Alumna federal judge dies at 70

Judge Pamela Rymer J.D. ’64 of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals died Sept. 21 at the age of 70 after a two-year battle with cancer, according to a federal court announcement.

Rymer was raised in the Bay Area and attended Stanford Law School. After her graduation, she worked for Barry Goldwater’s campaign and went on to a private practice in antitrust law until her appointment to the bench. President Ronald Reagan appointed Rymer to the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles in 1983. President George H.W. Bush elevated her to the appeals court in 1989.

Rymer had strong ties to the Republican party and one of Reagan’s possible U.S. Supreme Court nominees before he chose Justice Anthony Kennedy in 1987. She was also considered for the California Supreme Court before she withdrew herself from consideration, stating that she enjoyed her tenure as a federal judge.

Rymer was an active presence in the Stanford community, serving as a booster of Stanford sports. She was also a member of the Board of Trustees between 1991 and 2001.

Two scholarship funds have been established in her name at the University.

— Ivy Nguyen