Congressman James E. Clyburn

Proudly Serving the 6th District of South Carolina

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Clyburn Statement on the Passing of Justice Ernest Finney

December 04, 2017

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. House Assistant Democratic Leader James E. Clyburn (SC) released the following statement today on the passing of Justice Ernest Finney:

“I was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Justice Ernest Finney, Jr.  He was a pioneering advocate for social justice who had an enormous impact on South Carolina.  The first African American Chief Justice of the state Supreme Court, Justice Finney blazed a trail like few others.  In the civil rights activities of the 1960s, Finney, then a local attorney in my hometown of Sumter, represented freedom fighters and Freedom Riders who were arrested, detained, and tried throughout South Carolina.  I will miss my friend.  My wife Emily and I want to express our deepest sympathies to his family and friends.”