U.S. District Judge Sam Pointer Jr. Dies At 73

BIRMINGHAM, ALA. – Retired U.S. District Judge Sam Pointer Jr., who received death threats after ordering busing for schoolchildren to desegregate Jefferson County Schools in the 1970s, died Saturday at 73.     Appointed to the federal bench by President Nixon, Judge Pointer also presided over thousands of silicone breast implant cases in the 1990s. He retired eight years ago after nearly 30 years on the bench and joined the Birmingham law firm of Lightfoot, Franklin & White.