Richard G. Kopf

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Richard G. Kopf
File:Richard G. Kopf District Judge.jpg
Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Nebraska
Assumed office
December 1, 2011
Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Nebraska
In office
1999–2004
Preceded by William G. Cambridge
Succeeded by Joseph F. Bataillon
Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Nebraska
In office
May 26, 1992 – December 1, 2011
Appointed by George H. W. Bush
Preceded by Warren K. Urbom
Succeeded by John M. Gerrard
Magistrate Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Nebraska
In office
1987–1992
Personal details
Born 1946 (age 77–78)
Toledo, Ohio, U.S.
Alma mater Kearney State College (B.A.)
University of Nebraska–Lincoln College of Law (J.D.)

Richard George Kopf (born 1946 in Toledo, Ohio) is a federal judge in the U.S. District Court for the District of Nebraska. He served as chief judge of that court from 1999-2004. President George H. W. Bush nominated Kopf to the seat in 1992. From 1987 to 1992, Kopf served as a magistrate judge in the same district.[1] He assumed senior status on December 1, 2011.[2]

Education and early career

Kopf received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Kearney State College (now the University of Nebraska at Kearney) in 1969,[1] where he was a member of Phi Kappa Tau fraternity.[3] He received his Juris Doctor from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln College of Law in 1972.[1] He was a law clerk for Judge Donald Ross in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit for two years following law school and then entered private practice in Lexington, Nebraska.[1] In 1984, he served as counsel for the State of Nebraska in the impeachment of the Nebraska Attorney General.[1]

Controversial opinions

Kopf has received considerable press coverage for abortion-related decisions, particularly for his 474-page opinion striking down a ban on late-term abortions in Carhart, et al., v. Ashcroft.[4] His decision included the apology "I apologize for the length of this opinion. I am well aware that appellate judges have plenty to do and that long-winded opinions from district judges are seldom helpful.... Nonetheless, I pity the poor appellate judge who has to slog through this thing. I am truly sorry."[5]

In 2007 Kopf dismissed without prejudice a case over the use of the words "rape" and "sexual assault" in a rape trial in Lancaster County, Nebraska.[6][7] Tory Bowen had filed a lawsuit against Judge Jeffre Cheuvront for violating her right to free speech in a rape trial; Kopf dismissed the suit because Bowen had not shown enough evidence to demonstrate her lawsuit was not frivolous. Cheuvront had barred the words "rape" and "sexual assault" from the trial, but allowed words such as "sexual intercourse" and "intercourse" to be used instead.[6]

Awards and honors

Kopf has served as president and board chair of the historical society for the Eighth Circuit.[8] He served as administrator of the Robert Van Pelt Inn of Court, a legal professional organization, until 2008;[9] the organization gave Kopf its Warren K. Urbom Mentor Award the same year.[10]

Personal blog

From 2013 to 2015, Kopf maintained a personal blog entitled Hercules and the Umpire: The Role of the Federal Trial Judge.[11] He ended the blog due to the fact that members of his courthouse staff felt the blog was an embarrassment to the court.[12]

References

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  5. Carhart v. Ashcroft, 331 F. Supp. 2d 805, 809-810 (D. Neb. 2004)
  6. 6.0 6.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. Bowen v. Cheuvront, 516 F. Supp. 2d 1021 (D. Neb. 2007)
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  12. "Federal Judge Ends Controversial Blog; Will Remain on Bench" NetNebraska, July 10, 2015

External links

  • Richard Kopf's Blog: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Legal offices
Preceded by Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Nebraska
1992–2011
Succeeded by
John M. Gerrard