The legal community, civic leaders, and generations of mentees are mourning the loss of The Honorable Ulysses Whittaker Boykin, who passed away peacefully on May 10, 2025. He was 79.
Judge Boykin’s life was defined by discipline, study, and unwavering commitment to service. Born on November 8, 1945, in Detroit, Michigan, he was the only child of Ulysses Boykin II and Cecil Whittaker Boykin. He came up through Detroit Public Schools and graduated from Cass Technical High School in 1963, where he focused on chemical-biological studies—a reflection of his early academic discipline and curiosity.
Instead of pursuing the sciences, Boykin turned toward history, enrolling at Hampton Institute in Virginia, a historically Black university that sharpened his academic resolve and grounded his sense of community. He graduated summa cum laude in 1967 with a degree in history. While at Hampton, he joined Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, cementing bonds that would remain with him for life.
It was a constitutional history course at Hampton that shifted the direction of his path toward law. He was accepted into Harvard Law School and graduated in 1970. During his time there, Boykin co-founded the Harvard Black Law Students Association, laying the groundwork for Black law students nationwide to build support networks within historically exclusionary spaces. This milestone helped launch a career rooted in opening doors and ensuring others had the opportunity to walk through them.
After Harvard, Boykin became the first African American attorney to practice at Dickinson Wright in Detroit. His time there was brief, but symbolic. He later joined the U.S. Army, entering active duty as a Second Lieutenant and leaving with the rank of First Lieutenant in 1972. Military service was another way he honored his commitment to civic responsibility.
Upon returning to Detroit, he joined Patmon, Young, and Kirk P.C., one of the city’s prominent Black law firms, before continuing his legal work at Lewis, White & Clay. At LWC, he led the firm’s Summer Law Clerk Program for sixteen years, ensuring law students had real access to the tools, mentorship, and experience they needed to grow.
In 1999, then-Governor John Engler appointed Boykin to the Wayne County Circuit Court, where he served with distinction for two decades. His work in the Criminal Division included presiding over felony trials and district court appeals, always with attention to fairness and clarity. In 2017, he served as a judge in the Wayne County Circuit Court’s Veterans Court, handling matters with a balanced hand and a sense of respect for those who served.
Judge Boykin’s legal career was not confined to the courtroom. He served on several state boards and commissions, including the Michigan Crime Victims Compensation Board, the Detroit Civil Service Commission (which he once chaired), and the Michigan Military Appeals Tribunal. His legal insight and measured leadership led to board appointments at WGPR-TV and the Detroit Omega Foundation, among others.
He was a consistent presence in legal associations across the state and the country, including the American Bar Association, the National Bar Association, and the State Bar of Michigan’s Bar-Media Relations Committee. He held positions with the Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association, the Wolverine Bar Association, and was a life member of the U.S. Sixth Circuit Judicial Conference. His influence was felt across all levels of the legal profession.
Judge Boykin was deeply involved in the Association of Black Judges of Michigan, serving as Treasurer, President-elect, and Board Member throughout his tenure. He used his positions not to elevate himself, but to strengthen the institutions he was part of. He made it a point to mentor younger attorneys and judges, and he remained connected to his Hampton alumni network and Detroit’s broader legal community throughout his career.
The recognition he received was never the motivation behind his service, but it followed naturally. He was honored with the 2016 Champion of Justice Award from the State Bar of Michigan and named an HBCU Game Changer by the Kentucky State University National Alumni Association the same year. Harvard Law School acknowledged him as a founding member of the Black Law Students Association and commended his decades of commitment to public service.
Outside of the legal world, Judge Boykin was a faithful and active member of Bethel A.M.E. Church in Detroit. He regularly gave Black History presentations during Sunday services—another way he invested in educating and connecting with his community.
His commitment to history, law, and service extended into his family life. He is survived by his wife, Pamela Traylor Boykin, and his son, Peter Jeffrey Boykin (Sheila), both of Detroit. He is also survived by his sister, Taunya Lovell Banks, Esq., of Baltimore, and a long list of nieces, nephews, cousins, and extended relatives. He was preceded in death by his brother, Dr. Alfred Wade Boykin Jr.
Judge Boykin was regarded not just for his legal acumen, but for his ability to listen, his willingness to mentor, and his clear sense of duty. Those closest to him speak of a man who made time—whether it was to advise a law student navigating their first clerkship or to explain the constitutional roots of due process during a Sunday conversation after church.
Many of those he mentored are now judges, attorneys, and civic leaders across Michigan and beyond. They carry with them not just lessons in law, but values that Judge Boykin lived by: precision, humility, and public duty.
His name may no longer appear on the bench, but the foundation he built continues. His legacy is evident in the policies he helped shape, the people he mentored, and the countless Detroiters whose lives were touched by his service.
Judge Ulysses Whittaker Boykin’s passing marks the end of a deeply rooted chapter in Michigan’s legal and civic history. But the blueprint he laid down—for justice, community mentorship, and generational excellence—remains a guiding light for those still doing the work.
