Garr Michael King (January 28, 1936 – February 5, 2019) was a lawyer and

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 Oregon The United States District Court for the District of Oregon (in case citations, D. Ore. or D. Or.) is the federal district court whose jurisdiction comprises the state of Oregon. It was created in 1859 when the state was admitted to the Union ...

Education and career

King was born on January 28, 1936 in Pocatello, Idaho. He moved to

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the capital and most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in Utah. With a population of 200,133 in 2020, th ...

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

at a young age and served in the

Marine Corps Marines, or naval infantry, are typically a military force trained to operate in littoral zones in support of naval operations. Historically, tasks undertaken by marines have included helping maintain discipline and order aboard the ship (refl ...

from 1954 to 1957 after high school. He spent one year stationed in Japan. After attending the

University of Utah The University of Utah (U of U, UofU, or simply The U) is a public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is the flagship institution of the Utah System of Higher Education. The university was established in 1850 as the University of De ...

, he received 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 Northwestern School of Law of Lewis & Clark College in 1963. He was a Deputy district attorney of District Attorney's Office Multnomah County, Oregon from 1963 to 1966. He was in private practice of law in

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

, Oregon at Morrison and Bailey from 1966 to 1973. In 1973, he formed a law partnership with Jack L. Kennedy, who he had met at Northwestern School of Law of Lewis & Clark College, and was selected for a judgeship in 1998. King was president of the

Multnomah Bar Association The Multnomah Bar Association (MBA) is a voluntary bar association located in Portland, Oregon. The organization is also sometimes referred to as the Multnomah County Bar Association. Although named after Multnomah County membership in the assoc ...

from 1975 to 1976.

Federal judicial service

King was a United States District Judge of the

. King 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 October 8, 1997, to a seat vacated by

Helen J. Frye Helen Jackson Frye (December 10, 1930 – April 21, 2011) was an American judge and attorney in the state of Oregon. She served as a judge of the Oregon Circuit Court and later as a United States federal judge, United States district judge of the ...

. 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 April 27, 1998, and received commission on April 30, 1998. 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 January 30, 2009, and was succeeded by Judge Marco A. Hernandez. He died on February 5, 2019.

Notable cases

United States vs. Mohamed Osman Mohamud

King presided over the trial of Mohamed Osman Mohamud, a Somali-American student arrested by the

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, t ...

in a 2010 sting, after he tried to set off what he thought was a bomb at a tree-lighting ceremony at Pioneer Courthouse Square in Portland. A jury found Mohamud guilty in 2013, and King imposed a 30-year prison sentence in 2014.

Al-Haramain Islamic Foundation vs. United States Department of Treasury

King presided over the lawsuit filed by Al-Haramain Islamic Foundation of

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...

, based in Ashland, against the

U.S. Treasury Department The Department of the Treasury (USDT) is the national treasury and finance department of the federal government of the United States, where it serves as an executive department. The department oversees the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and ...

. The Treasury froze the assets of the charity after listing it as a "specially designated global terrorist organization" in 2004. King ruled in favor of Al-Haramain Islamic Foundation, saying that it failed to receive adequate notice of the characterization and did not have a chance to challenge it. King also expressed frustration at the U.S. government's actions, saying:

References

External links

* 1936 births 2019 deaths People from Pocatello, Idaho University of Utah alumni Lewis & Clark Law School alumni Judges of the United States District Court for the District of Oregon United States district court judges appointed by Bill Clinton 20th-century American judges 21st-century American judges {{Oregon-gov-stub