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James R. Browning
James R. Browning
Senior Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
	In office; September 1, 2000 – May 6, 2012
Chief Judge of the United 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 the United 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; October 1, 1918; Great Falls, Montana, U.S.
Died	May 6, 2012 (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 a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

Early life and education

Browning was born on October 1, 1918, in Great Falls, Montana.^[1] He grew up in Belt, Montana and attended high school there.^[2]

He was a founding member of the Montana Law Review.^[1]

Browning received a Bachelor of Laws in 1941 from the Alexander Blewett III School of Law at the University of Montana.^[3]

Career

He was a special attorney for the Antitrust Division of the United States Department of Justice in Denver, Colorado from 1941 to 1943. He was a United States Army lieutenant from 1943 to 1946. He was again a special attorney with the Antitrust Division in Washington, D.C. from 1946 to 1948. He was Chief of the Northwest Regional Office of the Antitrust Division in Seattle, 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 the Civil Division of the United States Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. from 1951 to 1952. He was Executive Assistant for the Office of the Attorney General of the United States from 1952 to 1953. He was the Chief of the Executive Office for United States Attorneys in 1953. He was in private practice in Washington, D.C. from 1953 to 1958. Browning was Clerk 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]

Federal judicial service

Browning was nominated by President John F. Kennedy on September 6, 1961, to a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit vacated by Judge Walter Lyndon Pope. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on September 14, 1961, and received his commission on September 18, 1961.^[4] He served as Chief Judge and a member of the Judicial Conference of the United States from July 1, 1976 to June 15, 1988.^[4]^[6]^[7] He assumed senior 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 in Marin County, California.^[8]

Honors

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 main Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals courthouse in San Francisco was named in his honor.^[7]

References

^ ^a ^b Montana School of Law (1 January 2012). "A Tribute to Judge James R. Browning". Montana Law Review. 73 (1): 2. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
^ Thomas, Sidney R. (1 July 2015). "Judge James R. Browning: His Legacy for Montana and the Future of the Federal Judiciary". Montana Law Review. p. 3. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
^ "James R. Browning dies at 93; led 9th Circuit Court of Appeals". Los Angeles Times. 2012-05-09. Retrieved 2020-09-17.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d James Robert Browning at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
^ "The Presidential Oath of Office".
^ "Montanan chief judge". The Billings Gazette. July 3, 1976.
^ ^a ^b "Pelosi Statement on Passage of the California Missions Preservation Act". Pelosi.house.gov. 2004-11-20. Archived from the original on 2012-09-21. Retrieved 2012-05-08.
^ Williams, Carol (May 9, 2012). "Longtime head of 9th Circuit". Los Angeles Times.

External links

James Robert Browning at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
"Exhibit Highlights Career of Late Chief Judge"

Legal offices
Preceded by Walter Lyndon Pope	Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit 1961–2000	Succeeded by Sandra Segal Ikuta
Preceded by Richard Harvey Chambers	Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit 1976–1988	Succeeded by Alfred Goodwin