John Coughenour
Source: The Seattle Times
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- https://www.wawd.uscourts.gov/judges/coughenour-chambers
- https://www.seattletimes.com/author/john-c-coughenour/
US Courts Bio
Judge John C. Coughenour Biography
Judge John C. Coughenour was raised in the Midwest and earned his law degree from the University of Iowa in 1966. After a brief stint on the law faculty at the University of Washington, he was a litigation partner at the Seattle firm of Bogle & Gates, before being nominated by President Reagan for the federal bench in 1981.
Judge Coughenour served as Chief Judge of the District from 1998 to 2004. During his time on the bench, he has presided over numerous high-profile trials and delivered several controversial decisions. His notable cases include a bank fraud trial involving the Montana Freemen, an anti-government group that had a three-month standoff with the FBI in 1996; the case of Michael Forwell, the British national sentenced to 15 years in 1996 for attempting to smuggle 72 tons of marijuana into Washington; and the case of Ahmed Ressam, the so-called “Millennium Bomber” who was convicted of attempting to blow up Los Angeles International Airport on January 1, 2000. In 2006, Judge Coughenour assumed senior status, though he continues to maintain a full case load in that capacity.
In addition to his work on the court, Judge Coughenour taught trial advocacy at the University of Washington School of Law for over forty years. His former law clerks created an endowment in his name to provide continued support for the school’s trial advocacy program. He also regularly travels internationally to participate in judicial reform activities with judges and lawyers, and hosts delegations in Seattle regarding the same.
Judge Coughenour served as Chair of the Ninth Circuit working groups on Jury Instructions and Gender Bias, and he is past President of the Ninth Circuit District Judges’ Association.
Source: https://www.wawd.uscourts.gov/judges/coughenour-bio Accessed 1-23-2025
Grok Bio
Who is Judge John Coughenour?
Judge John C. Coughenour is a senior United States district judge for the Western District of Washington. Here are some key points about his career and background:
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Early Life and Education: Born in 1941 in Pittsburg, Kansas, Coughenour received his Bachelor of Science degree from Kansas State College of Pittsburg in 1963 and his Juris Doctor from the University of Iowa College of Law in 1966.
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Professional Career: Before his appointment to the bench, he was a leading litigator with the law firm Bogle and Gates (now part of Perkins Coie) in Seattle, Washington. He also served as an assistant professor of law at the University of Washington from 1970 to 1973.
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Judicial Career: He was nominated to the federal bench by President Ronald Reagan on August 11, 1981, for a seat vacated by Judge Morell Edward Sharp. He was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on September 25, 1981, and received his commission on September 28, 1981. He served as Chief Judge from 1997 to 2004 and assumed senior status on July 27, 2006.
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Notable Cases:
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Coughenour presided over several high-profile cases, including the trial of Ahmed Ressam, known as the "Millennium Bomber," who attempted to bomb Los Angeles International Airport. Initially, he sentenced Ressam to 22 years, which was later increased to 37 years upon appeal due to the sentence being deemed too lenient.
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He also handled the civil trial in the Jason Scott case, which resulted in damages awarded against the Cult Awareness Network and deprogrammer Rick Ross in 1995.
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More recently, on January 23, 2025, Coughenour made headlines by temporarily blocking an executive order by President Donald Trump aiming to end birthright citizenship, describing it as "blatantly unconstitutional."
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Other Contributions: Beyond his judicial duties, Coughenour has been involved in education, teaching trial advocacy at the University of Washington School of Law for over forty years. He's also engaged in international judicial reform activities and has served in leadership roles within the Ninth Circuit, including as Chair of working groups on Jury Instructions and Gender Bias.
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Personal: He was raised in a Jewish family.
This summary reflects his long-standing service on the federal bench, his involvement in significant legal decisions, and his contributions to legal education and judicial reform.
- (https://www.wikiwand.com/en/articles/John_C._Coughenour)
- (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Coughenour)
- (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_C._Coughenour)
Grok: https://x.com/i/grok/share/xtej7aYF1FlwcbD8WhpSC5gse Jan 23, 2025