Judge Myron Bright, an Iron Range native who was a champion of equal rights for minorities and women while becoming the longest-serving working judge on the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, has died. Bright, 97, died early Monday in Fargo. "He died peacefully with his entire family with him this morning, about 12:15 a.m." said Christian Golding, his son-in-law. "He was living history," Golding said. "He was more than just quite a man. He was a legend." Until a couple of weeks ago, Bright was still hearing cases as a judge in senior status on the appeals court, Golding said. William Jay Riley, chief judge for the 8th Circuit, said Bright was revered by judges and lawyers nationwide. "I've sat with him on the court many, many times, and marveled first at his brilliance in analyzing cases. But second, his congeniality. ... He was always a gentleman," Riley said. "All of us that knew him will miss him immensely," he said. Ralph Erickson, a U.S. District Court judge for the District of North Dakota, said Bright was a good friend. "Myron Bright was really a legal giant in our community," Erickson said. "There are not many men of his stature that are produced in this country at any one time. He was extremely intelligent and a very capable man. ... He was an excellent judge, but he was truly a good person." Bright cared about people who lacked influence and power, Erickson said. "He was engaging and always engaged," he said. "Right to the very end, he was a person that was forward-looking." U.S. Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D., praised Bright's empathy and compassion. "While making decisions, he always walked in the shoes of those who may not have had a voice in the courtroom, reminding us why empathy is so vital on the bench," she said in a statement. "That compassion and ability to look at matters from all perspectives made him an invaluable defender of equal rights and a proponent of tolerance - improving lives in Native American communities and bringing kindness to any job he did or decision he made." Steve Hunegs, executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas, said that "Judge Bright's deep connection to the Jewish community and all minority communities and his commitment to equal justice under the law permeated his career and philosophy with the practical sense which was a hallmark of his opinions."
Iron Range native Bright was born March 5, 1919, in Eveleth, Minn., the son of Jewish immigrants from Russia. His father first worked in the shipyards of Duluth, then eventually bought a store in Eveleth, where Bright grew up during the Great Depression. The Iron Range communities then were composed of immigrant workers: Finns, Italians, Slovenians and others from Eastern and Central Europe, including Russia. "They all were interested in bettering themselves," Bright told the Forum of Fargo in 2013. "I was a first-generation American and so were all my friends. We all learned to live together and work together." He graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1941, then served in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II, rising to the rank of captain. He married Frances "Fritzie" Reisler in 1946, and they had two children. His wife died in October 2000 at the age of 76. He was admitted to the North Dakota Bar in 1947, and he practiced law for 21 years before President Lyndon Johnson appointed him to the federal bench. On Aug. 16, 1968, Bright was sworn in as a judge on the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. By 2013, Bright estimated he had heard 7,000 cases and written 2,500 opinions. Even as late as 2014, he was hearing 40 to 50 cases a year, he said. In all, Bright served more than 48 years as a federal judge between full-time and senior status. Bright said he was proud of his ruling in McDonnell Douglas v. Green, in which he wrote about covert discrimination, as well as his opinion in Solem v. Helm, which overturned a life sentence without parole for a South Dakota man who committed several nonviolent felonies. For years, Bright was concerned by the disproportionately long sentences for Native Americans who commit the same crimes as whites. He also was a leading advocate for an end to mandatory minimum sentencing for nonviolent offenders. Bright's efforts also loomed large in the life of James Dean Walker, an Arkansas man imprisoned for more than two decades after being convicted of murdering a police officer in 1963. After a series of hearings and procedural reversals, Bright prevailed in a 5-4 decision that allowed Walker to leave prison as a free man in 1985. The divided appeals court concluded Walker was convicted with false evidence, and found that favorable eyewitness testimony had been suppressed. Although Bright said he seldom experienced discrimination, his Jewish background came up when he was interviewing for jobs after graduating from the University of Minnesota School of Law in 1947. A lawyer from a Duluth firm asked about his religion, and when he answered that he was Jewish he was told that could pose a problem for some New York insurance clients. Later, when interviewing with what became the Vogel Law Firm in Fargo, he volunteered that he was Jewish but the answer was, "What difference does that make?" Bright moved to Fargo and spent 21 years in private practice. In late 2012, Bright was honored with the Robert Feder Humanitarian of the Year award by Temple Beth El in Fargo. A public memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. Dec. 21 at Reineke Fine Arts Center on the North Dakota State University campus.Judge Myron Bright, an Iron Range native who was a champion of equal rights for minorities and women while becoming the longest-serving working judge on the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, has died.Bright, 97, died early Monday in Fargo."He died peacefully with his entire family with him this morning, about 12:15 a.m." said Christian Golding, his son-in-law."He was living history," Golding said. "He was more than just quite a man. He was a legend."Until a couple of weeks ago, Bright was still hearing cases as a judge in senior status on the appeals court, Golding said.William Jay Riley, chief judge for the 8th Circuit, said Bright was revered by judges and lawyers nationwide."I've sat with him on the court many, many times, and marveled first at his brilliance in analyzing cases. But second, his congeniality. ... He was always a gentleman," Riley said."All of us that knew him will miss him immensely," he said.Ralph Erickson, a U.S. District Court judge for the District of North Dakota, said Bright was a good friend."Myron Bright was really a legal giant in our community," Erickson said. "There are not many men of his stature that are produced in this country at any one time. He was extremely intelligent and a very capable man. ... He was an excellent judge, but he was truly a good person."Bright cared about people who lacked influence and power, Erickson said."He was engaging and always engaged," he said. "Right to the very end, he was a person that was forward-looking."U.S. Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D., praised Bright's empathy and compassion."While making decisions, he always walked in the shoes of those who may not have had a voice in the courtroom, reminding us why empathy is so vital on the bench," she said in a statement. "That compassion and ability to look at matters from all perspectives made him an invaluable defender of equal rights and a proponent of tolerance - improving lives in Native American communities and bringing kindness to any job he did or decision he made."Steve Hunegs, executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas, said that "Judge Bright's deep connection to the Jewish community and all minority communities and his commitment to equal justice under the law permeated his career and philosophy with the practical sense which was a hallmark of his opinions."
Iron Range nativeBright was born March 5, 1919, in Eveleth, Minn., the son of Jewish immigrants from Russia.His father first worked in the shipyards of Duluth, then eventually bought a store in Eveleth, where Bright grew up during the Great Depression.The Iron Range communities then were composed of immigrant workers: Finns, Italians, Slovenians and others from Eastern and Central Europe, including Russia."They all were interested in bettering themselves," Bright told the Forum of Fargo in 2013. "I was a first-generation American and so were all my friends. We all learned to live together and work together."He graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1941, then served in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II, rising to the rank of captain.He married Frances "Fritzie" Reisler in 1946, and they had two children. His wife died in October 2000 at the age of 76.He was admitted to the North Dakota Bar in 1947, and he practiced law for 21 years before President Lyndon Johnson appointed him to the federal bench.On Aug. 16, 1968, Bright was sworn in as a judge on the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.By 2013, Bright estimated he had heard 7,000 cases and written 2,500 opinions. Even as late as 2014, he was hearing 40 to 50 cases a year, he said.In all, Bright served more than 48 years as a federal judge between full-time and senior status.Bright said he was proud of his ruling in McDonnell Douglas v. Green, in which he wrote about covert discrimination, as well as his opinion in Solem v. Helm, which overturned a life sentence without parole for a South Dakota man who committed several nonviolent felonies.For years, Bright was concerned by the disproportionately long sentences for Native Americans who commit the same crimes as whites.He also was a leading advocate for an end to mandatory minimum sentencing for nonviolent offenders.Bright's efforts also loomed large in the life of James Dean Walker, an Arkansas man imprisoned for more than two decades after being convicted of murdering a police officer in 1963.After a series of hearings and procedural reversals, Bright prevailed in a 5-4 decision that allowed Walker to leave prison as a free man in 1985.The divided appeals court concluded Walker was convicted with false evidence, and found that favorable eyewitness testimony had been suppressed.Although Bright said he seldom experienced discrimination, his Jewish background came up when he was interviewing for jobs after graduating from the University of Minnesota School of Law in 1947.A lawyer from a Duluth firm asked about his religion, and when he answered that he was Jewish he was told that could pose a problem for some New York insurance clients.Later, when interviewing with what became the Vogel Law Firm in Fargo, he volunteered that he was Jewish but the answer was, "What difference does that make?"Bright moved to Fargo and spent 21 years in private practice.In late 2012, Bright was honored with the Robert Feder Humanitarian of the Year award by Temple Beth El in Fargo.A public memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. Dec. 21 at Reineke Fine Arts Center on the North Dakota State University campus.
