Helen Wilson Nies (August 7, 1925 – August 7, 1996) was a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit after previously serving as a United States Judge of the United States Court of Customs and Patent Appeals.

Helen W. Nies
Senior Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
In office
November 1, 1995 – August 7, 1996
Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
In office
June 27, 1990 – March 18, 1994
Preceded byHoward Thomas Markey
Succeeded byGlenn L. Archer Jr.
Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
In office
October 1, 1982 – November 1, 1995
Appointed byoperation of law
Preceded bySeat established by 96 Stat. 25
Succeeded byArthur J. Gajarsa
Associate Judge of the United States Court of Customs and Patent Appeals
In office
June 18, 1980 – October 1, 1982
Appointed byJimmy Carter
Preceded byDonald Edward Lane
Succeeded bySeat abolished
Personal details
Born(1925-08-07)August 7, 1925
Birmingham, Alabama
DiedAugust 7, 1996(1996-08-07) (aged 71)
Lewes, Delaware
EducationUniversity of Michigan (BA, JD)

Education and career

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Born in Birmingham, Alabama, Nies received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Michigan in 1946. She received a Juris Doctor from the University of Michigan Law School in 1948, graduating Order of the Coif.[1] She was an attorney of the Office of Alien Property of the United States Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. from 1948 to 1951. She was branch counsel of the United States Office of Price Stabilization in Washington, D.C. from 1951 to 1952. She was in private practice of law as a member of a law firm based in Chicago, Illinois while she worked in Washington, D.C., with an office at The Watergate, from 1960 to 1978. She was in private practice of law in Washington, D.C. from 1978 to 1980.[2]

Federal judicial service

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Nies was nominated by President Jimmy Carter on May 9, 1980, to a seat on the United States Court of Customs and Patent Appeals vacated by Judge Donald Edward Lane. She was confirmed by the United States Senate on June 18, 1980, and received her commission on June 18, 1980. Her service terminated on October 1, 1982, due to reassignment to the Federal Circuit.[2]

Nies was reassigned by operation of law on October 1, 1982, to the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, to a new seat authorized by 96 Stat. 25. She served as Chief Judge from 1990 to 1994. She assumed senior status on November 1, 1995. Her service terminated on August 7, 1996, due to her death.[2]

Death

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She died on August 7, 1996, her 71st birthday, of head injuries sustained in a bicycle crash, in Lewes, Delaware.[3]

References

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  1. ^ *United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit: A History: 1990–2002 / compiled by members of the Advisory Council to the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in celebration of the court's twentieth anniversary. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. 2004. pp. 157–160. LCCN 2004050209.
  2. ^ a b c Helen Wilson Nies at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
  3. ^ "Helen W. Nies, 71, Former U.S. Judge". The New York Times. August 11, 1996. Retrieved 2009-04-04.
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Legal offices
Preceded by Associate Judge of the United States Court of Customs and Patent Appeals
1980–1982
Succeeded by
Seat abolished
Preceded by
Seat established by 96 Stat. 25
Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
1982–1995
Succeeded by
Preceded by Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
1990–1994
Succeeded by