A Holiday Reading List for the 8th Circuit
If you're looking for some holiday reading material, have you considered looking into books on the Eighth Circuit?
Whether you're in transit or relishing your time off during the holidays, an exploration into the Eighth Circuit's history or the life of a judge may be the perfect way to keep your mind sharp over the winter lull -- with a mug of hot chocolate in hand, of course.
Not sure where to look? Don't worry, we've got that covered.
Eighth Circuit History
In 2007, a full-length history of the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals -- called "Establishing Justice in Middle America: A History of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit" -- was released for publication by the University of Minnesota Press. The book was a project of the Court of Appeals Branch of the Historical Society of the United States Courts in the Eighth Circuit, led by Branch President Thomas H. Boyd.
The author, Jeffrey B. Morris, is a professor at the Touro College Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center in New York. He's a legal historian who has published numerous books, including "Calmly to Poise the Scales of Justice: A History of the Courts of the District of Columbia Circuit" and "Federal Justice in the Second Circuit," and is co-editor of the seventh revised edition of the "Encyclopedia of American History."
He's a former Judicial Fellow, and served on the staff of Chief Justice Warren E. Burger for several years. He also taught at the University of Pennsylvania, the City College of the City University of New York, and Brooklyn Law School.
The Honorable William H. Webster, a former district and circuit judge from the Eighth Circuit before serving as Director of the FBI and CIA, wrote the forward to the book.
A Judge's Memoir
If you're more interested in personal stories, Judge Warren K. Urbom's memoir, "Called to Justice: The Life of a Federal Trial Judge," may be more up your alley. With a foreword by William J. Riley, the book provides an inside view of the work of a federal trial judge.
Urbom shares with the reader his Great Depression childhood, life challenges, and experiences as a trial attorney and federal judge. As the presiding judge of the Wounded Knee trials of 1975-76, he is able to provide a first-hand account of one of the 20th century's most significant series of federal trials.
Happy holidays -- and happy reading!
Related Resources:
- Rosalie Wahl, First Woman on Minn. Supreme Court, Dies at 88 (FindLaw's U.S. Eighth Circuit Blog)
- Judge Beats Eighth Circuit Woodrough for Longest in Federal Courts (FindLaw's U.S. Eighth Circuit Blog)
- Mark Your Calendars for 8th Circuit's Adult Program Series (FindLaw's U.S. Eighth Circuit Blog)