Leander Jerry Shaw Jr. (September 6, 1930 – December 14, 2015) was an American jurist who served on the

Florida Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Florida is the highest court in the U.S. state of Florida. It consists of seven members: the chief justice and six justices. Six members are chosen from six districts around the state to foster geographic diversity, and on ...

from 1983 until 2003. He was chief justice from 1990 to 1992. Born in

Salem, Virginia Salem is an independent city in the U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 25,346. It is the county seat of Roanoke County, although the two are separate jurisdictions. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combine ...

, Shaw went to Lylburn Downing School in

Lexington, Virginia Lexington is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 7,320. It is the county seat of Rockbridge County, although the two are separate jurisdictions. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines ...

. He graduated from

West Virginia State University West Virginia State University (WVSU) is a public historically black, land-grant university in Institute, West Virginia. Founded in 1891 as the West Virginia Colored Institute, it is one of the original 19 land-grant colleges and universities ...

in 1952. He then served in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

during the

Korean War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Korean War , partof = the Cold War and the Korean conflict , image = Korean War Montage 2.png , image_size = 300px , caption = Clockwise from top: ...

. In 1957, Shaw received his law degree from

Howard University School of Law Howard University School of Law (Howard Law or HUSL) is the law school of Howard University, a private, federally chartered historically black research university in Washington, D.C. It is one of the oldest law schools in the country and the ol ...

. In 1957, Shaw moved to

Tallahassee, Florida Tallahassee ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In 2020, the populatio ...

and was a law professor at

Florida A&M University Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU), commonly known as Florida A&M, is a public historically black land-grant university in Tallahassee, Florida. Founded in 1887, It is the third largest historically black university in the U ...

. He was admitted to the Florida bar in 1960 and practiced law in

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...

. Shaw served on the Florida State Attorney staff in 1969. In 1972, Shaw was appointed to the Florida Industrial Relations Commission. From 1979 to 1983, Shaw served on the

Florida District Courts of Appeal The district courts of appeal (DCAs) are the intermediate appellate courts of the Florida state court system. There are currently five DCAs: *The First District Court of Appeal is headquartered in Tallahassee *The Second District Court of A ...

. Shaw served on the Florida Supreme Court from 1983 until 2003 and was chief justice of that court from 1990 to 1992. He also served as judge in residence at

Washington and Lee University School of Law The Washington and Lee University School of Law (W&L Law) is the professional graduate law school of Washington and Lee University. It is a private American Bar Association-accredited law school located in Lexington in the Shenandoah Valley re ...

in Lexington, Virginia. Shaw died on December 14, 2015 in Tallahassee, Florida at the age of 85.Washington & Lee University, Black History Month, Leander J. Shaw Jr.
/ref> at the home of his daughter after a lengthy illness. He is survived by his three daughters, son, and grandchildren

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''Photograph of Leander J. Shaw Jr.''
1930 births 2015 deaths Chief Justices of the Florida Supreme Court Judges of the Florida District Courts of Appeal Florida A&M University faculty Washington and Lee University School of Law faculty People from Salem, Virginia People from Jacksonville, Florida People from Tallahassee, Florida West Virginia State University alumni Howard University School of Law alumni United States Army officers United States Army personnel of the Korean War Justices of the Florida Supreme Court {{Florida-state-judge-stub

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