Myron H. Bright Papers, 1968-2016

Myron H. Bright Papers

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Collection Overview

Title: Myron H. Bright Papers, 1968-2016

ID: OGLMC877

Primary Creator: Bright, Myron H. (1919-2016)

Extent: 190.0 Linear Feet

Date Acquired: 07/18/1983. More info below under Accruals.

Subjects: Legal

Languages: English

Abstract

1919-2016; Judge on the U.S. Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals from 1968 to 2016

Scope and Contents of the Materials

The Myron H. Bright Papers consist of Bright's chambers papers, which include correspondence and memoranda between Judge Bright and other judges, memoranda from his law clerks, oral argument and conference notes, and draft and final versions of rulings. The legal citation is indicated for most cases.

Judge Bright’s notable rulings included:

-the Reserve Mining cases 514 F.2d 492 (8th Cir. 1975): These cases upheld the right of the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate corporate pollution, a practice unheard of before the lawsuit. Materials from these cases are found in Series 7 (Boxes 7 and 8), as well as Series 9 (Box 20) and Series 10 (Box 23).

-Chapman v. Meier 372 F. Supp. 371 (D.N.D. 1974): This case regarded the legality of federal court ordered reapportionment of the North Dakota Legislature. Materials from the case are found in Series 8 (Box 14).

-Walker v. Lockhart 726 F.2d 1238 (8^th Cir. 1984): This case freed a wrongly imprisoned, death row inmate after 23 years of confinement in Arkansas. Materials from the case are found in Series 15 (Box 51).

Collection Historical Note

"Myron H. Bright, 97, died peacefully on December 12, 2016 at the Eventide Fargo Senior Living Facility surrounded by his children and grandchildren.

Myron was born March 5, 1919 to Morris and Lena Bright in Eveleth, MN. He and his four siblings grew up in the hearty Iron Range of northern Minnesota. The Bright family was a staple of the Jewish community in the Iron Range and Myron has maintained a deep connection and close ties to the area throughout his life.

Myron attended Eveleth High School and graduated from Eveleth Junior College before going on to the University of Minnesota for his undergraduate and law degrees. His college days were interrupted by World War II, during which he honorably served his country as a Captain in the Army Air Corps, stationed in India.

He met Frances (Fritzie) Reisler in 1945 and they were married December 1946. After Myron’s graduation from law school, the couple moved to Fargo, ND in 1947 where they would make their home for the next 71 years. They were “partners” in every sense of the word until Fritzie’s death in October 2000. Myron and Fritzie were active members of the Fargo community and were involved in Democratic politics locally and state wide.

Myron joined the law firm of Wattam, Vogel and Vogel which became Wattam, Vogel, Vogel, Bright and Peterson and is now known as Vogel Law Firm. He had a 21 year career as a successful trial attorney, representing a variety of clients throughout North Dakota and Minnesota.

In 1968 Myron was appointed as an Appellate Judge on the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals for the United States by President Lyndon B. Johnson. Over the course of his judicial career, he presided over more than 7,000 cases and authored more than 3,000 opinions. He was famous for his ground-breaking rulings in the field of civil rights and employment discrimination. Judge Bright complemented his judicial career with a strong involvement in legal education. His awards and accolades are too numerous to mention here. At his death he was the longest serving jurist on the Eighth Circuit.

Myron and Fritzie purchased what has come to be known as the “Little Brown Cottage” on Lake Melissa in Detroit Lakes, MN in 1968. From that date to the present it has become the perennial summer home for the entire Bright clan. Myron’s summers at the Lake were not to be interfered with and all who visited were welcomed to enjoy the full Bright family hospitality. He enjoyed golfing at the Detroit Lakes CC, tennis and most especially, walleye fishing with family and friends. He was fond of bird watching at the Lake and quite serious about tending to his bird feeders. He and Fritzie were accomplished Bridge and Cribbage players, often hosting their friends for games of cards.

When he wasn’t working or at the Lake, you could find Myron behind the pages of any newspaper, the New Yorker or a good book. His mind never stopped. He had an incredible memory and the astonishing ability to recall the smallest details of events that took place years ago. He was a friend to all he met and a gift of wisdom and advice to all those who knew him.

Myron loved and cherished his family. He referred to them as “the family,” using a formal tone, as if it were an official title. “The family” included not only his immediate one, but also the more than 100 law clerks who served him during his 48 years on the bench. He looked forward with great anticipation to the law clerk reunions, which were held every 5 years during his time as a judge.

He was known by many titles; Judge, Myron, Mike, Dad, Pops and Poppop. One of his most prized titles was “author,” having written and published his autobiography, Goodbye Mike, Hello Judge: My Journey for Justice in 2014. He was an avid sports fan; following the NDSU Bison, UND, the Minnesota Vikings and the Minnesota Twins. He was a supporter of the arts; including the FM Symphony and FM Opera. He was the oldest member of Temple Beth El.

He is survived by his family who loved him dearly; daughter, Dinah (Christian) Golding of Fargo, ND; son, Joshua Bright of Excelsior, MN; grandchildren; Amy (Jim) Long of Fargo, ND, Sarianne (Brock) Dickson of Harwood, ND and Adam (Kimberly) Schultz of Shorewood, MN; great-grandchildren; William Bright, Connor James and Henry Elliot Long, Collins Frances and Maxum Brock Dickson; Mason Myron and Addison Marie Schultz; and many nieces, nephews and cousins.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Frances Bright; parents, Morris and Lena Bright; brothers, Leo Bright, Roy Bright and Joe Bright; and sister, Mabel Bright Manfield."

Source: http://boulgerfuneralhome.com/obituaries/judge-myron-bright/

Subject/Index Terms

Legal

Administrative Information

Repository: Elwyn B. Robinson Department of Special Collections

Accruals:

Judge Bright made numerous additions:

May 1984 (84-1298); November 1985 (85-1424); May 1986 (85-1445); February 1988 (88-1581); August 1989 (89-1678); May 1990 (90-1698); September 1990; April 1991 (91-1745); October 1991 (91-1791); November 1992 (92-1851); October 1993 (93-1918); April 1995 (95-2012); November 1997 (97-2154); June 1999 (99-2359); August 1999 (99-2371); March 2000 (2000-2426); October 2001 (2001-2531); October 2002 (2002-2579); February 2003 (2003-2609); June 2005 (2005-2756); September 2006 (2006-2865); January 2009 (2009-2960); August 2009 (2009-2969); January 2012 (2012-3148); July 2014 (2014-3256); May 2016 (2016-3309); March 2017 (2017-3335).

The collection was closed until the death of Judge Myron Bright on December 12, 2016.

Access Restrictions: Open for inspection under the rules and regulations of the Elwyn B. Robinson Department of Special Collections.

Acquisition Source: Myron Bright, Fargo, North Dakota

Acquisition Method: Donation; 83-1167

Related Publications: Goodbye Mike, Hello Judge: My Journey for Justice. by Myron H. Bright. Fargo: Institute for Regional Studies Press, 2014.

Preferred Citation: Elwyn B. Robinson Department of Special Collections. Chester Fritz Library. University of North Dakota, Grand Forks.

Processing Information: Processing of the collection began in 2022.

Box and Folder Listing

Browse by Series:

[Series 1: Biographical Material],
[Series 2: 1968],
[Series 3: 1969],
[Series 4: 1970],
[Series 5: 1971],
[Series 6: 1972],
[Series 7: 1973],
[Series 8: 1974],
[Series 9: 1975],
[Series 10: 1976],
[Series 11: 1977],
[Series 12: 1978],
[Series 13: 1979],
[Series 14: 1980],
[Series 15: 1981],
[Series 16: 1982],
[Series 17: 1983],
[Series 18: 1984],
[Series 19: 1985],
[Series 20: 1986],
[Series 21: 1987],
[Series 22: 1988],
[Series 23: 1989],
[Series 24: 1990],
[Series 25: 1991],
[Series 26: 1992],
[Series 27: 1993],
[Series 28: 1994],
[Series 29: 1995],
[Series 30: 1996],
[Series 31: 1997],
[Series 32: 1998],
[Series 33: 1999],
[Series 34: 2000],
[Series 35: 2001],
[Series 36: 2002],
[Series 37: 2003],
[Series 38: 2004],
[Series 39: 2005],
[Series 40: 2006],
[Series 41: 2007],
[Series 42: 2008],
[Series 43: 2009],
[Series 44: 2010],
[Series 45: 2011],
[Series 46: 2012],
[Series 47: 2013],
[Series 48: 2014],
[Series 49: 2015],
[Series 50: 2016],
[All]

Series 38: 2004

Box 137

Folder 60: 04-1009: USA v. Rickey Don Barnes
Folder 61: 04-1010: USA v. David Staples: 410 F.3d 484 (8th Cir. 2005)
Folder 62: 04-1157: USA v. Damon Bruce
Folder 63: 04-1265: USA v. Taras Wallace: 408 F.3d 1046 (8th Cir. 2005)
Folder 64: 04-1331: USA v. Louis Galvan: 407 F.3d 954 (8th Cir. 2005)
Folder 65: 04-1382: USA v. Raul Munoz Lopez: 431 F.3d 313 (8th Cir. 2005)
Folder 66: 04-1392: Frank Lupiani v. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.: 435 F.3d 842 (8th Cir. 2006)
Folder 67: 04-1482 and 04-3103: Sallieuh Jalloh v. Alberto Gonzales, U.S. Attorney General: 423 F.3d 894 (8th Cir. 2005)
Folder 68: 04-1532: Steven Anthony Sera v. Larry Norris, Director, Arkansas Department of Corrections: 400 F.3d 538 (8th Cir. 2005)
Folder 69: 04-1540: USA v. Andre Williamson
Folder 70: 04-1546: USA v. Dammeon Binion
Folder 71: 04-1548: USA v. Sterling Killings
Folder 72: 04-1564: USA v. Walter Barbour: 395 F.3d 826 (8th Cir. 2005)
Folder 73: 04-1684: Richard Powell v. Randy Johnson, et al.: 405 F.3d 652 (8th Cir. 2005)
Folder 74: 04-1695: Darel Luechtefeld v. Les Brownlee, Acting Secretary of the Army
Folder 75: 04-1777: Silverman Consulting v. Canfor Wood Products: 394 F.3d 1082 (8th Cir. 2005)
Folder 76: 04-1884: Charleston Housing Authority v. U.S. Department of Agriculture and 04-2620: Timothy Owens v. Charleston Housing Authority: 419 F.3d 729 (8th Cir. 2005
Folder 77: 04-1998: USA v. Melody McCully: 407 F.3d 931 (8th Cir. 2005)
Folder 78: 04-2059: Noel Malonga v. John Ashcroft, U.S. Attorney General

Box 138

Folder 1: 04-2073: USA v. Jamal Norris (Folder 1 of 2): 439 F.3d 916 (8th Cir. 2006)
Folder 2: 04-2073: USA v. Jamal Norris (Folder 2 of 2)
Folder 3: 04-2145: USA v. Kevin McKinney: 395 F.3d 837 (8th Cir. 2005)
Folder 4: 04-2279: Wilson Smith v. Archer Management Services, Inc.
Folder 5: 04-2395: USA v. Isidro Navarette-Zamora: 414 F.3d 978 (8th Cir. 2005)
Folder 6: 04-2459: USA v. Luke Keller: 413 F.3d 706 (8th Cir. 2005)
Folder 7: 04-2567: Abubakar Sheikh v. John Ashcroft, U.S. Attorney General: 427 F.3d 1077 (8th Cir. 2005)
Folder 8: 04-2589: USA v. Richard Lawrence Davis
Folder 9: 04-2603: Jose Alonzo Corpus v. Tony Bennett: 430 F.3d 912 (8th Cir. 2005)
Folder 10: 04-2668: USA v. Royal Turner
Folder 11: 04-2823: Tewodros Ysak v. John Ashcroft, U.S. Attorney General
Folder 12: 04-2901 and 04-2933: USA v. Travis Ray Burns: 438 F.3d 826 (8th Cir. 2006)
Folder 13: 04-2941: Mohamed Ahmed Omer v. Albert Gonzales, U.S. Attorney General
Folder 14: 04-2990: USA v. Stanley Mattix: 404 F.3d 1037 (8th Cir. 2005)
Folder 15: 04-3033: USA v. Charles Edward Shurn
Folder 16: 04-3082: USA v. Lawyer Campbell
Folder 17: 04-3148: USA v. Rashad Landers: 417 F.3d 958 (8th Cir. 2005)
Folder 18: 04-3149: USA v. Matthew James Wood
Folder 19: 04-3192 and 04-3722: In Re: Laura Susan Reynolds, Debtor.: 425 F.3d 526 (8th Cir. 2005)
Folder 20: 04-3222: USA v. Angel Carasa-Vargas: 420 F.3d 733 (8th Cir. 2005)
Folder 21: 04-3242: USA v. Marzell Deshond Turnbough: 425 F.3d 1112 (8th Cir. 2005)
Folder 22: 04-3260: USA v. Modestas Taylor
Folder 23: 04-3296: USA v. Nasser Ahmed Ameri: 412 F.3d 893 (8th Cir. 2005)
Folder 24: 04-3332: Tracy Allen Samuelson v. City of New Ulm, Minnesota: 455 F.3d 871 (8th Cir. 2006)
Folder 25: 04-3388: American Boat Company, Inc. v. USA
Folder 26: 04-3389: Law Office of John J. Allan, P.C. v. USA
Folder 27: 04-3458: USA v. Carlos Diaz-Dominguez
Folder 28: 04-3468: USA v. Richard Mose McElrath
Folder 29: 04-3541: USA v. Robert Lee Bailey
Folder 30: 04-3564: USA v. David McElroy
Folder 31: 04-3589: USA v. Chris Bruce: 413 F.3d 784 (8th Cir. 2005)
Folder 32: 04-3610: USA v. Thomas Jensen: 423 F.3d 851 (8th Cir. 2005)
Folder 33: 04-3674: Young America Corporation v. Affiliated Computer Services, Inc.: 424 F.3d 840 (8th Cir. 2005)
Folder 34: 04-3681: USA v. Brandon Leroy Stockdall
Folder 35: 04-3839: USA v. Ronald Lincoln Bachman
Folder 36: 04-3863: USA v. Mark Samples (Folder 1 of 2): 456 F.3d 875 (8th Cir. 2006)
Folder 37: 04-3863: USA v. Mark Samples (Folder 2 of 2)
Folder 38: 04-3896: Karen Black v. Donald Richmond
Folder 39: 04-4049: Nina Daniels v. USA
Folder 40: 04-4089: USA v. Douglas Dan Solomon: 432 F.3d 824 (8th Cir. 2005)
Folder 41: 04-1053: In Re; Spearing Tool and Manufacturing Co., Inc. (6th Circuit): 412 F.3d 653 (6th Cir. 2005)
Folder 42: 04-1309: USA v. Richard Oliver (6th Circuit)
Folder 43: 04-1798 and 04-2205: Technology Recycling Corp. v. City of Taylor, etc., et al. (6th Circuit)
Folder 44: 04-3059: Davinder Singh Gill v. John Ashcroft, U.S. Attorney General (6th Circuit)
Folder 45: 04-3174: Ronald Moore v. Fairfield County Sheriff's Department (6th Circuit)

Box 139

Folder 1: 04-3640: David Burch v. U.S. Department of Agriculture (6th Circuit)
Folder 2: 04-5336: USA v. Oren Ray Hall (6th Circuit)
Folder 3: 04-5387: Jackson, Tennessee, Hospital Company v. West Tennessee Healthcare Inc., et al. (Circuit): 414 F.3d 608 (6th Cir. 2005)
Folder 4: 04-5393: Prudential Property and Casualty Co. v. Marvin Best and Linda Best (6th Circuit)
Folder 5: 04-6119: USA v. Charles Payne (6th Circuit)
Folder 6: 04-6388: USA v. Corwin Pryor (6th Circuit)
Folder 7: 04-6147: Jim Oakes v. 3M Company (Circuit): 453 F.3d 781 (6th Cir. 2006)
Folder 8: 04-6493, 05-5736, and 05-5554: Thomas Bates v. 84 Lumber Company (6th Circuit)
Folder 9: 04-10181: USA v. Donald Jones (9th Circuit)
Folder 10: 04-10240: USA v. Marnie Ann Burt (9th Circuit): 410 F.3d 1100 (9th Cir. 2005)
Folder 11: 04-10230: Joseph Pajardo v. USA (9th Circuit)
Folder 12: 04-10243: USA v. Juan Carlos Vasquez (9th Circuit)
Folder 13: 04-10296: USA v. Ernesto Gutierrez-Barreda (9th Circuit)
Folder 14: 04-10571: USA v. Basho Elliot aka Bosch Elliot (9th Circuit): 444 F.3d 1187 (9th Cir. 2006)
Folder 15: 04-10679: USA v. Sheldon Koyanagi (9th Circuit)
Folder 16: 04-15031: ARC Ecology, et al. v. U.S. Department of the Air Force, et al. (9th Circuit): 411 F.3d 1092 (9th Cir. 2005)
Folder 17: 04-15097, 15098, 70330, 70348: Americopters, LLC v. U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and Jan's Helicopter Service, Inc. v. U.S. Federal Aviation Administration: 441 F.3d 726 (9th Cir. 2006)
Folder 18: 04-15120: Benito Julian Luna v. Michael Thurien, et al. (9th Circuit)
Folder 19: 04-15194: Grady Arnold v. D.L. Runnels (9th Circuit): 421 F.3d 859 (9th Cir. 2005)
Folder 20: 04-15828: Mohammad Javaid Abdulrafi v. Bill Lockyer (9th Circuit)
Folder 21: 04-16713: Robert Fahl v. Gordon England, U.S. Secretary of the Navy (9th Circuit)
Folder 22: 04-17496: Center for Bio-Ethical Reform and Gregg Cunningam v. City and County of Honolulu (9th Circuit): 448 F.3d 1101 (9th Cir. 2006)
Folder 23: 04-17545: Leviton Manufacturing v. Fireman's Fund Insurance Company (9th Circuit)
Folder 24: 04-17556: William Palmer v. John Garamendi, Insurance Commissioner for the State of California (9th Circuit)
Folder 25: 04-50217: USA v. Manuel Cardenas (9th Circuit)
Folder 26: 04-50384: USA v. James Neusom (9th Circuit)
Folder 27: 04-50407: USA v. Thomas Gough III (Circuit)
Folder 28: 04-55086: Gwenevere Woods v. Chubb and Son and Jane Ross (9th Circuit)
Folder 29: 04-55095: Roy Alvarez v. City of Los Angleles, California (9th Circuit)
Folder 30: 04-55173: Phillip Molina v. City of Onard, California (9th Circuit)
Folder 31: 04-55189: Kambiz Maleki v. Los Angeles Unified School District (9th Circuit)
Folder 32: 04-55253: In Re: Kaveh Lahijani (9th Circuit)
Folder 33: 04-55300: Richard Anthony Tucker v. City of Los Angleles, California (9th Circuit)
Folder 34: 04-55408: Virtua; Fonlink v. Kenneth Bailey and 04-55414: Mansfield Partners, et al. v. Kenneth Bailey (9th Circuit)
Folder 35: 04-55430: Diane Ghirardo v. University of Southern California (Circuit)
Folder 36: 04-55986: Joseph Giannini v. State Bar of California (9th Circuit)

Box 140

Folder 1: 04-56046: Robert Rodriguez v. Home Depot USA, Inc. (9th Circuit)
Folder 2: 04-56048: In Re: Maged Lofty Abu-Assal (9th Circuit)
Folder 3: 04-56059: Bryan Lockridge v. A.K. Scribner, Warden (9th Circuit)
Folder 4: 04-56108 and 05-55090: T.L. Quach v. Gilbert Cross (9th Circuit)
Folder 5: 04-56160: Bonnie Samuels v. UBS Financial Services, erroneously sued as UBS Paine Webber, and Paine Webber, Inc. (9th Circuit)
Folder 6: 04-56353: Paulo Gallarde v. U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (9th Circuit): 486 F.3d 1136 (9th Cir. 2007)
Folder 7: 04-56369: Jerry Beeman and Pharmacy Services, Inc., et al. v.TDI Managed Care Services, et al. (9th Circuit): 449 F.3d 1035 (9th Cir. 2006)
Folder 8: 04-57010: Kevin Lee Lewis v. D.L. Runnels, Warden (9th Circuit)
Folder 9: 04-57131: Caryn Jacobs and Laura Jacobs v. Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc. (9th Circuit)
Folder 10: 04-70018: Julia David v. Alberto Gonzales, U.S. Attorney General (9th Circuit)
Folder 11: 04-70242: Quirino Canedo Ochave v. Alberto Gonzales, U.S. Attorney General (9th Circuit)
Folder 12: 04-71028 and 05-73589: Artur, Elen, and Narek Danielyan v. Michael Mukasey, U.S. Attorney General (9th Circuit)
Folder 13: 04-71200, 04-75928, and 05-70182: Rose Elena Tamayo Carrillo v. Alberto Gonzales, U.S. Attorney General (9th Circuit)
Folder 14: 04-71230: Seble Worku v. Michael Mukasket, U.S. Attorney General (9th Circuit)
Folder 15: 04-71379: Rosa Duran-Madriles v. Alberto Gonzales, U.S. Attorney General (9th Circuit)
Folder 16: 04-16978: Stephen Bogovich and Charles Thompson v. Joseph Sandoval, California Secretary of Youth and Corrections Agency, et al. (9th Circuit)

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