Judge Garland Burrell Jr. was appointment by President Bush on March 3, 1992, becoming the first African-American to be appointed to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California. Garland Burrell was raised in a blue-collar neighborhood in South Central Los Angeles.

During these early years he was Los Angeles City high-hurdle champion, an experience that he credits with having given him self-esteem and the desire to make something of his life. Also, although his parents always urged him to get an education, he was most influenced by a book he read that caused him to shift his goals from sports to education. Initially, he studied social work with the expectation that he would pursue a career as a social worker, working with juvenile offenders.

However, Burrell later became interested in the law as he sought to understand whether the color of one's skin affected the kind of justice one received. Judge Burrell further attributes his motivation to become a lawyer to the love that emanated from his paternal grandparents, particularly his grandmother, and his conviction that his grandfather would have been a lawyer and a judge if circumstances in our nation had been different.

He writes: My grandparents always advocated the American "work ethic" and seemed so proud of the accomplishments of their grandchildren. Because of the love they showed for us, I wanted to give them something special. I thought they'd like a lawyer in the family, so l became one.

Source: http://jtbf.net/index.php?src=directory&view=biographies&srctype=display&refno=39