Robert Cameron Broomfield (June 18, 1933 – July 10, 2014) was a

United States district judge The United States district courts are the trial courts of the U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each federal judicial district, which each cover one U.S. state or, in some cases, a portion of a state. Each district cou ...

of the

United States District Court for the District of Arizona The United States District Court for the District of Arizona (in case citations, D. Ariz.) is the U.S. district court that covers the state of Arizona. It is under the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. The District was est ...

Education and career

Broomfield was born on June 18, 1933, in

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

. He earned a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University o ...

degree from Pennsylvania State University in 1955, and a

Bachelor of Laws Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Ch ...

from

James E. Rogers College of Law University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law is the law school at the University of Arizona located in Tucson, Arizona and was the first law school founded in the State of Arizona, opening its doors in 1915. Also known as University of Ar ...

at the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first university in the Arizona Territory. T ...

in 1961. From 1955 to 1958, Broomfield was a

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Aerial warfare, air military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part ...

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

, and an Air Force Reserve Captain from 1961 to 1972. He served as a clerk and bailiff to Judge Jack D. H. Hays of the

Superior Court of Arizona The Superior Court of the State of Arizona is the Arizona state court of general jurisdiction. Jurisdiction The Constitution of Arizona provides the Superior Court with jurisdiction over: * concurrent jurisdiction over cases and proceedings in whi ...

from 1961 to 1962. He was in private practice in

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1,608,139 residents as of 2020. It is the fifth-most populous city in the United States, and the on ...

from 1962 to 1970. He was a judge of the Superior Court of Arizona from 1971 to 1985, serving as presiding judge of the Juvenile Division from 1972 to 1974 and serving as presiding judge of the court from 1974 to 1985.

Federal judicial service

Broomfield was nominated by President Ronald Reagan on May 15, 1985, to the

, to a new seat authorized by 71 Stat. 586. He was confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

on July 10, 1985, and received commission on July 11, 1985. He served as Chief Judge from 1994 to 1999. He assumed

senior status Senior status is a form of semi- retirement for United States federal judges. To qualify, a judge in the federal court system must be at least 65 years old, and the sum of the judge's age and years of service as a federal judge must be at leas ...

on August 12, 1999. His service terminated on July 10, 2014, due to death. Chief Justice

William Rehnquist William Hubbs Rehnquist ( ; October 1, 1924 – September 3, 2005) was an American attorney and jurist who served on the U.S. Supreme Court for 33 years, first as an associate justice from 1972 to 1986 and then as the 16th chief justice from ...

appointed Broomfield to the

Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court The United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC), also called the FISA Court, is a U.S. federal court established under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (FISA) to oversee requests for surveillance warrants a ...

in May 2002, a position in which he served until 2009. Rehnquist also appointed him to the Budget Committee in 1997, and he served as a member until 2013.

Death

Broomfield died of

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

in a

Phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...

hospice on July 10, 2014, one day shy of 29 years from the date he was commissioned as a federal judge.

Accomplishment and honor

Broomfield was influential in obtaining approval for and funding of the

Sandra Day O'Connor United States Courthouse The Sandra Day O'Connor United States Courthouse is a courthouse at 401 West Washington Street in Phoenix, Arizona. Pursuant to , enacted by the United States Congress, it is named after Sandra Day O'Connor, who served as an Associate Justi ...

in Phoenix. His former colleagues held a memorial service in his honor at the District Court of Arizona on July 23, 2014.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Broomfield, Robert Cameron 1933 births 2014 deaths 20th-century American judges 20th-century American lawyers 21st-century American judges James E. Rogers College of Law alumni Judges of the United States District Court for the District of Arizona Judges of the United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court Lawyers from Detroit Pennsylvania State University alumni Superior court judges in the United States United States Air Force officers United States district court judges appointed by Ronald Reagan