James Lane Buckley

James Lane Buckley was a federal appellate judge who served on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit from 1985 to 1996. Born in 1923 and passing away in 2023 at the age of 100, Buckley had a distinguished career in public service that spanned all three branches of the federal government. Before his appointment to the federal bench by President Ronald Reagan, a Republican, Buckley served as a United States Senator representing New York and held several positions in the executive branch during the Reagan administration. He was also known as the brother of conservative writer and commentator William F. Buckley Jr., though as a federal judge he served in a non-partisan judicial capacity.

Early life and legal career

James Lane Buckley was born on March 9, 1923, in Manhattan, New York City. He was the fourth of ten children born to Aloise Steiner and William Frank Buckley Sr. His upbringing was distinctive in that his father spoke Spanish to the children during Buckley's early years, resulting in Buckley learning Spanish before he learned English. His mother, who was from New Orleans, was of Swiss-German, German, and Irish descent, while his paternal grandparents, who hailed from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, were of Irish ancestry. Among his siblings was William F. Buckley Jr., who would become a prominent conservative writer and commentator.

Buckley attended Millbrook School before enrolling at Yale University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English in 1943. During his time at Yale, he was a member of the Skull and Bones society. His education was interrupted by military service; he enlisted in the United States Navy in 1942 during World War II. During the war, Buckley participated in several significant Pacific theater engagements, including the battles of Leyte, Lingayen Gulf, and Okinawa. He was discharged from the Navy in 1946 with the rank of Lieutenant (junior grade).

Following his military service, Buckley returned to Yale to pursue legal education. He received his Bachelor of Laws from Yale Law School in 1949 and was admitted to the Connecticut bar in 1950. He practiced law for three years before transitioning to the business sector in 1953, when he joined The Catawba Corporation as vice president and director. In May 1953, he married Ann Frances Cooley, with whom he would have six children. His wife passed away on December 30, 2011.

Buckley's involvement in politics began well before his own electoral career. In 1965, he managed his brother William F. Buckley Jr.'s campaign for Mayor of New York City, gaining experience in political campaigns that would serve him in his subsequent runs for office.

Buckley first sought elected office in 1968, running as the senatorial nominee of the Conservative Party of New York State. His brother had previously served as the party's mayoral nominee in the 1965 New York City mayoral election. Buckley secured the Conservative Party's nomination on April 2, 1968, with unanimous support from all forty state committeemen. In the general election, he placed third behind Republican nominee Jacob Javits and Democratic nominee Paul O'Dwyer, receiving 1,139,402 votes, which represented 17.31 percent of the total votes cast.

Buckley ran again for the Senate in 1970 under circumstances that had changed significantly since his first attempt. The seat had become vacant following the assassination of Senator Robert F. Kennedy in Los Angeles on June 6, 1968. Governor Nelson Rockefeller appointed Charles Goodell, a Republican member of the House of Representatives, to fill the vacancy on September 10, 1968. When Goodell sought election to a full term in 1970, Buckley again pursued the Conservative Party nomination.

On April 6, 1970, Buckley announced his candidacy for the Conservative Party's senatorial nomination. The following day, the Conservative State Committee convened at Hotel McAlpin in Manhattan to select their nominee. Buckley faced a challenge from Kevin P. McGovern, who attempted to force a primary election but failed to receive the necessary twenty-five percent of delegate votes. Buckley received nearly ninety percent of the delegate votes, with the remainder split between McGovern and abstaining delegates.

Buckley's campaign also sought to secure an additional ballot line called the Independent Alliance Party. His campaign manager, F. Clifton White, announced on June 20 that the campaign would circulate petitions for this purpose. Although enough valid signatures were collected, New York Secretary of State John P. Lomenzo initially ruled that the Independent Alliance's emblem was illegal under state election law. The emblem, which was an outline of New York with Buckley's name inside, violated provisions limiting how many times a candidate's name could appear on a ballot line. After the emblem was changed to a shield with the letter "I" inside, Lomenzo allowed the party onto the ballot.

The 1970 Senate race featured an unusual dynamic. Both Goodell and the Democratic nominee, Richard Ottinger, were liberal candidates who opposed the Vietnam War. Buckley positioned himself as a pragmatic conservative, and the liberalism of both major-party candidates created an opportunity for his candidacy. In the general election, Buckley prevailed with thirty-nine percent of the vote. The New York Times reported that "the political cognoscenti were stunned" by Buckley's unexpected victory, as he became one of the few third-party candidates to win a U.S. Senate seat.

Buckley served in the United States Senate from 1971 to 1977. In 1971, he addressed the Republican National Finance Committee regarding his plans for reelection in 1976 with the Republican nomination. He faced a challenge in the Republican primary from Peter A. Peyser but prevailed. Buckley secured the support of Nelson Rockefeller by agreeing not to support Ronald Reagan's campaign against Gerald Ford in the Republican presidential primaries. Despite these efforts, Buckley was defeated in the 1976 general election by Democrat Daniel Moynihan.

Buckley made another attempt at returning to the Senate in 1980, this time running in Connecticut rather than New York. However, he was defeated by Democrat Chris Dodd in that election.

Following his Senate service and unsuccessful 1980 campaign, Buckley joined the Reagan administration in various capacities. During the first Reagan administration, he served as Undersecretary of State for International Security Affairs. He also served as President of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty from 1982 to 1985, leading these important Cold War-era broadcasting organizations that transmitted news and information to audiences behind the Iron Curtain.

Federal appellate service

President Ronald Reagan nominated Buckley to a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on October 16, 1985. The D.C. Circuit is often considered the second most important federal court in the United States due to its jurisdiction over many cases involving federal agencies and government action. The Senate confirmed Buckley's nomination on December 17, 1985, and he received his commission to begin his service on the court.

Buckley served as an active judge on the D.C. Circuit for approximately eleven years. In 1996, he assumed senior status, a form of semi-retirement that allows federal judges to continue hearing cases on a reduced schedule while creating a vacancy for a new active judge to be appointed. His transition to senior status marked the conclusion of his active service on one of the nation's most influential appellate courts.

Jurisprudence and legacy

Buckley's career was notable for its breadth across different branches and levels of government. He held the distinction of having served in constitutional offices in all three branches of the American federal government: the legislative branch as a United States Senator, the executive branch in his various administrative positions during the Reagan administration, and the judicial branch as a federal circuit judge. This trifecta of service across the separation of powers is exceedingly rare in American political and legal history.

His path to the federal bench was unusual in that he came to the judiciary after extensive experience in electoral politics and executive branch service, rather than following the more traditional route of rising through the legal profession or lower courts. This diverse background brought a perspective to the bench informed by practical experience in the other branches of government.

Buckley continued in senior status on the D.C. Circuit after 1996, maintaining his connection to the federal judiciary even as he reduced his caseload. He lived to the age of 100, passing away on August 18, 2023, having witnessed a century of American legal and political development and having played an active role in shaping it through his service in multiple capacities over several decades.