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 1: Biographical/Personal
- This series contains biographical and personal materials, and has been sub-divided into five sub-series.
- Sub-Series 1: Biographical
- This sub-series chiefly contains newspaper clippings, photocopies of various biographical legal sources, and publications created by the court in honor of significant milestones in Judge Van Sickle's career. The sub-series also contains the chapter on Van Sickle from Ardell Tharaldson's Patronage: Histories and Biographies of North Dakota's Federal Judges, published in 2002.
- Box 1
- Folder 1: Biographical Materials: 1974-2007
- Folder 2: North Dakota Trial Lawyers Judicial Achievement Award: 1985
- Folder 3: "Recognition Ceremony Honoring United States Senior District Court Judge Paul Benson and United States Senior District Court Judge Bruce M. Van Sickle," United States District Court for the District of North Dakota: May 1989
- Folder 4: "Resolution in Commemoration of the Judicial Services of Honorable Bruce M. Van Sickle," United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit: February and July 1985
- Folder 5: "Special Session Convened in Recognition of the Honorable Bruce M. Van Sickle, Senior Judge, on the Occasion of Twenty-Five Years of Service," United States District Court for the District of North Dakota: December 1996
- Folder 1: Biographical Materials: 1974-2007
- Box 20
- Box 1
- Sub-Series 2: Correspondence
- The second sub-series dates from 1973-2000 and contains general letters to and from the Judge. Correspondence regarding individual court cases was kept with the file for that case and can be found in Series 3.
- Box 1
- Folder 6: Correspondence: 1973
- Folder 7: Correspondence: 1974
- Folder 8: Correspondence: 1975
- Folder 9: Correspondence: 1976
- Folder 10: Correspondence: 1977
- Folder 11: Correspondence: 1978
- Folder 12: Correspondence: 1979
- Folder 13: Correspondence: 1980
- Folder 14: Correspondence: 1981
- Folder 15: Correspondence: 1982
- Folder 16: Correspondence: 1983
- Folder 17: Correspondence: 1984
- Folder 18: Correspondence: 1985
- Folder 19: Correspondence: 1986
- Folder 20: Correspondence: 1987
- Folder 21: Correspondence: 1988
- Folder 22: Correspondence: 1989
- Folder 23: Correspondence: 1990
- Folder 6: Correspondence: 1973
- Box 2
- Box 1
- Sub-Series 3: Speeches
- This sub-series contains the text of speeches delivered by Van Sickle to various community and civic groups, as well as high school commencements. Also included are the remarks spoken by Van Sickle at his investiture ceremony in December 1971.
- Box 2
- Folder 10: Americans with Disabilities Act Rally and Expo
- Folder 11: Big Muddy Bar Association: May 1996
- Folder 12: Century High School (Bismarck)
- Folder 13: Daughters of the American Revolution, National Defense Luncheon: March 1978
- Folder 14: First Presbyterian Church Bismarck Adult Education: January 1984
- Folder 15: Grand Forks Elks Lodge Memorial Service: December 1971
- Folder 16: Inquisitor's Club: December 1977
- Folder 17: Investiture of Van Sickle: December 1971
- Folder 18: Kiwanis Club, Bismarck, Law Day: May 1976
- Folder 19: Kiwanis Club, Bismarck, Law Day: May 1982
- Folder 20: Minot State College Commencement: May 1972
- Folder 21: North Dakota Conference of Social Welfare, Bismarck , Regarding the ARC Case: September 1983
- Folder 22: Sawyer Public Schools Commencement: May 1974
- Folder 23: Untitled and Undated Regarding Constitutional Amendments
- Folder 24: Untitled and Undated Regarding Sherman Day ( Minot School Board Member)
- Folder 25: Untitled and Undated Regarding the Eighth Circuit
- Folder 26: Untitled for an Unknown Conference from June 1976
- Folder 27: Untitled in Observance of Law Day
- Folder 28: Untitled and Undated Speech by Helen Monteith (Van Sickle's Secretary) Regarding Her Work in the Legal System
- Folder 10: Americans with Disabilities Act Rally and Expo
- Box 20
- Folder 30: The Clearly Erroneous Rule Presentation at Eight Circuit Conference
- Folder 31: Presentation on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
- Folder 32: Speech (untitled)
- Folder 33: Article V. Article: Related Correspondence
- Folder 34: Article V. Article: Reception and Feedback
- Folder 35: Letter to the Wall Street Journal , January 8, 1993
- Folder 36: Handwritten Notes Some thoughts while walking
- Folder 30: The Clearly Erroneous Rule Presentation at Eight Circuit Conference
- Box 2
- Sub-Series 4: Writings
- The fourth sub-series mainly contains articles authored or co-authored by Van Sickle for several different legal journals. Also included is a handbook for Van Sickle's law clerks, as well as the humorous "A Federal Judge's Prayer." The authorship of the prayer has not been concretely determined, although it appears to have North Dakota origins.
- Box 2
- Folder 29: A Federal Judge's Prayer
- Folder 30: Handbook for Law Clerks of Judge Van Sickle
- Folder 31: A Lawful and Peaceful Revolution, Hamline Law Review : 1990
- Folder 32: The North Dakota Nine and the Family Farm, Litigation : 1999
- Folder 33: The Omnibus Pretrial Conference, North Dakota Law Review : 1973
- Folder 34: Open Letter, (Regarding Alternate Dispute Resolution), North Dakota Law Review : 1994
- Folder 35: The Speedy Trial Act, Submitted to the American Bar Association Journal : 1977
- Folder 36: To Close a College, Submitted to the Chronicle of Higher Education : 1988
- Folder 29: A Federal Judge's Prayer
- Box 2
- Sub-Series 5: Miscellaneous
- Box 3
- Box 20
- Folder 48: Newspaper Clippings
- Folder 49: State/Federal Judicial Cooperation
- Folder 50: Senior Judge Panel, 1991
- Folder 51: Materials Regarding American Indians
- Folder 52: Wounded Knee Case, 1974
- Folder 53: Means / Poor Bear Case
- Folder 54: Documents Relating to Chief Justice Warren Burger
- Folder 55: Law Enforcement Coordinating Committee Meeting, May 30, 1984
- Folder 56: Dakota Association Native Americans School at Minot Radar Base
- Folder 57: Land Surveys, Water Case, Missouri River , etc.
- Folder 58: Role of Masters
- Folder 59: Criminal Law, Sentencing etc.
- Folder 60: Orin G. Libby Manuscript Collection
- Folder 48: Newspaper Clippings
- Box 21
- Box 3
- Sub-Series 1: Biographical
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]