I was in attendance at the fifth State of the Black World Conference in Baltimore, Maryland when we learned of the passing to the Ancestors of the “Attorney At War”, Alton H. Maddox, Jr. (July 21, 1945 – April 23, 2023).

He was involved in several high-profile civil rights cases in the 1980’s. He was most often noted for his defense of Tawana Brawley during her rape allegations against New York police, but he also represented victims of police brutality and right-wing terrorism such as Michael Stewart, Michael Griffith, Cedric Sandiford and Yusuf Hawkins, and Michael Briscoe, who was wrongly accused in the Central Park Jogger case. He also represented activist and future media personality the Rev. Al Sharpton.

We have assembled a few articles that go into more detail on the life and significance of the “Attorney At War” and we’ve linked them below.

Alton H. Maddox, Jr.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alton_H._Maddox_Jr.

Celebrating The Life Of Noted Civil Rights Attorney Alton H. Maddox, Jr.
by AJ Woodson, April 25, 2023
https://blackwestchester.com/celebrating-the-life-of-civil-rights-attorney-alton-h-maddox-jr/

Alton Maddox, Jr., the ‘People’s Lawyer’ and Attorney-at-War, dead at 77
New York Amsterdam News, “The Black View”
by AmNews Staff Reports, April 26, 2023
https://amsterdamnews.com/news/2023/04/26/alton-maddox-jr-the-peoples-lawyer-and-attorney-at-war-dead-at-77/