DENVER — The steps Wiley Daniel took to the federal courthouse are historic.
"Actually, he was the first African-American judge I ever met," Don Jesse Toussaint said.
Toussaint was a law student when he first met Daniel, who was the first African-American federal judge in Colorado. He was appointed by President Bill Clinton in 1995.
"He was a trailblazer. There's not too many African-American partners downtown on 17th Street. He was one of them," Toussaint said. "He's the only African-American president of the Colorado Bar Association."
He was also a mentor and a friend to Toussaint. Toussaint worked as a law clerk for Daniel before becoming in a judge himself. He is one of only two African-American judges in Arapahoe County currently.
"Judge Wiley Daniel pretty much laid out the blueprint for a lot of us young attorneys or judges," Toussaint said.
Daniel believed in finding more opportunities for minorities to work in the law profession or become judges.
"He was gregarious, I mean, he really had the pulse of the community," Toussaint said.
His work was recognized with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Center for Legal Inclusiveness.
Toussaint said it appears that his 72-year-old friend died from a heart attack Friday night.
"We've lost a good one, one of the good ones," Toussaint said. "It's sad and I know this is hard on his family."
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