Howard Frederic Sachs (born September 13, 1925) is a senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri. He also is a former federal judicial nominee to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.

Education and career

Born in

Kansas City The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more ...

, Missouri, Sachs earned an

Artium Baccalaureus Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

degree from Williams College in 1947 and a

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

from

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each class ...

in 1950. Sachs worked as a United States Navy Electrical Technician's Mate from 1944 until 1946 and as a

law clerk A law clerk or a judicial clerk is a person, generally someone who provides direct counsel and assistance to a lawyer or judge by researching issues and drafting legal opinions for cases before the court. Judicial clerks often play significant ...

for Judge

Albert Alphonso Ridge Albert Alphonsus Ridge (October 31, 1898 – March 2, 1967) was a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit and previously was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for ...

of the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri from 1950 until 1951. Sachs then entered private legal practice in Kansas City, where he worked as a lawyer from 1951 until 1979.

Federal judicial service

Sachs was nominated by President Jimmy Carter on May 17, 1979, to the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri, to a new seat authorized by 92 Stat. 1629. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on September 25, 1979, and received his commission on September 26, 1979. He served as Chief Judge from 1990 to 1992. He assumed senior status on October 31, 1992. On August 27, 2019, Sachs blocked Missouri's abortion restriction that would ban abortion after eight weeks of pregnancy.

Unsuccessful Eighth Circuit nomination

On July 29, 1980, Carter nominated Sachs to be a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit to fill a seat vacated when Judge

Floyd Robert Gibson Floyd Robert Gibson (March 3, 1910 – October 4, 2001) was a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit and was previously a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the ...

assumed senior status. Given that the nomination occurred after the unofficial Thurmond Rule governing judicial nominations during presidential election years, however, the Senate never took up Sachs' nomination. President

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

initially brought forth the name of Hallmark Cards associate general counsel Judith Whittaker as a nominee to replace Gibson. After it emerged that Whittaker had supported the

Equal Rights Amendment The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) is a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution designed to guarantee equal legal rights for all American citizens regardless of sex. Proponents assert it would end legal distinctions between men and ...

, however, conservatives opposing her nomination launched a letter-writing campaign objecting to her nomination and Whittaker eventually withdrew her name from consideration. Reagan ultimately wound up nominating United States District Judge

John R. Gibson John Robert Gibson (December 20, 1925 – April 19, 2014) was a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit and a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Western Dist ...

to the seat in February 1982. Gibson was confirmed on March 4, 1982.

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sachs, Howard F. 1925 births Living people Williams College alumni Harvard Law School alumni Judges of the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri United States district court judges appointed by Jimmy Carter 20th-century American judges 21st-century American judges United States Navy personnel of World War II United States Navy sailors

Education and career

Federal judicial service

Unsuccessful Eighth Circuit nomination

See also

References

Sources