Dates

• Existence: 1926-2007

Biography

Donald Pomeroy Lay was born in Princeton, Illinois in 1926. He attended the U.S. Naval Academy, 1945 -- 1946. He received his BA in a combined curriculum in Liberal Arts and Law in 1949 and a J.D. in 1951, both from the University of Iowa. He practiced law in Omaha from 1951 to 1966 at which time he was appointed for life to the United States Court of Appeals, Eighth Circuit, by President Johnson. At the age of thirty-nine, he was the second youngest person ever appointed to the Court of Appeals. His appointment was also unusual because the usual route to a position on the Court of Appeals is through a trial court, but that was not the case with Lay. He became chief judge of the Eighth Circuit Court in 1980, a position that he held for twelve years. He retired in 1992.   During his time on the court, Lay streamlined and modernized the Eighth Circuit's administrative system and founded the Eighth Circuit Historical Society to preserve the court's history. Known as a liberal, he worked to make the courts accessible to all citizens regardless of race, gender, or social class. He supported free choice in abortion cases and denounced the death penalty.   Lay made his influence felt not only through the cases he tried -- he taught at several law schools and won numerous awards. He wrote thousands of opinions and dissents, and many articles and speeches.

Citation:

J Roethler 2/2007 Some of this biographical information was taken from The University of Iowa Alumni Association web site.

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