Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Black received an Artium Baccalaureus degree from Harvard University in 1947 and a Bachelor of Laws from Harvard Law School in 1949.

[1][2] On March 11, 1982, Black was nominated by President Ronald Reagan to a seat on the United States District Court for the District of Maryland vacated by Judge Edward Skottowe Northrop.

He served as Chief Judge from 1991 to 1994, assuming senior status on October 21, 1994.

He took inactive senior status on June 30, 2003, meaning he remained a Judge of the court but no longer heard cases or participated in court business, remaining in that status until his death.

[2] Black died in Easton, Maryland, on September 29, 2014, from complications of Parkinson's disease.