Helen J. Frye

Infobox Judge
name = Helen Jackson Frye


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office = Judge for the United States District Court for the District of Oregon
termstart = February 20 1980
termend = December 10 1995
nominator = Jimmy Carter
appointer =
predecessor = New position
successor = Garr King
office2 = Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Oregon
constituency2 =
termstart2 = December 10 1995
termend2 =
nominator2 =
appointer2 =
predecessor2 =
successor2 =
birthdate = 1930
birthplace = Klamath Falls, Oregon
deathdate =
deathplace =
party =
spouse =
children = E. Max Frye

Helen Jackson Frye (born 1930) is an American judge and attorney in the state of Oregon. Born in Southern Oregon, she served as an active federal district court judge in Portland, Oregon, for 15 years and as a judge for the Oregon Circuit Court for nine years. She is currently a senior judge for the United States District Court for the District of Oregon.

Early life

Helen Jackson was born in Klamath Falls, Oregon, in the south-central portion of the state in 1930. [http://www.fjc.gov/servlet/tGetInfo?jid= 803 Judges of the United States: Helen Jackson Frye.] Federal Judicial Center. Retrieved on June 3 2008.] Growing up on a potato and grain farm in Klamath County, her father died when she was three and was raised by her maternal grandparents from age three to nine as her mother and sibling recovered from tuberculosis.Van Meter, Heather. [http://www.usdchs.org/news-letters/2005/benchmarks%20fall%202005.pdf Three Oregon Judges and a 25th Anniversary.] "Oregon Benchmarks", Fall 2005. Retrieved on June 3 2008.] Mitchell, Jann. Helen Frye: View from the bench. "The Oregonian", January 15 1989.] Her mother then remarried and they moved from the family farm.

After high school she attended the University of Oregon in Eugene where she graduated in 1953 with a bachelor’s of arts degree in English and served as class president of her sophomore class. To pay for school, Frye worked her way through at jobs such as babysitter and waitress. She was also a member of Phi Beta Kappa. She then taught in public schools. [http://cas.uoregon.edu/alumnidev/alumni/1997autumn/199711fellows.html#frye Alumni & Development: Frontier Spirits.] University of Oregon. Retrieved on June 3 2008.] In 1961, Frye earned a masters degree at the school, and then graduated from the University of Oregon School of Law in 1966 with a juris doctorate degree. Between degrees she had three children with her first husband Bill Frye, including filmmaker E. Max Frye. [Turnquist, Kristi. Judge files an appeal on behalf of 'Amos and Andrew' screenings. "The Oregonian", March 11 1993.] The couple's other children were Karen and Heidi.

Legal career

After passing the bar in 1966 she entered private legal practice in Eugene, and worked for her husband, who was the district attorney for Lane County. In 1971, Frye left private practice and became a judge for the Oregon Circuit Court’s second district covering Lane County. Oregon Governor Tom McCall appointed her to the position, and she became the first female judge of the Oregon Circuit Courts. Helen and Bill divorced in 1975, with Helen remarrying to Perry Holloman. She remained on that court after winning election to a full term and re-election until 1980, when she became a judge for a new seat on the United States District Court for the District of Oregon

Nominated on December 3 1979, by U.S. President Jimmy Carter, she was confirmed by the United States Senate on February 20 1980, and received her federal commission that same day. She was the first woman on Oregon's only federal court. While on the court, she presided over the case that voided the incorporation of the community of Rajneeshpuram in Central Oregon. She also dismissed a case concerning the protection of the Northern Spotted Owl from logging in 1989. [Bishop, Katherine. [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=950DE0DC123EF933A15756C0A96F948260 Effort to Save Spotted Owl Suffers Setback in U.S. Court in Oregon.] "The New York Times", May 20 1989.] In 1992, she was the trial court level judge for Kyllo v. United States, an unlawful search case that made it to the United States Supreme Court in 2001. [Farrell, Peter. Final charges are dismissed in landmark case. "The Oregonian", October 7 2001.] On December 10 1995, she assumed senior status on the court and is no longer a full-time judge for the court. Frye was awarded the Meritorious Service Award from the University of Oregon School of Law in 2000. [ [http://www.uoregon.edu/~uocomm/newsreleases/latest/may100/G0516100.html U.S. District Judge Helen Frye to receive UO Law School award.] University of Oregon, May 16 2000. Retrieved on June 3 2008.]

References

External links

* [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D01E5DF143BF931A25751C1A963948260 "New York Times" article on Rajneeshpuram decision]
* [http://waynechin.com/frye.htm Portrait]