FEATURE ARTICLE
RETIRED SACRAMENTO COUNTY SUPERIOR COURT JUDGE JAMES L. LONG REMEMBERED
Shanāe Buffington is the President of the Sacramento County Bar Association. She can be reached at Shanae.Buffington@edd.ca.gov.
By Shanāe Buffington
O
n June 30, 2020, the legal community lost a champion for justice. Judge James L. Long (Ret.), who presided over difficult capital punishment and civil action cases at the Sacramento County Superior Court, passed away at the age of 82. Born in 1937 in Winter Garden, Florida, Judge Long migrated west with his family and settled in the Oak Park community of Sacramento in the early 1940’s. In 1955, Judge Long graduated from Christian Brothers High School, one of Sacramento’s prestigious prep schools, on a scholarship. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from San Jose College where he played shortstop for the Spartans. After graduating college, he worked for Sacramento County as a deputy probation officer and then later as a juvenile hall supervisor. During an eight year stint in the Army Reserve Corps, Judge Long decided to enroll at Howard University School of Law in Washington, D.C., a school he chose for its strong emphasis on civil rights. After receiving his law degree in 1967, he returned to Sacramento where he worked as a graduate legal
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assistant for the Legal Aid Society of Sacramento, and later the California State Legislative Counsel Bureau. In 1970, Judge Long opened his solo practice in the heart of Oak Park and, for a few years, was joined by his older sister June Long, retired deputy attorney general. However, during this time, Judge Long witnessed the transformation of his former neighborhood from a community of working-class families to one wrought with race riots and violent clashes between law enforcement and the growing African-American community. One contributing factor was the interstate freeway expansion programs that began in the 1960’s. These development programs created isolated areas of poverty and prosperity, declining property values, and flight to suburban areas from the inner city. Yet, Judge Long never forgot his roots. He maintained his practice in Oak Park for twelve years taking on pro bono cases and representing indigent clients. Among Judge Long’s biggest
SACRAMENTO LAWYER | Summer 2020 | www.sacbar.org
cases was his defense of the “Oak Park Four,” a group of young black men accused of killing a white police officer. The case was ultimately dismissed. Donald H. Heller, a local criminal defense attorney, said, “I knew Jimmy Long for 47 years. He was a wonderful defense lawyer and even better human being. He had a distinguished career on the bench and he will be missed by everyone
