page_title: Gerald Heaney
section_title: Federal judicial service
hierarchical_section_title: Gerald Heaney / Federal judicial service
caption_attribution_description: Seal of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.
context_page_description: Gerald William Heaney served for nearly forty years as a United States Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, from his appointment by President Lyndon B. Johnson in November 1966 until his full retirement in August 2006. Heaney's career in public service began in 1941, upon graduation from law school. He soon enlisted in the United States Army, volunteered for the United States Rangers, and soon became a second lieutenant in the 2nd Ranger Battalion. Heaney's endurance as a judge was related to his endurance as a Ranger; of the hundreds of members of the Second Ranger Battalion who landed at Normandy on the early hours of D-Day, Heaney was one of only three still on the front lines with the Rangers on VE Day. Between the end of World War II and his appointment to the federal bench, he rewrote the Free State of Bavaria's labor laws, and was a valued political advisor and organizer for several liberal Democratic politicians, including Hubert Humphrey, Adlai Stevenson, Orville Freeman, Eugene McCarthy, and Walter Mondale.
context_section_description: Heaney was nominated by President Lyndon B. Johnson on September 9, 1966, to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, to a new seat authorized by 80 Stat. 75. His nomination came upon the recommendation of former Minnesota Governor and then Secretary of Agriculture Orville Freeman. Freeman noted in his letter to President Johnson that Heaney was a close personal friend, had served as a Democratic National Committee member from Minnesota, was an excellent lawyer, and a supporter of Johnson's Great Society program. Heaney was confirmed by the United States Senate on October 20, 1966, and received his commission on November 3, 1966. He entered active service in December 1966. He assumed senior status on December 31, 1988. His service terminated on August 31, 2006, due to his retirement.
caption: Eighth Circuit seal
exif: {}