As a teenager he left home to serve in the United States Navy during World War II, a time when he was subjected to racism that would inspire him to become a lawyer.
[2] Howard played an important judicial role in the Whitewater trial, which led to the downfall of then- Arkansas Governor Jim Guy Tucker.
[8] During the Whitewater trials, Howard called for video testimony from Clinton, the man who had appointed him to the court of appeals years earlier.
[3] A member of the 1994 class of the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame,[9] Howard was known for his fairness and commitment to civil rights.
He made the daily drive from his home in Pine Bluff to Little Rock, Arkansas to carry out his judicial duties, despite being slowed in his later years by declining health.