Judge David Crosland, a 1966 graduate of the University of Alabama School of Law, has led a distinguished career in public service — beginning with his time as a law student.

While in law school, Judge Crosland conducted research on election procedures in Greene County, Alabama, to assist the national Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. He also served as president of the University's Young Democrats, and in that capacity, invited the first African American speaker ever to address a student organization.

In his early career in the 1960s, Judge Crosland served with the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. Judge Crosland went on to direct the Atlanta Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, organizing lawyers from Atlanta's biggest firms to take on pro bono cases involving discrimination. He later served as General Counsel and Acting Commissioner of the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), and created the Special Litigation Unit, which prosecuted Nazi war criminals. Today, Judge Crosland sits as an immigration judge with the U.S. Department of Justice and hears cases in Baltimore, Maryland. He has previously served as a judge in San Diego, California; Miami, Florida; and Arlington, Virginia. Through his exemplary career in public service, Judge Crosland has worked to ensure that justice and the rule of law prevail in turbulent times, and that equality is upheld as an ideal for all Americans.