James R. Browning

Who was James R. Browning?

James Robert Browning was an American judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. He served 50 years on the court—the longest tenure of any U.S. Circuit Judge—and authored more than 1,000 published appellate decisions. While Chief Judge of the Ninth Circuit, he oversaw numerous reforms that modernized and increased the efficiency of the circuit's administration.

Browning was raised in Belt, Montana, where he attended public school. He was nicknamed "Tiny" as a child, only growing to an adult height of 5 ft 2 in. Browning received his undergraduate degree from Montana State University in 1938, and an LL.B. from Montana University Law School in 1941, where he graduated at the top of his class and served as editor-in-chief of the law review. After law school, he joined the Antitrust Division of the United States Department of Justice in Denver, Colorado. In 1943, he entered the United States Army as a private during World War II. He spent three years in the Pacific Theatre in military intelligence, and earned a Bronze Star and the rank of first lieutenant.