James A. Redden

James Anthony Redden Jr. (March 13, 1929 – March 31, 2020)[1] was an American judge and politician from Oregon. He was a Senior United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Oregon, from 1995 to 2020, and, before that, had served as a federal judge since 1980.[2] Before his appointment to the bench, he was a trial attorney, and a career Democratic politician, serving as a legislator and in two of the state's constitutional offices, as Treasurer and Attorney General.[3][4]

James A. Redden
Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Oregon
In office
March 13, 1995 – March 31, 2020
Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Oregon
In office
1990–1995
Preceded byOwen M. Panner
Succeeded byMichael Robert Hogan
Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Oregon
In office
February 20, 1980 – March 13, 1995
Appointed byJimmy Carter
Preceded bySeat established by 92 Stat. 1629
Succeeded byAnn Aiken
10th Oregon Attorney General
In office
January 3, 1977 – March 24, 1980
GovernorRobert W. Straub
Victor Atiyeh
Preceded byLee Johnson
Succeeded byJames M. Brown
Oregon State Treasurer
In office
January 1, 1973 – January 3, 1977
GovernorTom McCall
Preceded byRobert W. Straub
Succeeded byH. Clay Myers Jr.
Member of the Oregon House of Representatives
In office
1963–1969
Personal details
Born
James Anthony Redden Jr.

(1929-03-13)March 13, 1929
Springfield, Massachusetts, U.S.
DiedMarch 31, 2020(2020-03-31) (aged 91)
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)
Joan Johnson
​
​
(m. 1951; died 2018)​
ResidenceBeaverton, Oregon
EducationBoston College
Boston College Law School (LLB)

Early life and education

Redden was born in Springfield, Massachusetts, the third child of James A. Redden Sr., a dentist, and his wife, Alma. He spent his early childhood in their home on Bronson Terrace at the eastern edge of Forest Park, where for a time his father also maintained his dental office.[5] During what he would later describe as a "mediocre" high school career,[6] Redden enlisted in the United States Army in 1946,[7] serving two years as a PFC in occupied Japan.[2] He was assigned as a hospital medic and witnessed the aftermath of the bombing of Hiroshima firsthand.[2] He married Joan Johnson in 1951[2] and took several low-end jobs, including working coding survey sheets for the Gillette Razor Company,[6] and managed not only to earn a belated high school diploma, but went on to Boston College and Boston College Law School, graduating with a Bachelor of Laws in 1954, and was admitted to the Massachusetts bar the same year.[2]

Career

Law

After engaging in the private practice of law in Massachusetts for only a year, Redden moved to Portland, Oregon, in 1955 to take the Oregon State Bar exam and a position with a title insurance company. His work as a title examiner lasted only one year, followed by an equally brief tenure as a claims adjuster for Allstate Insurance Company.[7] Neither position satisfied what he would later describe as a growing passion for the law, particularly as it plays out in the courtroom.[2] Redden lived for the next seventeen years in Medford, Oregon, where he built a law practice. He became immersed in politics, quickly becoming regarded as one of the Democratic Party's "rising stars".[2]

Politics

It was as a favor to a friend seeking a challenger to the incumbent Republican for the 19th District in the Oregon House of Representatives that Redden entered his first political race in 1962.[8] He won the race and served for six years in the House, becoming the party Minority Leader in 1967.[9] As a legislator, Redden was a key figure in some of Oregon's most groundbreaking legislative initiatives, including brokering the deal which brought the passage of the state's 1967 public beach access law.[2] In 1969 Redden moved to the executive branch, becoming chairman of the Public Employee Relations Board until 1972. From 1973 to 1976 he was the state treasurer, and from 1977 to 1980, he was the Oregon Attorney General.[10]

Jurist

Redden was nominated by President Jimmy Carter on December 3, 1979, to a new seat on the United States District Court for the District of Oregon created by 92 Stat. 1629. He was confirmed by the United States Senate and received his commission on February 20, 1980. He served as Chief Judge from 1990 to 1995, and then assumed senior status on March 13, 1995.[10] He assumed inactive senior status on March 31, 2017.[11]

Notable cases

In 1983, Redden dismissed weapons charges, from 1975, against American Indian Movement leader Dennis Banks.[12]

After 2003, Redden emerged as a central figure in the tension between industry and environmental concerns about the hydroelectric dams on the Columbia River, rejecting two management plans advanced by the federal government of the United States, on the grounds that they failed to protect various species of salmon, as required by the Endangered Species Act, and suggested that if the Bush administration failed to adequately address the salmon issue, management of the dams could fall to the courts.[13] In November 2011, he announced that he would remove himself from the case prior to a new plan that the government presented in 2014.[14][15][16][8]

Personal life

Redden married Joan Johnson in 1951; she predeceased him in 2018.[1] They had two sons, William and James; James is a journalist at the Portland Tribune.[17] Redden died on March 31, 2020, eighteen days after his 91st birthday, shortly after being treated for congestive heart failure. He had been living in an adult foster care home.[1]

Honors

The federal courthouse in Medford, Oregon, where Redden practiced law for 17 years,[2] was renamed by an Act of Congress in his honor.[18]

References
  1. Pamplin Media Group. "James A. Redden, longtime Oregon politician and judge, passes away at 91". Portland Tribune.
  2. Rojas-Burke, Joe (July 11, 2005). "James A. Redden: An amiable Judge, A hard line on salmon". The Oregonian. pp. A1.
  3. "Oregon Department of Justice Administrative Overview". Oregon Blue Book. Oregon Secretary of State. 2006.
  4. "Oregon State Treasury Administrative Overview". Oregon Blue Book. Oregon Secretary of State. 2006.
  5. United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Fifteenth Census of the United States, 1930. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1930. T626, Springfield, Hampden, Massachusetts; Roll 911; p. 5A; E.D. 83; Image 191.0.
  6. Painter Jr., John (April 7, 1990). "3 judges take overdue break to note decade together on federal bench". The Oregonian. pp. B4.
  7. "James Anthony Redden." Marquis Who's Who. Marquis Who's Who, 2006. Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Thomson Gale. 2006. Retrieved: 2006-12-07
  8. Barnard, Jeff (February 19, 2006). "Judge: "Follow the Law, Save the Salmon"". The Columbian. (UPI) Vancouver, WA: Columbian Publishing Co. pp. A1.
  9. Van Meter, Heather (Fall 2005). "Judges Helen Frye, Owen Panner and James Redden" (PDF). Oregon Benchmarks. The U.S. District Court of Oregon Historical Society. Retrieved June 6, 2007.
  10. James Anthony Redden at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
  11. Friedman, Michele (July 12, 2017). "The End of an Era: James A. Redden Closes His Chambers". The U.S. District Court of Oregon Historical Society. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
  12. "Dismissal of charge against Indian leader upheld". New York Times. UPI. September 2, 1984. pp. A28.
  13. Milstein, Michael (December 11, 2007). "Judge rips latest plan to help salmon". The Oregonian.
  14. Learn, Scott (November 23, 2011). "Judge James Redden to step down after a decade on the Northwest's biggest salmon lawsuit". The Oregonian. Retrieved November 23, 2011.
  15. Milstein, Michael (November 25, 2005). "U.S. offers new fish tactics for Columbia basin". The Oregonian. pp. B1.
  16. Harden, Blaine (November 25, 2005). "Bush Policy Irks Judges in West; Rulings Criticize Agencies for Not Protecting the Environment". Washington Post. pp. A1.
  17. Bernstein, Maxine (April 2, 2020). "James A. Redden, longtime federal judge and Oregon politician, dies at age 91". The Oregonian. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
  18. First introduced as S.1875 and enacted as amendment to Pub.L. 104–208 (text) (pdf)
Political offices
Preceded by
Robert W. Straub		 Oregon State Treasurer
1973–1976		 Succeeded by
H. Clay Myers Jr.
Legal offices
Preceded by
Lee Johnson		 Oregon Attorney General
1977–1980		 Succeeded by
James M. Brown
Preceded by
Seat established by 92 Stat. 1629		 Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Oregon
1980–1995		 Succeeded by
Ann Aiken
Preceded by
Owen M. Panner		 Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Oregon
1990–1995		 Succeeded by
Michael Robert Hogan
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