Richard F. Cebull | |
---|---|
| |
Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Montana | |
In office March 18, 2013 –May 3, 2013 | |
Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Montana | |
In office 2008–2013 | |
Preceded by | Donald W. Molloy |
Succeeded by | Dana L. Christensen |
Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Montana | |
In office July 25,2001 –March 18,2013 | |
Appointed by | George W. Bush |
Preceded by | Jack D. Shanstrom |
Succeeded by | Susan P. Watters |
Magistrate Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Montana | |
In office 1998–2001 | |
Personal details | |
Born | [1] Billings,Montana,U.S. | March 18,1944
Education | Montana State University (BS) University of Montana School of Law (JD) |
Richard Frank Cebull (born March 18,1944) is a former United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Montana.
Born in Billings,Montana,and raised in Roundup,Montana, [2] Cebull received his Bachelor of Science from Montana State University (1966) and his Juris Doctor from the University of Montana Law School (1969). He was in private practice in Montana (1969–97) and a Trial Judge of the Northern Cheyenne Tribal Court (1970–72).
Cebull served as a United States magistrate judge for the District of Montana from 1998 to 2001. On May 17,2001,Cebull was nominated by President George W. Bush to a seat on the United States District Court for the District of Montana vacated by Jack D. Shanstrom. Cebull was confirmed by the United States Senate on July 20,2001,and received his commission on July 25,2001. He became chief judge in 2008.
In a 2002 case brought by natural beef producers,the Charter family,against the United States Department of Agriculture,Cebull upheld the constitutionality of the Beef Promotion and Research Act of 1985,a government-mandated commodity checkoff program for the United States beef industry. [3] The Charter family objected to being forced to pay into the fund,thus associated against their will with political and economic positions taken by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association,the primary checkoff contractor. [4] Cebull ruled that "The federal government created and controls the beef checkoff program. …Because the government may utilize private speakers to disseminate content-oriented speech,the [Beef] Act does not violate the rights of free speech or association." [5] The ruling was vacated and remanded by the Ninth Circuit in 2005. [6]
In 2004,Cebull granted the Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund and the United Stockgrowers of America an injunction against imports of Canadian cattle over concerns of a potential bovine spongiform encephalopathy outbreak. After rulings from the United States Department of Agriculture and protests from the Canadian government,the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit reversed Cebull's injunction in July 2005. [7]
On February 20,2012,Cebull used his official courthouse email address to forward to seven friends an email containing a racially charged [8] [9] [10] joke about President Barack Obama. In the joke,"A little boy said to his mother;'Mommy,how come I'm black and you're white?' His mother replied,'Don't even go there Barack! From what I can remember about that party,you're lucky you don't bark!'" Cebull said he "didn't send it as racist," but rather "sent it out because it's anti-Obama." [10] On March 1,2012,Cebull initiated a misconduct complaint against himself with the Ninth Circuit [11] and sent a letter of apology to Obama and his family. [12] The Crow Tribal Legislature and a New York Times editorial called for his resignation or impeachment. [13] [14]
On October 4,2012,United States Courts spokeswoman Karen Redmond said Cebull would take senior status March 18,2013. Cebull took reduced caseload but still drew a salary and kept a staff. [15] On April 3,2013,it was announced that Judge Cebull would retire,concluding the misconduct investigation begun by his own self-report. [16] He fully retired on May 3,2013. [17] An investigation by the Judicial Council of the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals revealed that Cebull had sent hundreds of "racist,sexist and politically inflammatory" e-mail messages over four years. [18]
Alex Kozinski is a Romanian-American jurist and lawyer who was a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit from 1985 to 2017. He was a prominent and influential judge,and many of his law clerks went on to clerk for U.S. Supreme Court justices.
The United States District Court for the District of Montana is the United States District Court whose jurisdiction is the state of Montana. The court is located in Billings,Butte,Great Falls,Helena and Missoula.
Sidney Runyan Thomas is an American lawyer and jurist serving as a senior U.S. circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit since 1996. He served as the Ninth Circuit's chief judge from 2014 to 2021. His chambers are located in Billings,Montana.
Barbara Louise Milano Keenan is a senior United States circuit judge of United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and a former justice on the Supreme Court of Virginia.
Johnnie Blakeney Rawlinson is a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and a former United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Nevada.
Lucy Haeran Koh is an American lawyer serving as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Koh previously served as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California from 2010 to 2021. She also served as a California state court judge of the Santa Clara County Superior Court from 2008 to 2010. She is the first Korean American woman to serve on a federal appellate court in the United States.
U.S. President Barack Obama nominated over 400 individuals for federal judgeships during his presidency. Of these nominations,Congress confirmed 329 judgeships,173 during the 111th &112th Congresses and 156 during the 113th and 114th Congresses.
Leonard Philip Stark is an American lawyer who serves as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. He is a former United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Delaware and was a United States magistrate judge of the same district.
Alison Julie Nathan is an American lawyer who has served as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit since 2022. She served as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York from 2011 to 2022. She previously served as associate White House counsel for President Barack Obama.
Brian Matthew Morris is an American attorney who serves as the Chief United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Montana. He is a former justice of the Montana Supreme Court,having been elected in 2004. Morris successfully retained his position in the 2012 election. He is also a former fullback for the Stanford Cardinal football team.
Michael Walter Fitzgerald is a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Central District of California.
Robert Edwin Bacharach is a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit.
Jon Steven Tigar is an American lawyer serving as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. He was previously a California state court judge on the Alameda County Superior Court from 2002 to 2013.
Derrick Kahala Watson is an American lawyer who serves as the Chief United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii.
Luis Felipe Restrepo,known commonly as L. Felipe Restrepo,is a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and former United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. He is a member of the United States Sentencing Commission.
Susan Pamela Watters is an American attorney serving as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Montana. She is the first female judge to serve in the District of Montana.
John Byron Owens is an American judge and lawyer who serves as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
Salvador Mendoza Jr. is an American lawyer serving as United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. He previously served as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Washington from 2014 to 2022 and as a Washington state court judge from 2002 to 2014.
Cheryl Ann Krause is a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
Johanns v. Livestock Marketing Association,544 U.S. 550 (2005),is a First Amendment case of the Supreme Court of the United States. At issue was whether a beef producer could be compelled to contribute to beef industry advertising.
He was born in Billings and raised in Roundup, Montana.