Reinhardt continued his public service as Secretary of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee and as a member of the Board of Directors of the Los Angeles Amateur Athletic Foundation.
Reinhardt, known as one of the most liberal judges on the courts of appeals, is also one of the most-reversed judges before the Supreme Court.[3] Opinions he wrote for the Ninth Circuit were reversed in, for example:
Safeco Insurance Co. of America v. Burr, 127 S.Ct. 2201 (2007); Gonzales v. Carhart, 127 S.Ct. 1610 (2007); Ayers v. Belmontes, 127 S.Ct. 469 (2006); Garcetti v. Ceballos, 126 S.Ct. 1951 (2006); Texaco Inc. v. Dagher, 547 U.S. 1 (2006); Pliler v. Ford, 542 U.S. 225 (2002); Chevron U.S.A. Inc. v. Echazabal, 536 U.S. 73 (2002); United States v. Arvizu, 534 U.S. 266 (2002); Major League Baseball Players Ass'n v. Garvey, 532 U.S. 504 (2001); Albertson's, Inc. v. Kirkingburg, 527 U.S. 555 (1999); Washington v. Glucksberg, 521 U.S. 702 (1997); Lambert v. Wicklund, 520 U.S. 292 (1997); United States v. Armstrong, 517 U.S. 456 (1997); I.N.S. v. Abudu, 485 U.S. 94 (1988); Heckler v. Lopez, 463 U.S. 1328 (1983) (per Rehnquist, Circuit Justice).
The following are some of his most notable judicial opinions:
United States of America v. Approximately 64,695 Pounds of Shark Fins (9th Cir 2008) [http
//www.ca9.uscourts.gov/ca9/newopinions.nsf/B36C33B16501581D8825740F0058F5FC/$file/0556274.pdf?openelement 05-56294]: Forfeiture of the shark fins was denied on the grounds that, although according to the Shark Finning Prohibition Act of 2000 any shark fins found aboard a fishing vessel without a corresponding shark carcass may be deemed the product of illegal harvesting, the vessel from which the fins were seized was not in fact a fishing vessel within the meaning of the act. The fins had been harvested by, and bought from, other vessels.
Ma v. Reno (9th Cir 2000) 208 F.3d 815
It was ruled that an alien cannot be held indefinitely in detention in the absence of a repatriation agreement with his or her country of origin.
Compassion in Dying v. Washington (9th Cir 1996) 79 F.3d 790 (en banc)
It was ruled that a statute prohibiting doctors from prescribing life-ending medication for the terminally ill violated the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The Ninth Circuit denied rehearing over Judge Kleinfeld's strong dissent, which was later cited by the US Supreme Court when it reversed Judge Reinhardt.
Yniguez v. Arizonans for Official English (9th Cir 1991) 939 F.2d 727; opinion adopted en banc (9th Cir 1995) 69 F.3d 920
It was ruled that the English-only provision in the Arizona constitution was overly broad and violated the First Amendment right of free speech. This decision was vacated by the Supreme Court as moot because plaintiff Yniguez had voluntarily left the employment of the State of Arizona the day after the appeal was filed. 530 US 43. Justice Ginsburg's unanimous opinion for the Court also took a swipe at the Ninth Circuit for failing to certify this question to the state courts, holding that "A more cautious approach was in order. In addition, footnote 11 of Justice Ginsburg's decision chides the Ninth Circuit for failing to recognize that state courts are not bound by decisions of federal courts (except the Supreme Court), even on questions of federal law.
Cardoza-Fonseca v. U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (1985) 767 F.2d 1448
It was ruled that the INS had conflated two different routes for seeking asylum and had improperly rejected an application made under one route based on the requirements of the second. This decision was upheld by the Supreme Court.
Coleman v. Risley (9th Cir 1988) 839 F.2d 434, 465
It was ruled that the Sixth Amendment right to counsel can be infringed if the counsel has a conflict of interest, even if the defendant has issued a waiver of conflict of interest.
It was ruled that the right to bear arms is a collective right, not an individual right. This ruling was effectively overruled several years later by the Supreme Court in D.C. v. Heller.
Awards
Reinhardt has received the following awards:
?1987 Appellate Judge of the Year? by the California Trial Lawyers Association.
?1993 St. Thomas More Medallion Award? by Loyola Law School.
?1993 Donald Wright Award? by the California Attorney for Criminal Justice.
?1995 Appellate Justice of the Year? by the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles.
?1998 Champion of Justice: Legal Award? by the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
?2004 Award for Judicial Excellence? by the Idaho Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
?2004 Meritorious Service Award? by the University of Oregon Law School.[4]
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