Retired Judge Jerry Buchmeyer Dies
Retired U.S. District Judge Jerry Buchmeyer has died.
The Dallas judge was best known for his handling of a 1985 lawsuit that helped desegregate housing, the Associated Press reports. He served as a judge for nearly 30 years and was chief judge for the Northern District of Texas from 1995 to 2001.
According to the Dallas Morning News, “Judge Buchmeyer, 76, was considered a courageous and independent champion of civil and human rights by some, but an ultra-liberal bent on disrupting the status quo by others.”
Buchmeyer was also known for his humor, according to the Morning News. Once he wrote a legal opinion that rhymed with a LeAnn Rimes song when the singer had a case in his court. He also wrote a legal humor column called et cetera.
Sidney Fitzwater, chief judge for the Northern District of Texas, said Buchmeyer “was a giant of his court,” according to the Dallas Morning News. “It is notable that the death of Judge Buchmeyer follows one year to the day the death of another giant of this court, Judge Barefoot Sanders,” Fitzwater said in a written statement.
