Diana E. Murphy (January 4, 1934 – May 16, 2018) was a

United States circuit judge In the United States, federal judges are judges who serve on courts established under Article Three of the U.S. Constitution. They include the chief justice and the associate justices of the U.S. Supreme Court, the circuit judges of the U.S. ...

of the

United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit (in case citations, 8th Cir.) is a United States federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the following United States district courts: * Eastern District of Arkansas * Western Dist ...

and a former United States District Judge of the

United States District Court for the District of Minnesota The United States District Court for the District of Minnesota (in case citations, D. Minn.) is the federal district court whose jurisdiction is the state of Minnesota. Its two primary courthouses are in Minneapolis and Saint Paul. Cases are al ...

Education and career

Murphy was born in Faribault,

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

. She graduated from St. Paul Central High School at age 16 and enrolled at the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public land-grant research university in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. ...

, where she majored in Central European Area Studies and graduated with a

Bachelor of Arts 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 year ...

degree in 1954. She then went on to win a Fulbright Scholarship to study at the Johannes Gutenberg University in

Mainz, Germany Mainz () is the capital and largest city of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Mainz is on the left bank of the Rhine, opposite to the place that the Main joins the Rhine. Downstream of the confluence, the Rhine flows to the north-west, with Main ...

, where she met her future husband, Joseph Murphy. After getting married, she stayed home to raise their two sons. She received a Juris Doctor from the

University of Minnesota Law School The University of Minnesota Law School is the law school of the University of Minnesota, located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The school confers four law degrees: a Juris Doctor (J.D.), a Master of Laws (LL.M.), a Master of Science in Patent L ...

in 1974. At law school, she was an editor of the

Minnesota Law Review The ''Minnesota Law Review'' is a student-run law review published by students at University of Minnesota Law School. The journal is published six times a year in November, December, February, April, May, and June. It was established by Henry J. Fl ...

. She was in private practice of law in

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

, Minnesota, from 1974 to 1976. She was a judge on the Hennepin County Municipal Court, Minnesota from 1976 to 1978. She was a judge on the Minnesota District Court, Fourth Judicial District from 1978 to 1980. She was the Commission Chair of the

United States Sentencing Commission The United States Sentencing Commission is an independent agency of the judicial branch of the U.S. federal government. It is responsible for articulating the U.S. Federal Sentencing Guidelines for the federal courts. The Commission promulgate ...

from 1999 to 2004.

Federal judicial service

Murphy was nominated by President

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 76th governor of Georgia from 1 ...

on November 30, 1979, to the

, to a new seat created by 92 Stat. 1629. She 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 February 20, 1980, and received commission the same day. She served as Chief Judge from 1992 to 1994. Her service was terminated on October 13, 1994, due to elevation to the Eighth Circuit. Murphy was nominated by President

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...

on July 28, 1994, to a seat on the

vacated by Judge

John R. Gibson John Robert Gibson (December 20, 1925 – April 19, 2014) was a United States federal judge, 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 ...

. She was confirmed by the Senate on October 7, 1994, and received commission on October 11, 1994. Upon assuming office, Murphy became the first woman to serve on the Eighth Circuit. Murphy 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 November 29, 2016. She died in her home in Minneapolis on May 16, 2018, shortly after announcing her full retirement from the bench. Later that year, the Minnesota Law Review hosted a memorial symposium in her honor, which included contributions from Justice

Ruth Bader Ginsburg Joan Ruth Bader Ginsburg ( ; ; March 15, 1933September 18, 2020) was an American lawyer and jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1993 until her death in 2020. She was nominated by Presiden ...

, Judge

Michael Joseph Melloy Michael Joseph Melloy (born January 15, 1948) is a Senior United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. Education and military service He was born in Dubuque, Iowa and graduated from Wahlert High Sch ...

, and Judge Rubén Castillo. After her death, the United States federal courthouse in Minneapolis was renamed in her honor.

Attorney General consideration

In 1993, she was reportedly considered for the post of Attorney General of the United States, which later went to

Janet Reno Janet Wood Reno (July 21, 1938 – November 7, 2016) was an American lawyer who served as the 78th United States attorney general. She held the position from 1993 to 2001, making her the second-longest serving attorney general, behind only Wi ...

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Murphy, Diana E. 1934 births 2018 deaths 20th-century American judges Chairpersons of the United States Sentencing Commission Judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit Judges of the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota Lawyers from Minneapolis Minnesota state court judges People from Faribault, Minnesota United States court of appeals judges appointed by Bill Clinton United States district court judges appointed by Jimmy Carter University of Minnesota Law School alumni 20th-century American women judges 21st-century American women judges 21st-century American judges