JUST TWO WEEKS ago, he appeared the picture of health when he testified before the House Judiciary Committee. Monday, A. Leon Higginbotham died at the age of 70 after a series of strokes.

When he retired in 1993, Higginbotham was chief judge of the Third U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia. He was later awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, for his contributions to his profession and country, including his landmark multivolume work, Race and the American Legal Process.

Mr. Higginbotham's passionate voice on issues of legal and public policy will be missed.

Pub Date: 12/16/98