the state Court of Appeals and all of the students were cleared of all charges. The decision of the Supreme Court came just two days after the Senate ended a filibuster and passed the Civil Rights Act. It has been suggested that the Supreme Court refrained from reaching the merits of the case in consideration of the pending civil rights legislation, as had it done so, it would have eliminated the basis for passing the Act. Bell later attended and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in history from Morgan State University in Baltimore in 1966 and while there became a brother in Alpha Phi Omega. He then was admitted to Harvard Law School where he earned his Juris Doctor in 1969. That same year he was admitted to the bar and began his legal practice in Baltimore. Judicial career In 1975, Bell was appointed to the District Court of Maryland, District 1, in Baltimore City and served there until 1980. He was an Associate Judge, Baltimore City Circuit Court, 8th Judicial Circuit, from 1980 to 1984 when he was appointed to the Maryland Court of Special Appeals. Seven years later he was appointed to the state's highest court and became the chief judge in 1996. He was a member, Court of Appeals Standing Committee on Rules of Practice and Procedure from 1977 to 1982; Commission to Revise the Annotated Code of Maryland, 1980–82; and the Board of Directors, Judicial Institute of Maryland, 1982–84. In August 2006, Bell was named Chair of the National Center for State Courts’ Board of Directors. At the same time, Judge Bell also was named president of the Conference of Chief Justices. In April 2013, Bell announced that he would be retiring on July 6, 2013. After reaching Maryland's mandatory retirement age for state judges, 70, Bell retired from his position as Chief Judge of the Maryland Court of Appeals on July 6, 2013. Awards Bell has also been the recipient of several awards: American Bar Association D'Alemberte-Raven Award for Outstanding Leadership in Alternative Dispute Resolution Legal Excellence Award for Advancement of Public Service Responsibility from the Maryland Bar Foundation Maryland Network Against Domestic Violence Special Recognition Award Maryland Leadership in Law Award Maryland Legal Services Corporation Medal for Access to Justice See also List of African-American jurists List of first minority male lawyers and judges in Maryland Notes External links Bell's profile at the