MOUNT VERNON — David Hansen, judge on the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, will receive an honorary doctor of laws degree from Cornell College at 11 a.m. Thursday, April 24, in King Chapel.
Hansen, of Mount Vernon, has served on the federal Court of Appeals since 1991, when he was appointed by President George Bush. In 2002 he was named chief judge — only the second Iowan selected chief judge — and held that position until last month, when he took senior status, a semi-retirement of sorts. The 8th Circuit includes North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri and Arkansas. The court, based in St. Louis, hears appeals of decisions made in the federal courts in those states. There are 11 active judges on the court.
Hansen’s first judicial appointment was as police court judge in Iowa Falls, from 1969 to 1973. After six years in private practice, he was appointed to the Iowa District Court bench in 1976, to the U.S. District Court for Iowa’s Northern District by President Reagan in 1986 and then to the appeals court. He has written more than 2,550 decisions, including a major decision interpreting the constitutionality of the Telecommunications Act, which then was considered by the U.S. Supreme Court. Hansen is a nationally known authority on issues surrounding the Prisoner Litigation Reform Act and the Habeas Corpus Reform Act.
His service to Cornell includes lecturing in politics department classes and participating on interview practice panels to prepare students nominated for Truman Scholarships. He is scheduled to teach a course, Current Cases Before the Supreme Court, with politics professor Robert Sutherland in November.
Hansen earned a law degree with honors from George Washington University in 1963, then served as a captain in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps and received an Army Commendation Medal. He and his wife, Ginger, have two sons, James and Robert.