News
July 12, 2005
Post Office in New Bedford, Massachusetts is Renamed The Honorable Judge George N. Leighton Post Office Building
On July 12, 2005, President Bush signed Public Law 109-32, designating the New Bedford post office on Pleasant Street the Honorable Judge George N. Leighton Post Office Building. Leighton was born in New Bedford on October 22, 1912. His parents, Anna Silva Garcia and Antonio Neves Leitao, immigrated to New Bedford from Cape Verde. This significant honor reflects Leighton’s hard work and determination in obtaining an education, his receipt of the Bronze Star for his courageous service during World War II, his numerous awards and honorary degrees throughout his distinguished career, and his symbolism of the Cape Verde immigration to this U.S.
Leighton concentrates in the areas of federal litigation and appellate cases. He became counsel to Neal & Leroy, LLC in 1987 after retiring from 23 combined years of service as judge on the state and federal bench. Leighton is a 1946 graduate of Harvard Law School and a 1940 magna cum laude graduate of Howard University. His early career included serving as an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Illinois and as Master in Chancery of the Circuit Court of Cook County. In 1964, he was elected to a six-year term as Judge of the Circuit Court of Cook County and five years later he was assigned by the Illinois Supreme Court to sit as Judge of the Appellate Court, First District.
In 1970, Leighton was elected to a ten-year term as a Justice of the Illinois Appellate Court, First District. President Gerald Ford nominated Leighton to serve as a Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois in 1975, upon confirmation Leighton began serving in 1976. Leighton retired from the bench in 1987.