James R. Browning | |
|---|---|
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| Senior Judge of theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit | |
| In office September 1, 2000 – May 6, 2012 | |
| Chief Judge of theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit | |
| In office July 1, 1976 – June 15, 1988 | |
| Preceded by | Richard Harvey Chambers |
| Succeeded by | Alfred Goodwin |
| Judge of theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit | |
| In office September 18, 1961 – September 1, 2000 | |
| Appointed by | John F. Kennedy |
| Preceded by | Walter Lyndon Pope |
| Succeeded by | Sandra Segal Ikuta |
| Personal details | |
| Born | James Robert Browning (1918-10-01)October 1, 1918 Great Falls,Montana, U.S. |
| Died | May 6, 2012(2012-05-06) (aged 93) Marin County, California, U.S. |
| Education | University of Montana (LLB) |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service |  United States Army |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
James Robert Browning (October 1, 1918 – May 6, 2012) was an American attorney and jurist who served as aUnited States circuit judge of theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
Browning was born on October 1, 1918, inGreat Falls,Montana.[1] He grew up inBelt, Montana and attended high school there.[2]
He was a founding member of theMontana Law Review.[1]
Browning received aBachelor of Laws in 1941 from theAlexander Blewett III School of Law at theUniversity of Montana.[3]
He was a special attorney for theAntitrust Division of theUnited States Department of Justice inDenver,Colorado from 1941 to 1943. He was aUnited States Army lieutenant from 1943 to 1946. He was again a special attorney with the Antitrust Division inWashington, D.C. from 1946 to 1948. He was Chief of the Northwest Regional Office of the Antitrust Division inSeattle,Washington from 1948 to 1949. He was Assistant Chief of the General Litigation Section of the Antitrust Division in Washington, D.C. from 1949 to 1951. He was First Assistant of theCivil Division of the United States Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. from 1951 to 1952. He was Executive Assistant for the Office of theAttorney General of the United States from 1952 to 1953. He was the Chief of the Executive Office forUnited States Attorneys in 1953. He was in private practice in Washington, D.C. from 1953 to 1958. Browning wasClerk of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1958 to 1961, and held the Bible for the oath of office at John F. Kennedy's inauguration, at a time when the Supreme Court Clerk traditionally performed this task at all presidential inaugurations.[4]Lyndon Johnson effectively ended this tradition in 1965 when he asked his wife,Lady Bird, to hold the Bible for his swearing-in, something which all First Ladies have done ever since.[5]
Browning was nominated by PresidentJohn F. Kennedy on September 6, 1961, to a seat on theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit vacated by JudgeWalter Lyndon Pope. He was confirmed by theUnited States Senate on September 14, 1961, and received his commission on September 18, 1961.[4] He served as Chief Judge and a member of theJudicial Conference of the United States from July 1, 1976 to June 15, 1988.[4][6][7] He assumedsenior status on September 1, 2000.[4] He was the last federal appeals court judge in active service to have been appointed by President Kennedy. His service terminated on May 6, 2012, due to his death inMarin County, California.[8]
In 1992, Browning was awarded the Edward J. Devitt Award for Distinguished Service to Justice, which is presented annually to a federal judge. In 2001, the Montana State Bar Association gave Browning its highest honor, the Jameson Award. In 2005, the mainNinth Circuit Court of Appeals courthouse inSan Francisco was named in his honor.[7]
| Legal offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Judge of theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit 1961–2000 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chief Judge of theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit 1976–1988 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
