Richard Bilby
Encyclopedia
Richard Mansfield Bilby was a United States district judge for the United States District Court for the District of Arizona
and a former federal judicial nominee to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
.
, Bilby earned a bachelor's degree in 1955 from the University of Arizona
and a law degree from the University of Michigan Law School
in 1958.
on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
from 1958 until 1959. He then worked in private legal practice in Tucson from 1959 until 1979.
nominated Bilby to a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
, to replace Chambers, who was taking senior status
at the end of 1976. The U.S. Senate did not proceed with a vote on Bilby's nomination, and although President Jimmy Carter
attempted to renominate Bilby to a federal judgeship the following year, that effort was blocked by liberal Democrats in the Senate.
. Bilby was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on September 25, 1979 and remained on the court until taking senior status
on his 65th birthday, May 29, 1996. He also served as chief judge of the district court from 1984 until 1990.
While a judge, Bilby probably was most known for having presided over the 1992 case against Charles Keating
.
.
Bilby's brother, Kenneth W. Bilby
, was an executive vice president at RCA
for many years.
United States District Court for the District of Arizona
The United States District Court for the District of Arizona is the federal district court whose jurisdiction is the state of Arizona. Court is held in the cities of Phoenix, Tucson, Flagstaff, Yuma, and Prescott. The district was created on June 20, 1910, by 36 Stat. 557...
and a former federal judicial nominee to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit is a U.S. federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts:* District of Alaska* District of Arizona...
.
Early life and education
Born in Tucson, ArizonaTucson, Arizona
Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States. The city is located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 1,020,200...
, Bilby earned a bachelor's degree in 1955 from the University of Arizona
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885...
and a law degree from the University of Michigan Law School
University of Michigan Law School
The University of Michigan Law School is the law school of the University of Michigan, in Ann Arbor. Founded in 1859, the school has an enrollment of about 1,200 students, most of whom are seeking Juris Doctor or Master of Laws degrees, although the school also offers a Doctor of Juridical...
in 1958.
Professional career
Bilby briefly served in the U.S. Army as a corporal from 1952 until 1954, and he clerked for Judge Richard Harvey ChambersRichard Harvey Chambers
Richard Harvey Chambers was a United States federal judge.-Biography:Chambers was born to William Rock and Lida Chambers in Danville, Illinois. Three months later, the family moved to Solomonville, Arizona, where his father worked as clerk of the district court of Graham County...
on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit is a U.S. federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts:* District of Alaska* District of Arizona...
from 1958 until 1959. He then worked in private legal practice in Tucson from 1959 until 1979.
Failed nomination to the Ninth Circuit
On August 2, 1976, President Gerald FordGerald Ford
Gerald Rudolph "Jerry" Ford, Jr. was the 38th President of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977, and the 40th Vice President of the United States serving from 1973 to 1974...
nominated Bilby to a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit is a U.S. federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts:* District of Alaska* District of Arizona...
, to replace Chambers, who was taking 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...
at the end of 1976. The U.S. Senate did not proceed with a vote on Bilby's nomination, and although 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...
attempted to renominate Bilby to a federal judgeship the following year, that effort was blocked by liberal Democrats in the Senate.
Federal judicial service
On June 5, 1979, Carter nominated Bilby to a seat on the United States District Court for the District of ArizonaUnited States District Court for the District of Arizona
The United States District Court for the District of Arizona is the federal district court whose jurisdiction is the state of Arizona. Court is held in the cities of Phoenix, Tucson, Flagstaff, Yuma, and Prescott. The district was created on June 20, 1910, by 36 Stat. 557...
. Bilby was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on September 25, 1979 and remained on the court until taking 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 his 65th birthday, May 29, 1996. He also served as chief judge of the district court from 1984 until 1990.
While a judge, Bilby probably was most known for having presided over the 1992 case against Charles Keating
Charles Keating
Charles Humphrey Keating Jr. is an American athlete, lawyer, real estate developer, banker, and financier, most known for his role in the savings and loan scandal of the late 1980s....
.
Death
A lifelong resident of Tucson, Bilby died on August 11, 1998 while walking his dog near his summer home in Flagstaff, ArizonaFlagstaff, Arizona
Flagstaff is a city located in northern Arizona, in the southwestern United States. In 2010, the city's population was 65,870. The population of the Metropolitan Statistical Area was at 134,421 in 2010. It is the county seat of Coconino County...
.
Personal
Bilby was survived by his wife, Elizabeth Thomas Bilby, and two daughters from a previous marriage that ended in divorce.Bilby's brother, Kenneth W. Bilby
Kenneth W. Bilby
Kenneth W. Bilby was a winner of the Legion of Honor, an executive vice president of RCA, and the author of The General, a book on David Sarnoff's role in the creation of RCA and television.-Biography:...
, was an executive vice president at RCA
RCA
RCA Corporation, founded as the Radio Corporation of America, was an American electronics company in existence from 1919 to 1986. The RCA trademark is currently owned by the French conglomerate Technicolor SA through RCA Trademark Management S.A., a company owned by Technicolor...
for many years.