Jean Sala Breitenstein (July 18, 1900 – January 30, 1986) was a

United States circuit judge In the United States, a federal judge is a judge who serves on a court established under Article Three of the U.S. Constitution. Often called "Article III judges", federal judges include the chief justice and associate justices of the U.S. Su ...

of the

United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit (in case citations, 10th Cir.) is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts: * District of Colorado * District of Kansas * Dist ...

and previously was a United States district judge of the

United States District Court for the District of Colorado The United States District Court for the District of Colorado (in case citations, D. Colo. or D. Col.) is a federal court in the Tenth Circuit (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are a ...

Education and career

Born in Keokuk,

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

and moved to Boulder, Colorado in 1907 where he attended public schools. He served in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

towards the end of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, in 1918 and was a private. He thereafter received an Artium Baccalaureus degree from the

University of Colorado Boulder The University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder, CU, or Colorado) is a public research university in Boulder, Colorado, United States. Founded in 1876, five months before Colorado became a state, it is the flagship university of the University o ...

in 1922 and a

Bachelor of Laws A Bachelor of Laws (; LLB) is an undergraduate law degree offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree and serves as the first professional qualification for legal practitioners. This degree requires the study of core legal subje ...

from the

University of Colorado School of Law The University of Colorado Law School is one of the professional graduate schools within the University of Colorado System. It is a public law school, with more than 500 students attending and working toward a Juris Doctor or Master of Studies i ...

in 1924.Steele, Walter A
"The Honorable Jean S. Breitenstein - A Profile"
''

Denver Law Review The ''Denver Law Review'' is a law journal published by the students of the University of Denver Sturm College of Law. It was established in 1923 as the ''Denver Bar Association Record''. In 1928, the journal was renamed ''Dicta'' and in 1968 it ...

'', volume 62, issue 1, tenth circuit surveys, article 6, February 2021. He was an assistant state attorney general of Colorado from 1925 to 1929. and an

Assistant United States Attorney An assistant United States attorney (AUSA) is an official career civil service position in the U.S. Department of Justice composed of lawyers working under the U.S. attorney of each U.S. federal judicial district. They represent the federal gov ...

for the District of the Colorado from 1930 to 1933. He was in private practice in

Denver Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

from 1933 to 1954.

Federal judicial service

Breitenstein was nominated by President

Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was the 34th president of the United States, serving from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, he was Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionar ...

on April 6, 1954, to the

, to a new seat authorized by 68 Stat. 8. He was confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

on April 23, 1954, and received his commission on April 27, 1954. His service terminated on July 9, 1957, due to his elevation to the Tenth Circuit. Breitenstein was nominated by President Eisenhower on June 5, 1957, to a seat on the

vacated by Judge Walter A. Huxman. He was confirmed by the Senate on June 26, 1957, and received his commission the next day. He assumed senior status on July 31, 1970. His service terminated on January 30, 1986, due to his death.

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Breitenstein, Jean Sala 1900 births 1986 deaths Lawyers from Denver People from Keokuk, Iowa University of Colorado Boulder alumni University of Colorado Law School alumni Judges of the United States District Court for the District of Colorado United States district court judges appointed by Dwight D. Eisenhower Judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit United States court of appeals judges appointed by Dwight D. Eisenhower United States Army soldiers 20th-century American lawyers Assistant United States attorneys