Jerry Buchmeyer
Encyclopedia
Jerry L. Buchmeyer was a United States District Judge for the Northern District of Texas
in Dallas
, Texas
.
Born in Overton, Texas
in 1933, Buchmeyer received an Associates' Degree from Kilgore College
in 1953, his Bachelor's Degree from University of Texas in 1956, and his LLB degree from University of Texas School of Law
in 1957. He graduated from UT's law school with the highest grade-point average in its history—a position he held for 15 years. From 1958 to 1979, he was in private law practice in Dallas at the law firm of Thompson & Knight
. He died in San Marcos, Texas
on September 21, 2009.
On August 3, 1979, Buchmeyer was nominated by President Jimmy Carter
to be a federal judge for the Northern District of Texas. Buchmeyer was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on October 4, 1979, and received his commission on October 5, 1979. He served as chief judge from 1995 to 2002.
Buchmeyer's approach to hiring law clerks was diversity driven: When choosing among his best candidates, one of his first tie-breakers was whether the applicant was from a law school from which he'd never had a clerk. That's how, for example, he could end up with clerks from Syracuse and the University of Buffalo . . . and in the same clerkship year no less.
The Judge was reputed to give his clerks a great deal of freedom in helping him craft opinions in civil cases, even with his encyclopedic knowledge of the case law—as well as the kind of trivia tested on Jeopardy. But criminal cases (because, as the Judge would observe, they had steep learning curve) were reserved entirely for him.
Buchmeyer penned a number of ground-breaking opinions. One of his most interesting upheld the city of Dallas's law governing sexually-oriented businesses, Dumas v. City of Dallas, 648 F. Supp. 1061 (N.D. Tex. 1986). Although he found the law constitutional, the Judge took a moment to observe the irony that cloaked the politicization of combating pornography. In remarking on the view of some that pornography “causes” sex crimes, Buchmeyer cannily wrote this on p. 1076 n. 42 about a recent federal commission charged with studying the subject:
The Judge also brought sports into the courthouse. His chambers were known as the best place for a young lawyer to learn stick ball, to pen short stories about fishing judges, and listen to the Talking Heads
.
Judge Buchmeyer was known for his "et cetera" humor column featured in the Texas Bar Journal, which features unintentionally humorous excerpts from trial, hearing, and deposition transcripts around Texas. His corresponding blog
was called "Say What?! Classic Humor from U.S. District Judge Jerry Buchmeyer."
United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas
The United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas is a United States district court. Its first judge, Andrew Phelps McCormick, was appointed to the court on April 10, 1879. The court convenes in Dallas, Texas with divisions in Fort Worth, Amarillo, Abilene, Lubbock, San Angelo...
in Dallas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
.
Born in Overton, Texas
Overton, Texas
Overton is a city in Rusk and Smith Counties in the U.S. state of Texas. The population was 2,350 at the 2000 census.Overton lies in two counties as well as two metropolitan areas...
in 1933, Buchmeyer received an Associates' Degree from Kilgore College
Kilgore College
Kilgore College is a community college located in Kilgore, Texas. It has an annual enrollment of more than 5000 students.The school was established in 1935 at the height of the East Texas oil boom...
in 1953, his Bachelor's Degree from University of Texas in 1956, and his LLB degree from University of Texas School of Law
University of Texas School of Law
The University of Texas School of Law, also known as UT Law, is an ABA-certified American law school located on the University of Texas at Austin campus. The law school has been in operation since the founding of the University in 1883. It was one of only two schools at the University when it was...
in 1957. He graduated from UT's law school with the highest grade-point average in its history—a position he held for 15 years. From 1958 to 1979, he was in private law practice in Dallas at the law firm of Thompson & Knight
Thompson & Knight
Thompson & Knight LLP is a law firm of approximately 350 attorneys based in the United States. It has U.S. offices in Texas, New York, and Michigan and international offices and associations in the Americas, North Africa, and Europe...
. He died in San Marcos, Texas
San Marcos, Texas
San Marcos is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, and is the seat of Hays County. Located within the metropolitan area, the city is located on the Interstate 35 corridor—between Austin and San Antonio....
on September 21, 2009.
On August 3, 1979, Buchmeyer was nominated by President Jimmy Carter
Jimmy 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...
to be a federal judge for the Northern District of Texas. Buchmeyer was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on October 4, 1979, and received his commission on October 5, 1979. He served as chief judge from 1995 to 2002.
Buchmeyer's approach to hiring law clerks was diversity driven: When choosing among his best candidates, one of his first tie-breakers was whether the applicant was from a law school from which he'd never had a clerk. That's how, for example, he could end up with clerks from Syracuse and the University of Buffalo . . . and in the same clerkship year no less.
The Judge was reputed to give his clerks a great deal of freedom in helping him craft opinions in civil cases, even with his encyclopedic knowledge of the case law—as well as the kind of trivia tested on Jeopardy. But criminal cases (because, as the Judge would observe, they had steep learning curve) were reserved entirely for him.
Buchmeyer penned a number of ground-breaking opinions. One of his most interesting upheld the city of Dallas's law governing sexually-oriented businesses, Dumas v. City of Dallas, 648 F. Supp. 1061 (N.D. Tex. 1986). Although he found the law constitutional, the Judge took a moment to observe the irony that cloaked the politicization of combating pornography. In remarking on the view of some that pornography “causes” sex crimes, Buchmeyer cannily wrote this on p. 1076 n. 42 about a recent federal commission charged with studying the subject:
Requiring a vendor of books dealing in “specified sexual activities” to have the sale of such material as “one of its principal business purposes” is the sole bar to a finding that, for instance, the Government Printing Office Bookstore is a “sexually oriented business” due to its pandering of the Meese Commission report, ante at 1065-66 n. 12-a work that is explicit in its description of activities 41A-2(19)(A), (B), (C), and (D). See, e.g., the 155 pages of graphic descriptions of pornographic paperback books, peep shows, tabloids, films, and videos-including complete and very explicit summaries of Deep Throat, The Devil in Miss Jones, and Debbie Does Dallas -bravely written, after his prolonged study of and exposure to this relentless and unmitigated sleaze, by the redoubtable Senior Investigator Haggerty. Id. at 1647-1802. Although the Meese Commission concluded that sustained “viewing [of such] nonviolent, sexually explicit material ... is statistically related to a higher probability of” sexual crimes, id. at 172, we are merely left to wonder about the fate of Senior Investigator Haggerty and his tragic battle against these statistical probabilities.
The Judge also brought sports into the courthouse. His chambers were known as the best place for a young lawyer to learn stick ball, to pen short stories about fishing judges, and listen to the Talking Heads
Talking Heads
Talking Heads were an American New Wave and avant-garde band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991. The band comprised David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth and Jerry Harrison...
.
Judge Buchmeyer was known for his "et cetera" humor column featured in the Texas Bar Journal, which features unintentionally humorous excerpts from trial, hearing, and deposition transcripts around Texas. His corresponding blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
was called "Say What?! Classic Humor from U.S. District Judge Jerry Buchmeyer."