Richard Tallman
Encyclopedia
Richard C. Tallman is a federal judge
for the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
.
, Tallman received his Bachelors degree in 1975 from the University of Santa Clara and his Juris Doctor
in 1978 from Northwestern University
School of Law
, where he served as the executive director of the law review
.
for Judge Morell E. Sharp of the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington
, Tallman worked as a trial lawyer for the Department of Justice
and as an assistant United States Attorney
in Seattle, Washington
. From 1983 until his appointment to the Ninth Circuit in 2000, Tallman was an attorney in private practice in Seattle, including as chairman of the white-collar criminal defense practice group at the former Bogle and Gates law firm between 1990 and 1999. After that firm closed on March 31, 1999, Tallman formed the firm Tallman & Severin.
Among Tallman's higher-profile clients in private practice was representing the Seattle Mariners
in legal disputes over scheduling rights in the Kingdome
. Tallman also handled medical malpractice and defense procurement cases.
to his current seat on the Ninth Circuit on October 20, 1999 and was confirmed by a voice vote of the U.S. Senate on May 24, 2000. Tallman was nominated to fill the seat vacated by longtime Ninth Circuit judge Betty Binns Fletcher
, who took senior status
in 1998. Clinton's previous nominee to that seat, conservative Washington State Supreme Court Justice Barbara Durham
, had been nominated in January 1999 as part of a bipartisan deal brokered by Washington's senators at the time, Slade Gorton
and Patty Murray
. However, Durham withdrew her nomination to the seat just four months later because of her husband's terminal heart condition. Tallman then was nominated after he was one of three potential nominees that Gorton recommended to the White House.
Tallman is on the record as supporting a split of the Ninth Circuit due to the backlog of cases.
Federal judge
Federal judges are judges appointed by a federal level of government as opposed to the state / provincial / local level.-Brazil:In Brazil, federal judges of first instance are chosen exclusively by public contest...
for 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 Oakland, CaliforniaOakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
, Tallman received his Bachelors degree in 1975 from the University of Santa Clara and his 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...
in 1978 from Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
School of Law
Northwestern University School of Law
The Northwestern University School of Law is a private American law school in Chicago, Illinois. The law school was founded in 1859 as the Union College of Law of the Old University of Chicago. The first law school established in Chicago, it became jointly controlled by Northwestern University in...
, where he served as the executive director of the law review
Law review
A law review is a scholarly journal focusing on legal issues, normally published by an organization of students at a law school or through a bar association...
.
Professional career
After serving as a law clerkLaw clerk
A law clerk or a judicial clerk is a person who provides assistance to a judge in researching issues before the court and in writing opinions. Law clerks are not court clerks or courtroom deputies, who are administrative staff for the court. Most law clerks are recent law school graduates who...
for Judge Morell E. Sharp of the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington
United States District Court for the Western District of Washington
The United States District Court for the Western District of Washington is the Federal district court whose jurisdiction comprises the following counties of the state of Washington: Clallam, Clark, Cowlitz, Grays Harbor, Island, Jefferson, King, Kitsap, Lewis, Mason, Pacific, Pierce, San Juan,...
, Tallman worked as a trial lawyer for the Department of Justice
United States Department of Justice
The United States Department of Justice , is the United States federal executive department responsible for the enforcement of the law and administration of justice, equivalent to the justice or interior ministries of other countries.The Department is led by the Attorney General, who is nominated...
and as an assistant United States Attorney
United States Attorney
United States Attorneys represent the United States federal government in United States district court and United States court of appeals. There are 93 U.S. Attorneys stationed throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands...
in Seattle, Washington
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
. From 1983 until his appointment to the Ninth Circuit in 2000, Tallman was an attorney in private practice in Seattle, including as chairman of the white-collar criminal defense practice group at the former Bogle and Gates law firm between 1990 and 1999. After that firm closed on March 31, 1999, Tallman formed the firm Tallman & Severin.
Among Tallman's higher-profile clients in private practice was representing the Seattle Mariners
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are a professional baseball team based in Seattle, Washington. Enfranchised in , the Mariners are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Safeco Field has been the Mariners' home ballpark since July...
in legal disputes over scheduling rights in the Kingdome
Kingdome
The Kingdome was a multi-purpose stadium located in Seattle's SoDo neighborhood. Owned and operated by King County, the Kingdome opened in 1976 and was best known as the home stadium of the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League , the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball , and the...
. Tallman also handled medical malpractice and defense procurement cases.
Federal Judicial Service
Despite being a Republican, Tallman was nominated by President Bill ClintonBill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
to his current seat on the Ninth Circuit on October 20, 1999 and was confirmed by a voice vote of the U.S. Senate on May 24, 2000. Tallman was nominated to fill the seat vacated by longtime Ninth Circuit judge Betty Binns Fletcher
Betty Binns Fletcher
Betty Binns Fletcher is an American lawyer and judge. She has served as a federal judge on the San Francisco-based United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit since 1979.-Early life and education:...
, who took 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...
in 1998. Clinton's previous nominee to that seat, conservative Washington State Supreme Court Justice Barbara Durham
Barbara Durham
Barbara M. Durham was the first-ever female chief justice of the Washington Supreme Court. She also was a former federal judicial nominee to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.- Early life and education :...
, had been nominated in January 1999 as part of a bipartisan deal brokered by Washington's senators at the time, Slade Gorton
Slade Gorton
Thomas Slade Gorton III is an American politician. A Republican, he was a U.S. senator from Washington state from 1981 to 1987, and from 1989 to 2001. He held both of the state's Senate seats in his career and was narrowly defeated for reelection twice as an incumbent: in 1986 by Brock Adams, and...
and Patty Murray
Patty Murray
Patricia Lynn "Patty" Murray is the senior United States Senator from Washington and a member of the Democratic Party. Murray was first elected to the Senate in 1992, becoming Washington's first female senator...
. However, Durham withdrew her nomination to the seat just four months later because of her husband's terminal heart condition. Tallman then was nominated after he was one of three potential nominees that Gorton recommended to the White House.
Tallman is on the record as supporting a split of the Ninth Circuit due to the backlog of cases.
Notable Opinions
Bull v. City and County of San Francisco, August 22, 2008. Tallman dissented on the issue of whether San Francisco jails could strip search those detained for minor, non-violent offenses: "When people are dying as a result of our errant jurisprudence, it is time to correct the course of our law."External links
- Media release on Judge Tallman's appointment to the Ninth Circuit
- News story about Judge Tallman