Editing James Eastland (section)

==Later years==
In his last years in the Senate, Eastland was recognized by most senators as one who knew how to wield the legislative powers he had accumulated. Many senators, including [[modern liberalism in the United States|liberals]] who opposed many of his positions, acknowledged the fairness with which he chaired the Judiciary Committee, sharing staff and authority that chairmen of other committees jealously held for themselves.<ref name="Lateer">{{Cite book |last=Lateer |first=James |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jsRADwAAQBAJ&pg=PT391 |title=Three Barons: The Organizational Chart of the JFK assassination |date=2017 |publisher=Trine Day LLC |isbn=9781634241434 |location=Walterville, OR |page=391}}</ref> He maintained friendly personal ties with liberal Democrats such as [[Ted Kennedy]],<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Zwiers |first=Maarten |title=Great Compromisers: Edward Kennedy and James Eastland in the U.S. Senate |url=http://www.netherlands-america.nl/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/nasa-najaar%202009.pdf |journal=NASA-Nieuwsbrief |location=Middelburg, Netherlands |publisher=Netherlands American Studies Association (NASA) |volume=XIX |issue=Fall 2009 |page=11 |access-date=20 June 2019 |quote=Senator Eastland publicly came out for his friendship with the youngest of the Kennedy brothers. In the spring of 1978, when Eastland had already announced his retirement, he invited Ted Kennedy as the commencement speaker at the University of Mississippi}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Joe Atkins |date=6 November 2016 |title=Book review: 'Big Jim Eastland' |work=[[Hattiesburg American]] |url=https://eu.hattiesburgamerican.com/story/life/books/2016/11/06/book-review-big-jim-eastland/93100844/ |access-date=20 June 2019 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20190620070108/https://eu.hattiesburgamerican.com/story/life/books/2016/11/06/book-review-big-jim-eastland/93100844/ |archive-date=20 June 2019 |quote=Eastland and Kennedy became friends}}</ref> [[Walter Mondale]], [[Joe Biden]]<ref>{{Cite news |last=Tapper |first=Jake |title=Biden his time |work=[[Salon (website)|Salon]] |url=https://www.salon.com/2001/06/29/biden_19/ |url-status=live |access-date=12 April 2019 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20190412180539/https://www.salon.com/2001/06/29/biden_19/ |archive-date=12 April 2019 |quote=Jim Eastland of Mississippi, a fellow Democrat who offered to help Biden in a tough 1978 reelection contest. "What can Jim Eastland do for you?" the senator asked. Biden was at the time worried about the issue of school busing, in which he had sided with the civil rights community, and was concerned with how a boost from a Dixiecrat would play in the housing projects of Wilmington. "Mr. Chairman," Biden said, "quite honestly, some places you can help me, but a lot of places you could hurt me." "I'll just come to Del'ware and campaign for you or agin' you, whichever helps you the most," Eastland drawled.}}</ref> and [[Philip Hart]], even though they disagreed on many issues.<ref name="Lateer" /> Following Johnson's retirement from the White House, Eastland frequently visited Johnson at his Texas ranch.<ref name="Lateer" />

In an event recounted by [[Patrick Leahy]] in his 2022 memoir, [[Ted Kennedy]] once sought to advance in the Judiciary Committee a bill that Eastland opposed.<ref name="Leahy">{{cite book |last=Leahy |first=Patrick |date=2022 |title=The Road Taken |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AiHREAAAQBAJ |location=New York, NY |publisher=Simon & Schuster |pages=76–77 |isbn=978-1-9821-5736-4 |via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref> Eastland promised Kennedy that if Kennedy secured enough votes for the measure to pass, Eastland would place it on the committee agenda, though Eastland would vote against it.<ref name="Leahy"/> Kennedy believed he had secured the votes, and true to his word, Eastland included it on the committee agenda.<ref name="Leahy"/> When the question was called, it failed by one vote.<ref name="Leahy"/> According to Leahy, Eastland questioned one senator who had cast a no vote as to whether he had given Kennedy his word to vote in favor.<ref name="Leahy"/> The senator indicated that he had, but that he had then changed his mind.<ref name="Leahy"/> Eastland told the lawmaker in question that when one senator gave his word to another, he was honor-bound to keep it.<ref name="Leahy"/> Eastland then changed his own vote to yes, allowing Kennedy's bill to pass.<ref name="Leahy"/> Afterward, the senator Eastland questioned never had one of his bills included on the committee agenda.<ref name="Leahy"/> Eastland's closest friend and confidant was [[Leander Perez]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bill Minor |date=18 February 2016 |title=Minor: Netherlands scholar pens James Eastland bio |work=[[The Clarion-Ledger]] |url=https://eu.clarionledger.com/story/opinion/columnists/2016/02/18/minor-netherlands-scholar-pens-james-eastland-bio/80519304/ |access-date=20 June 2019 |quote=Leander Perez, who became Eastland's closest friend and confidant.}}</ref>

Eastland died at a hospital in [[Greenwood, Mississippi]], on February 19, 1986, from pneumonia as a complication of other health issues; he was 81.<ref>{{cite news|url = https://www.nytimes.com/1986/02/20/obituaries/james-o-eastland-is-dead-at-81-leading-senate-foe-of-integration.html|title = James O. Eastland Is Dead at 81; Leading Senate Foe of Integration|last = Hunteer|first = Marjorie|date = February 20, 1986|accessdate = November 19, 2024|newspaper = [[The New York Times]]|url-access = limited|page = D24}}</ref>

While at a fundraiser on June 18, 2019, presidential candidate Biden said that one of his greatest strengths was "bringing people together" and pointed to his relationships with Eastland and fellow segregationist senator [[Herman Talmadge]] as examples. While imitating a [[Southern drawl]], Biden remarked, "I was in a caucus with James O. Eastland. He never called me 'boy,' he always called me 'son.'”<ref name="segregation1">{{Cite news |last=Detrow |first=Scott |date=19 June 2019 |title=Democrats Blast Biden For Recalling 'Civil' Relationship With Segregationists |publisher=National Public Radio |url=https://www.npr.org/2019/06/19/734103488/democrats-blast-biden-for-recalling-civil-relationship-with-segregationists |access-date=19 June 2019}}</ref><ref name="segregation2">{{Cite news |last=Cammarata |first=Sarah |date=19 June 2019 |title=Biden faces backlash for citing his work with two segregationists as a sign of 'civility' |publisher=Politico |url=https://www.politico.com/story/2019/06/19/joe-biden-segregationist-senators-1370223 |access-date=19 June 2019}}</ref> New Jersey Senator [[Cory Booker]] was one of many Democrats to criticize Biden for the remarks, issuing a statement that said, "You don't joke about calling black men 'boys.' Men like James O. Eastland used words like that, and the racist policies that accompanied them, to perpetuate white supremacy and strip black Americans of our very humanity".<ref name="segregation2" />