James Louis Browning Jr. (December 8, 1932 – January 12, 2016) was a California jurist. He served as United States Attorney for the Northern District of California from 1969 to 1977 and later as a municipal, then state judge. He was the lead prosecutor in the sensational case that sent newspaper heiress Patty Hearst to prison in 1976.

Biography

Early life and education

Browning was born in

Globe, Arizona Globe ( apw, Bésh Baa Gowąh "Place of Metal") is a city in Gila County, Arizona, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 7,249. The city is the county seat of Gila County. Globe was founded c. 1875 as a mining ca ...

. He completed his undergraduate studies at

California State University, Fresno California State University, Fresno (Fresno State) is a public university in Fresno, California. It is one of 23 campuses in the California State University system. The university had a fall 2020 enrollment of 25,341 students. It offers bache ...

, and his law degree at

University of California, Hastings College of the Law The University of California, Hastings College of the Law (UC Hastings) is a public law school in San Francisco, California. Founded in 1878 by Serranus Clinton Hastings, UC Hastings was the first law school of the University of California as ...

Career

Browning was a deputy district attorney for

San Mateo County San Mateo County ( ), officially the County of San Mateo, is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 764,442. Redwood City is the county seat, and the third most populated city following Daly ...

at the time he was appointed by President Nixon to succeed Cecil F. Poole as United States Attorney for the Northern District of California. He served in that position from 1969 to 1977. Notable events Browning was involved in include negotiation and consultation during the

occupation of Alcatraz The Occupation of Alcatraz (November 20, 1969 – June 11, 1971) was a 19-month long protest when 89 Native Americans and their supporters occupied Alcatraz Island. The protest was led by Richard Oakes, LaNada Means, and others, while John T ...

, consultation on whether a statement Groucho Marx made in a magazine interview constituted a threat to the President of the United States, and as a prosecutor in the trial of Patty Hearst, squaring off against defense counsel

F. Lee Bailey Francis Lee Bailey Jr. (June 10, 1933 – June 3, 2021) was an American criminal defense attorney. Bailey's name first came to nationwide attention for his involvement in the second murder trial of Sam Sheppard, a surgeon accused of murdering ...

. In 1978, he filed to run for

California Attorney General The attorney general of California is the state attorney general of the Government of California. The officer's duty is to ensure that "the laws of the state are uniformly and adequately enforced" (Constitution of California, Article V, Section ...

, but lost the Republican nomination to

George Deukmejian Courken George Deukmejian Jr. (; June 6, 1928 – May 8, 2018) was an American politician who served as the 35th governor of California from 1983 to 1991. Of Armenian descent, Deukmejian was a member of the Republican Party and he also served ...

. Browning later served as a municipal court judge in San Mateo County, California. In 1990, he was appointed to superior court judge by governor George Deukmejian. He died of complications from a fall in the Tucson suburb of

Oro Valley, Arizona Oro Valley, incorporated in 1974, is a suburban town located north of Tucson, Arizona, United States, in Pima County. According to the 2020 census, the population of the town is 47,070, an increase from 29,700 in 2000. Dubbed the "Upscale Te ...

, at the age of 83.

Marriage and children

Browning married a second time, to the former Linda Miltner, in June 1978.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Browning, James L. Jr. 1932 births 2016 deaths California state court judges California State University, Fresno alumni United States Attorneys for the Northern District of California University of California College of the Law, San Francisco alumni People from Globe, Arizona 20th-century American judges 20th-century American lawyers Accidental deaths from falls Accidental deaths in Arizona