George N. Leighton
George Neves Leighton (born George Neves Leitão; October 22, 1912 – June 6, 2018) was an American judge who served as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. He was known for taking cases related to housing, voting, and jury service, especially if these cases were directly impacted by injustice, particularly racism. Early life George Neves Leitão and his twin sister Georgina were born in New Bedford, Massachusetts on October 22, 1912, to Ana Silva Garcia and António Neves Leitão, immigrants from Brava, Cape Verde. At home, the family spoke Crioulo. His surname was anglicized to "Leighton" after a teacher claimed she could not pronounce his last name "Leitão." Leighton left school after sixth grade to work with his father picking cranberries, strawberries, and blueberries. He also worked on an oil tanker that sailed from Fall River, Massachusetts to Aruba. He read voraciously throughout his late childhood and began attending night school through the Works Progress Administration starting in 1934 to make up for his lack of diploma. Education and military In 1936, Leighton won $200 from the Cape Verdean Memorial Scholarship Fund and applied to Howard University. He was