service terminated on October 1, 1981, due to reassignment to the Eleventh Circuit. Johnson was reassigned to the newly established United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit by operation of law on October 1, 1981. He assumed senior status on October 30, 1991. He was succeeded on the bench by Judge Edward Earl Carnes. His service terminated on July 23, 1999, upon his death. Johnson additionally served on the Temporary Emergency Court of Appeals from 1972 to 1982. Johnson served more than 40 years on the federal bench. At the memorial service after his death, he was praised by former United States Senator Howell Heflin, Democrat of Alabama, who said that the judge's "unrelenting devotion to the rule of law" helped him strike down segregation laws. Death Johnson died at his home in Montgomery of pneumonia after being briefly hospitalized for a fall at his home the week prior. Legacy and honors 1978, Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement presented by Awards Council member Judge John Sirica 1979, inducted into the Alabama Academy of Honor 1992, Frank M. Johnson Jr. Federal Building and United States Courthouse, where Johnson served in Montgomery, Alabama, was named for him 1993, American Bar Association's annual Thurgood Marshall Award 1995, Presidential Medal of Freedom. Notable decisions Browder v. Gayle (1956) Orders the racial integration of the public transportation system of the city of Montgomery, Alabama. Gomillion v. Lightfoot (1961) Invalidated a plan by the city of Tuskegee, Alabama to dilute potential black voting strength by redrawing city boundaries so as to exclude concentrations of black voters from the city. United States v. Alabama (1961) Ordered that black persons be registered to vote if their application papers were equal to the performance of the least qualified white applicant accepted on the voting rolls. Lewis v. Greyhound (1961), Required desegregation of the bus depots of the city of Montgomery, as these served interstate buses operating under federal law. United States v. City of Montgomery (1961) Ordered the city of Montgomery to surrender its voting registration records to the US Department of Justice; DOJ was studying why so few African Americans were registered to vote in a state with numerous majority-black counties. United States v. City of Montgomery, 201 F. Supp. 590 - Dist. Court, MD Alabama 1962 Required desegregation of airport and related facilities at Dannelly Field in the city of Montgomery