Federal judge announces retirement
A federal judge in Omaha has told the president he plans to retire next December after 23 years of service.
In a letter to Barack Obama, U.S. District Judge Richard Kopf says he hopes the advance notice will allow a replacement to be nominated and confirmed before his departure from active duty. Kopf says that on Dec. 1, 2011, he'll become a “senior judge,'' which under federal regulations allows him to retire as long as he volunteers to handle some cases.
A release from the federal court says Kopf was appointed to the federal judgeship in May 1992, after serving five years as a district magistrate. He served as chief judge from 1999 to 2004.
