Leonidas Ralph Mecham
Encyclopedia
Leonidas Ralph Mecham is the former Director of the Administrative Office of the United States Courts
, having served in that position from 1985 to 2006. He was appointed to the position by United States Chief Justice Warren Burger in July 1985.
. He obtained his B.S. degree in political science
from the University of Utah
(1951); a Juris Doctor
degree from George Washington University
(1963), and a master's degree (in public administration) from Harvard University
.
His initial government position was as a legislative assistant and administrative assistant to U.S. Senator Wallace F. Bennett
, eventually becoming the Senator's chief of staff. After that, he served as vice president of, and taught constitutional law
at, the University of Utah
. He returned to Washington, resuming government service as a special assistant to the United States Secretary of Commerce
. He was named head of the Administrative Office on July 15, 1985.
Mecham was the longest-serving Director of the Administrative Office, retiring after more than 20 years in April 2006. One of the principles that Mecham spearheaded during his lengthy tenure was court budget and management decentralization, permitting individual courts to set their own local policies and spending priorities within broad national guidelines.
Mecham's official papers are now housed at the University of Utah Marriott Library
.
.
, the Federal Judges Association, which represents about 85% of U.S. federal judges, adopted a resolution opposing the monitoring. Mecham accused Kozinski of having a "great interest in keeping pornography available to judges," saying that Kozinski was "advocating his passionate views that judges are free, undetected, to download pornography and Napster music on government computers in federal court buildings on government time even though some of the downloading may constitute felonies."
Seven years later, on November 24, 2008, Mecham filed a formal ethics complaint in the Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in Philadelphia against now-Chief Judge
Kozinski and two other judges, for their acts disabling the monitor.
Administrative Office of the United States Courts
The Administrative Office of the United States Courts is the administrative agency of the United States federal court system. It was established in 1939.The AO is the central support entity for the federal judicial branch...
, having served in that position from 1985 to 2006. He was appointed to the position by United States Chief Justice Warren Burger in July 1985.
Biography
Ralph Mecham was born April 23, 1928, in Murray, UtahMurray, Utah
Murray is a city situated on the Wasatch Front in the core of Salt Lake Valley in the U.S. state of Utah. Named for territorial governor Eli Murray, it is the state's fourteenth largest city. According to the 2010 census, Murray has approximately 46,746 residents.Murray is close to Salt Lake City,...
. He obtained his B.S. degree in political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
from the University of Utah
University of Utah
The University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...
(1951); a Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
degree from George Washington University
George Washington University
The George Washington University is a private, coeducational comprehensive university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States...
(1963), and a master's degree (in public administration) from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
.
His initial government position was as a legislative assistant and administrative assistant to U.S. Senator Wallace F. Bennett
Wallace F. Bennett
Wallace Foster Bennett was a Republican Senator representing the U.S. state of Utah .-Life and career:...
, eventually becoming the Senator's chief of staff. After that, he served as vice president of, and taught constitutional law
Constitutional law
Constitutional law is the body of law which defines the relationship of different entities within a state, namely, the executive, the legislature and the judiciary....
at, the University of Utah
University of Utah
The University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...
. He returned to Washington, resuming government service as a special assistant to the United States Secretary of Commerce
United States Secretary of Commerce
The United States Secretary of Commerce is the head of the United States Department of Commerce concerned with business and industry; the Department states its mission to be "to foster, promote, and develop the foreign and domestic commerce"...
. He was named head of the Administrative Office on July 15, 1985.
Mecham's official papers are now housed at the University of Utah Marriott Library
J. Willard Marriott Library
J. Willard Marriott Library is the library of the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah. It was named for J. Willard Marriott, the founder of Marriott International. The library building is over and houses over 3 million volumes. The University of Utah Press is a division of the Marriott...
.
Personal life
Mecham is married (wife Barbara) and has 5 children and 14 grandchildren. He is a MormonMormon
The term Mormon most commonly denotes an adherent, practitioner, follower, or constituent of Mormonism, which is the largest branch of the Latter Day Saint movement in restorationist Christianity...
.
Controversies
In 2001, during his tenure as Director of the Administrative Office, the AO began monitoring the Internet communications of the judicial branch. Led by Ninth Circuit Judge Alex KozinskiAlex Kozinski
Alex Kozinski is Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, an essayist, and a judicial commentator.-Biography:...
, the Federal Judges Association, which represents about 85% of U.S. federal judges, adopted a resolution opposing the monitoring. Mecham accused Kozinski of having a "great interest in keeping pornography available to judges," saying that Kozinski was "advocating his passionate views that judges are free, undetected, to download pornography and Napster music on government computers in federal court buildings on government time even though some of the downloading may constitute felonies."
Seven years later, on November 24, 2008, Mecham filed a formal ethics complaint in the Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in Philadelphia against now-Chief Judge
Chief judge
Chief Judge is a title that can refer to the highest-ranking judge of a court that has more than one judge. The meaning and usage of the term vary from one court system to another...
Kozinski and two other judges, for their acts disabling the monitor.
External links
- Leonidas Ralph Mecham Papers (1949-2006), University of Utah Marriott Library Special Collections
- House. Res. 724, 109th Cong., March 14, 2006, Honoring Leonidas Ralph Mecham, Director of the Administrative Office of the United States Courts and Secretary of the Judicial Conference of the United States.
- Judicial Conference Recognizes Director’s Service to Judiciary, The Third Branch (newsletter of the U.S. Federal Courts), March 2006
- Director Mecham Marks Tenth Anniversary at AO, The Third Branch (newsletter of the U.S. Federal Courts), June 1995
- Judicial Conference resolution honoring Mecham, March 14, 2006
- Kenneth A. Wittenberg & Jill Schneider, Monitoring Internet use at work, Oregon State Bar Bulletin, January 2002, includes a detailed discussion of the issue of the Administrative Office's Internet monitoring.