DeMent, Ira, III
Birmingham native Ira DeMent III (1931-2011) was best known for his career as a public attorney and judge, through which he played a key role in advocating for the civil rights of incarcerated people and individuals at mental health hospitals. After a brief time as the assistant state attorney general of Alabama, he served Alabama’s Middle District in several roles, first as the assistant state attorney general, then as a U.S. attorney, and later as a judge on the U.S. District Court; he also spent many years in private practice. Alongside his legal and judicial career, DeMent served in the U.S. Army and reserves for 36 years, reaching the rank of major general in the U.S. Air Force Reserve.
DeMent was born on December 21, 1931, in Birmingham, Jefferson County, to Ira DeMent Jr. and Helen Virginia DeMent; he had one brother. He attended Phillips High School in Birmingham, graduating in 1949. At his parents' encouragement, DeMent attended Marion Military Institute, a junior college in Perry County, and graduated in 1951. He then attended the University of Alabama, where he continued his military service by participating in the school’s ROTC program. After graduating in 1953, DeMent joined the U.S. Army Infantry and was deployed to West Germany during the Cold War with the 20th Pennsylvania Reserve Infantry. Because of its location bordering Soviet-controlled East Germany, West Germany played a critical role as a probable route of ground attack into western Europe during the decades-long confrontation between the United States and its allies and the Soviet Union. Although he was never involved in any violent engagements, DeMent and his fellow troops faced the ongoing threat of violence.
In 1955, DeMent returned to the United States and began law school at the University of Alabama. Although no longer in active service, DeMent continued in the U.S. Army Reserve and later the U.S. Air Force Reserve until 1989. During that time, he rose to the rank of major general and served as a judge advocate. DeMent’s interest in a legal career came in part from his grandfather, who served as a judge in Winston County. While in law school, DeMent’s classmates elected him as their class president; he graduated in 1958.
DeMent started his legal career as a law clerk for Alabama Supreme Court judge Pelham J. Merrill from 1958 to 1959. Following a brief period as Alabama's assistant state attorney general, DeMent became the assistant U.S. attorney for Alabama’s Middle District, serving from 1959 to 1961 and primarily focusing on criminal law. Around this time, DeMent married Ruth Posey, with whom he would have one son. He then spent the next eight years working in private practice in Montgomery, Montgomery County. During his time, DeMent engaged in various areas of law, including representing the Montgomery police department and filing a federal lawsuit, Charles Jerome Stockton et al. v Alabama Industrial School for Negro Children et al., against the state, alleging mistreatment at the detention center known as Mt. Meigs, located outside Montgomery. In federal court, District Court judge Frank M. Johnson Jr. ordered the facility’s integration, the establishment of minimum standards, and the reduction of overcrowding. The facility was taken over by the Alabama Department of Youth Services in the early 1970s.
In 1969, DeMent received an appointment as the U.S. attorney for Alabama’s Middle District from Pres. Richard Nixon, upon recommendation from Alabama congressman Bill Dickinson. In the early 1970s, DeMent served as an amicus curiae (friend of the court) in one of the most significant cases of his career, Wyatt v. Stickney. As an amicus curiae, DeMent helped the court by providing information and expertise on the case. The lawsuit was a class-action suit on behalf of patients involuntarily committed to state institutions who received improper treatment. Judge Johnson ruled in favor of the plaintiffs, concluding that involuntary commitment of mentally ill patients violated their civil rights under the Fourteenth Amendment. He also determined that standards for adequate treatment did not exist, and he established minimum standards for proper care. DeMent also served as an amicus curiae in another civil rights case, Newman v. State of Alabama (1972). The lawsuit claimed that Alabama violated the constitutional rights of people in prison by providing inadequate medical care. Johnson found that Alabama had violated the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments in its treatment of incarcerated people. This case was later merged with similar cases and significantly contributed to the overhaul of the state’s prison system in the following decade. Johnson and DeMent coordinated on several cases and developed a close familial friendship.
In 1977, DeMent returned to private practice in Montgomery, focusing mainly on criminal law until 1992. Upon the recommendation of Dickinson again, DeMent received an appointment by Pres. George H. W. Bush as a U.S. District Court judge for the Middle District of Alabama in 1991, filling the seat of Truman McGill Hobbs. The U.S. Senate confirmed DeMent on March 13, 1992.
One of DeMent’s landmark cases, Chandler v. James (1997), concerned prayer in DeKalb County’s public schools. In this case, DeMent struck down a state law that permitted prayer during specific events at public schools. This decision, which prohibited educators from leading prayers, drew significant backlash from Gov. Forrest “Fob” James Jr. and other Republicans in the state. The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals later, in part, overturned DeMent’s decision and allowed for voluntary student prayers.
Beyond his legal and military careers, DeMent served as a special counsel to Alabama governors Fob James, George C. Wallace, and Guy Hunt. In 1976, Princeton University awarded DeMent the Rockefeller Public Service Award (now known as the Rockefeller Distinguished Public Service Award) for his work in the area of social conflict management, noting his efforts to improve the plight of incarcerated youth and adults and residents of mental health facilities.
In 2002, DeMent stepped back from much of his legal work. He died on July 16, 2011, in Montgomery, after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease. He and his family were lifelong Methodists.
