Ninth Circuit Judge Pamela Rymer passes away at the age of 70

September 23, 2011

Pasadena, California: On September 22, 2011 Judge Pamela Rymer passed away after a battle with cancer. Raymer, 70, had served on the court for 22 years and had served on the Central District of California for six years prior to being appointed to the appellate court. She was first appointed to the federal courts by Ronald Reagan and was later elevated by George H.W. Bush. She is a graduate of Stanford Law and has established two scholarships in her name at the school. Colleague Kim McLane Wardlaw remembered Rymer, telling the press, "I will remember her for her clever wit, playful sense of humor, love of sports and all things Stanford, joyful celebration of holidays and, of course, her frogs," referring to her collection of stuffed frogs she kept in her office.

The death creates a fourth vacancy on a struggling court, raising the vacancy warning level of the court from Blue to Yellow. It raises the vacancy warning level of the appellate courts from Blue to Yellow as well.

See also

• California judicial news
• United States Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit