Potamkin Scholarship at Penn Law School Honors Judge A. Leon Higginbotham Jr.

Image: Judge Leon Higginbotham at his confirmation to the FTC.

Created in 1999, this scholarship honors the life and achievements of Judge A. Leon Higginbotham, Jr. (1928-1998). He spent nearly 30 years in the federal judiciary, serving first as a judge in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and then as a judge for the US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. For his lifetime of service, Judge Higginbotham was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Bill Clinton in 1995.

The Potamkin Scholarship in Honor of A. Leon Higginbotham, Jr. provides financial support to students from historically underrepresented and/or low income backgrounds who have demonstrated a commitment to civil rights and social justice.

Judge Higginbotham with Hillary Clinton and President Clinton at the Medal of Freedom presentation.

Judge Higginbotham with President Clinton. Photo taken by the White House at a Medal of Freedom ceremony. Provided by the William Clinton Presidential Library.