of a Civil War veteran. U.S. District Judge 1942-52. Courageous and independent jurist. Issued landmark civil rights decisions, including legendary dissent in Briggs v. Elliott where he declared that “segregation is per se inequality”. Majority in Briggs reversed by U.S. Supreme Court in Brown v. Bd. of Education, adopting Waring’s dissenting position.

Erected 2014.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Civil Rights.

Location. 32° 46.532′ N, 79° 55.874′ W. Marker is in Charleston, South Carolina, in Charleston County. It is in South of Broad. Marker can be reached from Meeting Street south of Saint Michaels Alley, on the right when traveling south. Marker is located in the garden of the J. Waties Waring Judicial Center, a gated plaza with access from Meeting Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 69 Meeting Street, Charleston SC 29401, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Sol Blatt, Jr. (here, next to this marker); Ernest F. "Fritz" Hollings (a few steps from this marker); James Francis Byrnes (a few steps from this marker); Poyas-Mordecai House (a few steps from this marker); Constitutional Convention of 1868

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(a few steps from this marker); The South Carolina Society (within shouting distance of this marker); The Philip Moore House (within shouting distance of this marker); John Cordes Prioleau House (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Charleston.

Also see . . . How The Son Of A Confederate Soldier Became A Civil Rights Hero. U.S. District Judge J. Waties Waring was the son of a Confederate soldier but later became a hero of the civil rights movement — though he was vilified for his views. Waring was first appointed to the bench in 1942. Nine years later, in a landmark school segregation case Briggs v. Elliott, Waring denounced segregation as an "evil that must be eradicated." His dissent helped pave the way for the U.S. Supreme Court's Brown v. Board of Education ruling in 1954. (Submitted on June 21, 2019, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Judge J. Waties Waring Statue & Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, May 2, 2019

2. Judge J. Waties Waring Statue & Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on February 16, 2023. It was originally submitted on June 19, 2019, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 308 times since then and 45 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 21, 2019, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.