11-05-2025
Judge Ulysses Boykin, well-known in Oakland and Wayne counties, dies
Judge Ulysses Boykin, who served in both Oakland and Wayne Counties for decades, has died, according to an Oakland County morgue.
Officials with the morgue say he died of natural causes.
Boykin is well-known for his work breaking barriers in law as a Black man. He was the first Black attorney to practice at the Detroit law firm Dickinson Wright. Before that, he was one of the founders of Harvard University's Black Law Student Association.
Attorney Hans Massaquoi was hired by Boykin in the summer of 1986 at Lewis and Munday, formerly known as Lewis, White & Clay, P.C.
"Everywhere I would go with him, he was known, and everyone I knew would always look at him with great respect, and respected his decisions," Massaquoi said.
This is a developing story. Stay with CBS News Detroit for the latest.
