James E. Gritzner | |
|---|---|
| Senior Judge of theUnited States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa | |
| Assumed office March 1, 2015 | |
| Chief Judge of theUnited States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa | |
| In office 2011–2015 | |
| Preceded by | Robert W. Pratt |
| Succeeded by | John Alfred Jarvey |
| Judge of theUnited States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa | |
| In office February 19, 2002 – March 1, 2015 | |
| Appointed by | George W. Bush |
| Preceded by | Charles R. Wolle |
| Succeeded by | Rebecca Goodgame Ebinger |
| Personal details | |
| Born | James Edward Gritzner (1947-11-19)November 19, 1947 (age 77) Charles City, Iowa, U.S. |
| Education | Dakota Wesleyan University (BA) University of Northern Iowa (MA) Drake University (JD) |
James Edward Gritzner (born November 19, 1947) is aseniorUnited States district judge of theUnited States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa.
Gritzner was born on November 19, 1947, inCharles City, Iowa.[1] He received aBachelor of Arts degree in speech fromDakota Wesleyan University in 1969, and aMaster of Arts degree in verbal behavior from theUniversity of Northern Iowa in 1974. He initially planned to be a professional choral director and competed in debate.[2] From 1967 to 1976, Gritzner worked as a radio and television reporter inSouth Dakota andIowa.[1] He received aJuris Doctor fromDrake University Law School in 1979. During Gritzner's third year of law school, he worked as a full-time law clerk to then-United States Magistrate JudgeRonald Longstaff of theUnited States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa.[1][2]
From 1979 to 1981, Gritzner was an associate of theWaterloo, law firm Mosier, Thomas, Beatty, Dutton, Braun, and Staack.[1] The firm is now known as Dutton, Daniels, Hines, Kalkhoff, Cook & Swanson.[3] From 1981 to 1982, he worked at Humphrey, Haas and Gritzner, a new law firm inDes Moines, before leaving after a dispute about the propriety of attorney advertising under ethical rules.[1][2] Gritzner then joined Nyemaster Goode in Des Moines, where he made partner in 1986. Gritzner litigated at Nyemaster until his appointment to the bench.[1] One of Gritzner's specialties was litigation over catastrophic fires and explosions, in which he maintained a nationwide practice.[1] He published an article on Iowa's tort law andcomparative negligence in theDrake Law Review.[4] Gritzner was also particularly noted for his expertise in legal ethics issues and was the primary prosecutor for the Committee on Professional Ethics and Conduct of the Iowa State Bar Association and the Client Security and Attorney Disciplinary Commission of theIowa Supreme Court.[1]Robert D. Ray appointed Gritzner to the Iowa Board of Parole from 1980 to 1982.[1] Gritzner was regularly involved inChuck Grassley's Senate campaigns from 1986 until he became a judge, including chairing Grassley's campaign committees throughout the 1990s.[1]
Gritzner was nominated as a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa by PresidentGeorge W. Bush on September 4, 2001, to a seat vacated whenCharles R. Wolle tooksenior status. He was confirmed by theUnited States Senate on February 14, 2002, and received his commission on February 19, 2002. He served as chief judge from 2011 to 2015. He assumedsenior status on March 1, 2015.[5] In addition to his trial court service, Gritzner regularly sits by designation on the federal courts of appeals.[2]
| Legal offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Judge of theUnited States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa 2002–2015 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chief Judge of theUnited States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa 2011–2015 | Succeeded by |