PHOTO | KEN KOONTZ

Charlotte civil rights attorney James Ferguson (from left), former Mayor Harvey Gantt and artist Tommie Robinson were on hand for the unveiling of Robinson’s portrait of former Mecklenburg District Court Judge James Lanning last week at the county courthouse.

Unveiling Judge James Lanning’s portrait in the Mecklenburg County Courthouse last week marked an historic event as artist Tommie Robinson is said to be the first African American to paint such a picture to hang in a southern courthouse.

“That was an accomplishment in itself,” said Robinson, adding “I want to know what took them so long,” which was followed by courtroom laughter.

Lanning was a longtime member of the Chambers, Stein, Ferguson and Lanning law firm before leaving for a seat on the Mecklenburg District Court bench. His former law firm was headed by late civil rights attorney Julius Chambers and the state’s first integrated firm. Lanning rose to Chief District Court Judge and ultimately to appointment as a Superior Court Judge during his nearly 40-year judicial career.

Lanning’s widow, Katie Davis, who commissioned Robinson for the project, said she and her family were offered several artists who do this kind of work, “but my heart was with (Robinson).”

Robinson’s career of commissions includes a mural depicting Charlotte-Mecklenburg history in Spectrum Arena. His 50-plus years as an artist also include global commissions and private collections across the country.

A veritable who’s who in local civil rights and Black achievement attended the event: former Mayor Harvey Gantt, who desegregated Clemson University; former law partner Mel Watt, a 10-term member of the U.S. House of Representatives and former director of the Federal Housing and Finance Agency and former Superior Court Judge Shirley Fulton were among them.

Robinson quipped that he hopes the commission opens the doors for other Black artists “because there’s pretty good money in it.”

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