Judge Bruce Van Sickle Papers, 1956-2007
Collection Overview
Title: Judge Bruce Van Sickle Papers, 1956-2007
Predominant Dates:1971-2000
ID: OGLMC1432
Primary Creator: Van Sickle, Bruce (1917-2007)
Extent: 25.5 Linear Feet
Date Acquired: 09/27/2001. More info below under Accruals.
Subjects: Legal
Languages: English
Abstract
Scope and Contents of the Materials
The Judge Bruce Van Sickle Papers have been divided into seven series:
Series 1: Biographical/Personal
Series 2: Bench Books
Series 3: Case Files
Series 4: Court Administrative Documents
Series 5: Subject Files
Series 6: Organizations
Series 7: Conferences, Meetings, and Workshops
Three photographs were separated and placed in the Photograph File Cabinets.
Collection Historical Note
Bruce Marion Van Sickle was born in Minot, North Dakota, on February 13, 1917. He was the son of Guy and Hilda (Rosenquist) Van Sickle. Bruce Van Sickle graduated from high school in Minot in 1935 and from the University of Minnesota in 1941 with a law degree.
During World War II, Bruce Van Sickle was a Captain in the United States Marine Corps Reserves. Following the end of the war, he served as an adjudicator in the U.S. Veteran's Administration in 1946. He practiced law on his own in Minot from 1947-1952, after which he formed the firm of McGee and Van Sickle. He also served in the North Dakota House of Representatives in 1957 and 1959.
He was named to the United States District Court by President Richard Nixon in 1971. Van Sickle's tenure on the federal bench is notable for two important rulings he handed down. First, in the Association of Retarded Citizens case, the judge ruled that North Dakota 's system for the care of the developmentally disabled violated the constitutional rights of its residents by being overcrowded, under-funded and under-staffed. Van Sickle issued a series of rulings forcing the state to institute reforms. Chief among these changes was the movement of developmentally disabled persons from large state-run institutions at Grafton and San Haven to smaller, community based group homes.
In the second case, Coleman vs. Block, Van Sickle issued an injunction that forced the Farmers Home Administration (FmHA) to change its loan-repayment and foreclosure policies. The decision effected over 250,000 farmers, and ordered the FmHA to allow delinquent borrowers to defer making loan payments due to financial hardships caused by factors beyond their control. This case was part of the inspiration for the 1984 film "Country."
Judge Van Sickle assumed Senior Status in February 1985, and continued to hear cases both in North Dakota and the rest of the United States as he was needed. He formally retired from the bench in February 2002. The Federal Building in Minot was named in his honor in August 2002.
Bruce Van Sickle married Dorothy Hermann of Olympia, Washington, on May 26, 1943. They had four children: Susan, John, Craig, and David. Bruce Van Sickle died April 21, 2007, in Bismarck.
Source: Patronage: Histories and Biographies of North Dakota's Federal Judges by Ardell Tharaldson. (found in Box 1, Folder 1 of the Judge Bruce Van Sickle Papers)
Subject/Index Terms
Administrative Information
Repository: Elwyn B. Robinson Department of Special Collections
Accruals: Additional material was donated by Bruce Van Sickle on January 22, 2002 (2002-2552).
Access Restrictions: Open for inspection under the rules and regulations of the Elwyn B. Robinson Department of Special Collections.
Acquisition Source: Bruce Van Sickle, Bismarck, North Dakota
Acquisition Method: Donation; 2001-2530
Preferred Citation: (Description of Item). Judge Bruce Van Sickle Papers. OGLMC 1432, Box #, Folder #. Elwyn B. Robinson Department of Special Collections, Chester Fritz Library, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks.
Finding Aid Revision History: Finding aid added to Archon in March 2015.
Box and Folder Listing
Browse by Series:
[Series 1: Biographical/Personal],
[Series 2: Bench Books],
[Series 3: Case Files],
[Series 4: Court Administrative Documents ],
[Series 5: Subject Files ],
[Series 6: Organizations ],
[Series 7: Conferences, Meetings, and Workshops ],
[Photographs :],
[All]
- Series 5: Subject Files
- This series consists of various subject files, arranged alphabetically. The types of documents included in the files typically include correspondence, court reports, newspaper clippings, and legal journal articles.
- Box 13
- Folder 7: Affirmative Action Plan, District of North Dakota: 1980
- Folder 8: Amendments to Rules (Local Rules and Federal Rules): 1980-1984
- Folder 9: Amendments to the Rules of Civil Procedure for the US District Courts: 1983 (w/ Van Sickle's notes in margin)
- Folder 10: Bankruptcy: 1972-1979
- Folder 11: Bankruptcy: 1980-1982
- Folder 12: Bankruptcy: 1983-1990
- Folder 13: Bankruptcy: undated
- Folder 14: Clerk , United States District Court: 1980-1985
- Folder 15: Comprehensive Crime Control Act of 1989
- Folder 16: Confiscatory Price Law: 1986
- Folder 17: Conmy, Judge Patrick (Investiture-January 6, 1986)
- Folder 18: Court Personal Service Awards: 1978-1980
- Folder 19: Court Reporter: 1973-1980
- Folder 7: Affirmative Action Plan, District of North Dakota: 1980
- Box 14
- Folder 1: Court Reporter: 1981-1983
- Folder 2: Court Reporter: 1984-1987
- Folder 3: Courtroom Security: 1973, 1982
- Folder 4: Criminal Justice Act of 1964: 1970-1976
- Folder 5: Criminal Justice Act of 1964: 1977-1986
- Folder 6: Federal Bureau of Investigation: 1979-1980
- Folder 7: Federal Judicial Center Annual Reports: 1974, 1980
- Folder 8: Federal Jury Wheel: 1974-1984
- Folder 9: Final Conference Before Trial
- Folder 10: Fish and Wildlife Violations: 1975-1978, 1981
- Folder 11: Grand Jury: 1973-1985
- Folder 12: Juvenile Justice: 1974-1980
- Folder 13: Gordon Kahl Material: 1983, 1987
- Folder 14: Jury Selection and Instruction: 1962, 1972-1980
- Folder 15: Jury Selection Plan: 1981-1986
- Folder 16: Local Rules-North Dakota: 1987
- Folder 17: Management Audit of the District Court by the Office of Management Review: August 1983
- Folder 18: Native Americans and The Legal System: 1973-1978
- Folder 19: Naturalization Ceremony. Bismarck : 1956-1958, 1971-1985
- Folder 20: Naturalization Ceremony, Minot : 1956-1985, 1990
- Folder 21: Naturalization Ceremonies: 1986-1990
- Folder 22: Notice to Trial Counsel Appearing Before the Honorable Bruce M. Van Sickle: April 22 nd , 1992
- Folder 23: Omnibus Procedure: 1971-1972
- Folder 24: Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act: 1976-1977
- Folder 25: Petty Offenses, Schedule of Collateral: 1975, 1978, 1981-1984
- Folder 26: Pre-Trial Record and Order: 1971-1973
- Folder 27: Probation: 1973-1978
- Folder 1: Court Reporter: 1981-1983
- Box 15
- Folder 1: Probation: 1979-1984
- Folder 2: Probation: 1985-1990
- Folder 3: Prompt Disposition of Criminal Cases (Plan for):1972
- Folder 4: Redistricting of North Dakota , US District Court: 1973-1978
- Folder 5: Register, Judge George (Memorial Service, October 26, 1972)
- Folder 6: Sand, Robert (Picnic for Retiring Probation Officer): June 1977
- Folder 7: Selective Service: 1971-1972
- Folder 8: Sentencing Alternatives: 1972, 1977
- Folder 9: Sentencing-Guidelines: 1987-1989
- Folder 10: Sentencing-Ministerial Involvement in the Process: 1972-1981
- Folder 11: Sentencing-Questionnaires on Mandatory Minimum Sentences
- Folder 12: Six-Person Civil Juries: 1971-1978
- Folder 13: Robert J. Snyder: 1983-February 1984
- Folder 14: Robert J. Snyder: April 1984-1985
- Folder 15: Special Masters Questionnaire, ABA : 1986
- Folder 16: Speedy Trial Act of 1974, Planning Group: 1975-1982
- Folder 17: Speedy Trial Act of 1974: 1975-1981
- Folder 18: Student Practice Rule: 1971-1979
- Folder 19: Student Practice Rule: 1980-1982
- Folder 20: Suspended Attorneys in North Dakota : 1972-1985
- Folder 21: Three Affiliated Tribes Legal Documents: 1976
- Folder 22: United States Attorney: 1971-1985
- Folder 23: United States Bureau of Prisons (Operation Whirlwind Tours of Federal Prison): 1977
- Folder 24: United States Bureau of Prisons: 1978-1983
- Folder 25: United States Magistrate: 1970-1977
- Folder 26: United States Magistrate: 1978-1980
- Folder 1: Probation: 1979-1984
- Box 16
- Folder 1: United States Magistrate: 1981-1983
- Folder 2: United States Magistrate: 1984-1986
- Folder 3: United States Magistrate: undated
- Folder 4: United States Marshal: 1975-1978
- Folder 5: United States Marshal: 1979-1980
- Folder 6: United States Marshal: 1981-1984
- Folder 7: Year End Report of the Judiciary by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court: 1979-1984
- Folder 1: United States Magistrate: 1981-1983
- Box 13
Browse by Series:
[Series 1: Biographical/Personal],
[Series 2: Bench Books],
[Series 3: Case Files],
[Series 4: Court Administrative Documents ],
[Series 5: Subject Files ],
[Series 6: Organizations ],
[Series 7: Conferences, Meetings, and Workshops ],
[Photographs :],
[All]