James A. Redden
Encyclopedia
James Anthony "Jim" Redden Jr. (born March 13, 1929) is a judge and politician from the U.S. state of Oregon
. Since 1980, he has served as a Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Oregon
. Before 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, Treasurer
and Attorney General
. As a politician, he was a key figure in some of Oregon's most groundbreaking legislative initiatives, including brokering the deal which brought passage of the state's 1967 public beach access law. Many of the cases he has heard in his quarter of a century on the federal bench gained national attention, often sparking controversy, including his dismissal of the 1975 guns and ammunition charges against American Indian Movement
leader Dennis Banks
, and his more recent 2005 and 2006 decisions halting the Bush
administration's plans to reduce spillway flows on the Columbia
and Snake
rivers, flows which environmentalists and indigenous tribes have criticized as devastating to the salmon runs. The federal courthouse in Medford, Oregon
, where he practiced law for 17 years, was renamed by an Act of Congress
in his honor. He and his wife, Joan, make their home in Beaverton, Oregon
and have two adult sons: Jim, a reporter for the Portland Tribune
, and Bill, a public defender.
, Jim 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
During what he would later describe as a "mediocre" high school career, Redden enlisted in the Army in 1946, as World War II
was coming to an end, serving two years as a PFC in occupied Japan. He was assigned as a hospital medic, and witnessed the aftermath of the bombing of Hiroshima firsthand.
After discharge from the service, he married his high school sweetheart, Joan Johnson, in 1951, and he took several low-end jobs, including working coding survey sheets for the Gillette Razor Company
, but managed not only to earn a belated high school diploma, but went on to Boston College
and its School of Law, graduating with an LL.B. in 1954, and was admitted
to the Massachusetts
bar the same year.
After engaging in the private practice of law in Massachusetts for only a year, the young attorney moved with his wife and young sons 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
. Neither position satisfied what he would later describe as a growing passion for the law, and particularly as it plays out in the courtroom.
Redden and his family would make their home for the next seventeen years in Medford, Oregon
, where he built a successful law practice. He became deeply immersed in politics, quickly becoming regarded as one of the Democratic Party's "rising stars."
, that Redden entered his first political race in 1962. He won the race, and served for six years in the House, becoming the party Minority Leader in 1967.
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 attorney general
of Oregon.
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. However, he continues to remain active as a judge in senior status.
Since 2003, Redden has emerged as a central figure in the tension between industry and environmental concerns about the Hydroelectric dams on the Columbia River
. He has rejected two management plans advanced by the federal government of the United States
, on the grounds that they fail to protect various species of salmon
, as required by the Endangered Species Act
, and has suggested that if the Bush administration
failed to adequately address the salmon issue, management of the dams could fall to the courts. In November 2011, he announced he would remove himself from the case prior to a new plan from the government would be presented in 2014.
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
. Since 1980, he has served as a Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Oregon
United States District Court for the District of Oregon
The United States District Court for the District of Oregon is the Federal district court whose jurisdiction comprises the state of Oregon. It was created in 1859 when the state was admitted to the Union...
. Before appointment to the bench, he was a trial attorney, and a career Democratic
Democratic Party of Oregon
The Democratic Party of Oregon, based in Portland, is the official Oregon affiliate of the United States Democratic Party. It is recognized by the state of Oregon as a major political party, along with the Oregon Republican Party...
politician, serving as a legislator and in two of the state's constitutional offices, Treasurer
Oregon State Treasurer
The Oregon State Treasurer is a constitutional officer within the executive branch of the government of the U.S. state of Oregon, elected by statewide vote to serve a four year term. As chief financial officer for the state, the office holder heads the Oregon State Treasury, and with the Governor...
and Attorney General
Oregon Attorney General
The Oregon Attorney General is a statutory office within the executive branch of the state of Oregon, and serves as the chief legal officer of the state, heading its Department of Justice with its six operating divisions. The Attorney General is chosen by statewide partisan election to serve a term...
. As a politician, he was a key figure in some of Oregon's most groundbreaking legislative initiatives, including brokering the deal which brought passage of the state's 1967 public beach access law. Many of the cases he has heard in his quarter of a century on the federal bench gained national attention, often sparking controversy, including his dismissal of the 1975 guns and ammunition charges against American Indian Movement
American Indian Movement
The American Indian Movement is a Native American activist organization in the United States, founded in 1968 in Minneapolis, Minnesota by urban Native Americans. The national AIM agenda focuses on spirituality, leadership, and sovereignty...
leader Dennis Banks
Dennis Banks
Dennis Banks , a Native American leader, teacher, lecturer, activist and author, is an Anishinaabe born on Leech Lake Indian Reservation in northern Minnesota. Banks is also known as Nowa Cumig...
, and his more recent 2005 and 2006 decisions halting the Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
administration's plans to reduce spillway flows on the Columbia
Columbia River
The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, flows northwest and then south into the U.S. state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state...
and Snake
Snake River
The Snake is a major river of the greater Pacific Northwest in the United States. At long, it is the largest tributary of the Columbia River, the largest North American river that empties into the Pacific Ocean...
rivers, flows which environmentalists and indigenous tribes have criticized as devastating to the salmon runs. The federal courthouse in Medford, Oregon
Medford, Oregon
Medford is a city in Jackson County, Oregon, United States. As of the 2010 US Census, the city had a total population of 74,907 and a metropolitan area population of 207,010, making the Medford MSA the 4th largest metro area in Oregon...
, where he practiced law for 17 years, was renamed by an Act of Congress
Act of Congress
An Act of Congress is a statute enacted by government with a legislature named "Congress," such as the United States Congress or the Congress of the Philippines....
in his honor. He and his wife, Joan, make their home in Beaverton, Oregon
Beaverton, Oregon
Beaverton is a city in Washington County, Oregon, United States, seven miles west of Portland in the Tualatin River Valley.As of the 2010 census, the population is 90,267. This makes it the second-largest city in the county and Oregon's sixth-largest city...
and have two adult sons: Jim, a reporter for the Portland Tribune
Portland Tribune
The Portland Tribune is a free weekly newspaper published each Thursday in Portland, Oregon, United States.The Tribune is part of the Pamplin Media Group, which publishes a number of community newspapers in the Portland metropolitan area, and also owns and operates the talk radio station KPAM, and...
, and Bill, a public defender.
Early life
During the difficult days of the Great DepressionGreat Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, Jim Redden was born in Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield is the most populous city in Western New England, and the seat of Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers; the western Westfield River, the eastern Chicopee River, and the eastern...
, 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
During what he would later describe as a "mediocre" high school career, Redden enlisted in the Army in 1946, as World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
was coming to an end, serving two years as a PFC in occupied Japan. He was assigned as a hospital medic, and witnessed the aftermath of the bombing of Hiroshima firsthand.
After discharge from the service, he married his high school sweetheart, Joan Johnson, in 1951, and he took several low-end jobs, including working coding survey sheets for the Gillette Razor Company
Global Gillette
Gillette is a brand of Procter & Gamble currently used for safety razors, among other personal care products. Based in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, it was one of several brands originally owned by The Gillette Company, a leading global supplier of products under various brands, which was...
, but managed not only to earn a belated high school diploma, but went on to Boston College
Boston College
Boston College is a private Jesuit research university located in the village of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA. The main campus is bisected by the border between the cities of Boston and Newton. It has 9,200 full-time undergraduates and 4,000 graduate students. Its name reflects its early...
and its School of Law, graduating with an LL.B. in 1954, and was admitted
Admission to the bar in the United States
In the United States, admission to the bar is the granting of permission by a particular court system to a lawyer to practice law in that system. Each U.S. state and similar jurisdiction has its own court system and sets its own rules for bar admission , which can lead to different admission...
to the Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
bar the same year.
After engaging in the private practice of law in Massachusetts for only a year, the young attorney moved with his wife and young sons to Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
in 1955 to take the Oregon State Bar
Oregon State Bar
The Oregon State Bar is a government agency in the U.S. state of Oregon. Founded in 1890 as the private Oregon Bar Association, it became a public entity in 1935 that regulates the legal profession. The public corporation is part of the Oregon Judicial Department...
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
Allstate
The Allstate Corporation is the second-largest personal lines insurer in the United States and the largest that is publicly held. The company also has personal lines insurance operations in Canada. Allstate was founded in 1931 as part of Sears, Roebuck and Co., and was spun off in 1993...
. Neither position satisfied what he would later describe as a growing passion for the law, and particularly as it plays out in the courtroom.
Redden and his family would make their home for the next seventeen years in Medford, Oregon
Medford, Oregon
Medford is a city in Jackson County, Oregon, United States. As of the 2010 US Census, the city had a total population of 74,907 and a metropolitan area population of 207,010, making the Medford MSA the 4th largest metro area in Oregon...
, where he built a successful law practice. He became deeply immersed in politics, quickly becoming regarded as one of the Democratic Party's "rising stars."
Legislative career
It was as a favor to a friend seeking a challenger to the incumbent Republican for the 19th District in the Oregon House of RepresentativesOregon House of Representatives
The Oregon House of Representatives is the lower house of the Oregon Legislative Assembly. There are 60 members of the House, representing 60 districts across the state, each with a population of 57,000. The House meets at the Oregon State Capitol in Salem....
, that Redden entered his first political race in 1962. He won the race, and served for six years in the House, becoming the party Minority Leader in 1967.
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 attorney general
Attorney General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general, or attorney-general, is the main legal advisor to the government, and in some jurisdictions he or she may also have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions.The term is used to refer to any person...
of Oregon.
Judicial career
Redden was nominated by President Jimmy CarterJimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
on December 3, 1979, to a new seat on the United States District Court for the District of Oregon
United States District Court for the District of Oregon
The United States District Court for the District of Oregon is the Federal district court whose jurisdiction comprises the state of Oregon. It was created in 1859 when the state was admitted to the Union...
created by 92 Stat. 1629. He was confirmed by the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
, and received his commission, on February 20, 1980. He served as chief judge from 1990 to 1995, and then assumed senior status
Senior status
Senior status is a form of semi-retirement for United States federal judges, and judges in some state court systems. After federal judges have reached a certain combination of age and years of service on the federal courts, they are allowed to assume senior status...
on March 13, 1995. However, he continues to remain active as a judge in senior status.
Since 2003, Redden has emerged as a central figure in the tension between industry and environmental concerns about the Hydroelectric dams on the Columbia River
Hydroelectric dams on the Columbia River
Hydroelectric dams on the Columbia River and its tributaries in North America.- Mainstem Columbia dams :-Snake River:-Pend Oreille-Clark Fork–Flathead:-Kootenai River:-See also:...
. He has rejected two management plans advanced by the federal government of the United States
Federal government of the United States
The federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and...
, on the grounds that they fail to protect various species of salmon
Salmon
Salmon is the common name for several species of fish in the family Salmonidae. Several other fish in the same family are called trout; the difference is often said to be that salmon migrate and trout are resident, but this distinction does not strictly hold true...
, as required by the Endangered Species Act
Endangered Species Act
The Endangered Species Act of 1973 is one of the dozens of United States environmental laws passed in the 1970s. Signed into law by President Richard Nixon on December 28, 1973, it was designed to protect critically imperiled species from extinction as a "consequence of economic growth and...
, and has suggested that if the Bush administration
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
failed to adequately address the salmon issue, management of the dams could fall to the courts. In November 2011, he announced he would remove himself from the case prior to a new plan from the government would be presented in 2014.