- James R. Browning
James Robert Browning (born October 1, 1918,
Great Falls, Montana ) is an American judge on theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit . As of 2005, he has served 44 years on the court—the longest tenure in that court's history—and published over 1,000 appellate decisions. While Chief Judge of the Ninth Circuit, he oversaw numerous reforms that modernized and increased the efficiency of the circuit's administration.Browning was raised in
Belt, Montana , where he attended public school. He was nicknamed "Tiny" as a child, only growing to an adult height of5'2" . Browning received his undergraduate degree fromMontana State University in 1938, and anLL.B. from Montana University Law School in 1941, where he graduated at the top of his class and served as editor-in-chief of thelaw review . After law school, he joined theAntitrust Division of theUnited States Department of Justice inDenver, Colorado . In 1943, he entered theUnited States Army as a private duringWorld War II . He spent three years in thePacific Theatre inmilitary intelligence , and earned a Bronze Star and the rank offirst lieutenant .Browning left the army in 1946 and returned to the Department of Justice, where he proceeded to rise through the ranks over the following seven years. He served in the
Washington, D.C. Antitrust Division office until 1948, when he moved to theSeattle office to serve as northwest regional chief. Browning came back to D.C. the following year to serve as assistant chief of the Antitrust Division's General Litigation Section, first assistant in the Civil Division from 1951-1952, and executive assistant to the U.S. Attorney General. In 1953, he organized and served as the first chief of the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys (EOUSA).He left the DOJ the same year, however, to enter private practice as a partner in the firm of Perlman, Lyons & Browning in D.C. He also lectured at
New York University and Georgetown law schools. Browning then served asClerk of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1958 until 1961 at the request of Chief JusticeEarl Warren . Browning was the last clerk of the Supreme Court to hold the Bible at a presidential inauguration, for PresidentJohn F. Kennedy .On
September 6 ,1961 , President Kennedy nominated Browning to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, to a seat vacated byWalter Lyndon Pope . Despite receiving a "Not Qualified" rating from theAmerican Bar Association and publicized opposition from sitting Supreme Court JusticeFelix Frankfurter , Browning was confirmed by theUnited States Senate on September 14, 1961, and received his commission on September 18, 1961. Browning served asChief Judge of the Ninth Circuit from 1976 until 1988. During that time he reorganized and modernized its administration so as to completely eliminate its backlog and reduce by half the time spent to decide an appeal. He also spearheaded such advances as the first fully computerizeddocket system in a federal court and the use ofe-mail communications between judge's chambers. Browning assumed senior status on September 1, 2000.In 1991, 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 main Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals courthouse in
San Francisco was named in his honor.Browning founded two non-profit institutions for the improvement of justice: the Western Regional Justice Center in
Pasadena, California , and the Ninth Judicial Circuit Historical Society, also in Pasadena.He is the last circuit judge remaining from the Kennedy Administration.
References
* [http://www.fjc.gov/public/home.nsf/hisj Federal Judicial Center federal judges biographical database]
* [http://www.house.gov/pelosi/press/releases/Nov03/BrowningCourtHouse112003.html "Pelosi Introduces Legislation to Designate San Francisco Courthouse in Honor of James R. Browning"] , November 20, 2003 press release from the office of Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi.
* [http://www.montanabar.org/montanalawyer/august2001/judgebrowning.html "The State Bar's highest award goes this year to... Judge James Browning: Montana native, UM grad and now senior judge for 9th Circuit wins Jameson Award"] , "The Montana Lawyer Magazine", August, 2001.
* [http://www.ce9.uscourts.gov/Web/OCELibra.nsf/0/59cf8d4ddd680da3882569650079f797?OpenDocument "Circuit Judge James R. Browning Take Senior Status"] , September 21, 2000 press release from the Ninth Circuit.
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