9th Circuit Cowboy

9th Circuit Cowboy

To his critics he was a Bleeding Heart Liberal on the Notorious 9th Circuit Court of Appeals – a would be Social Engineer – an Activist who “ruled with his
heart instead of his head.”
​
A judge for over 50 years, when he died, still on the bench at 94, it was said: “In the field of law and public interest there are stars – there are superstars – and then, there’s HARRY PREGERSON."

9th CIRCUIT COWBOY is the story of Judge Harry Pregerson who, for almost half a century, served on California’s famously liberal 9th Circuit Court of Appeals and was known for placing his personal scruples over what he discounted as abstract legalities. “I looked upon being a judge,” he said, “as a chance to help as many people as I could through the law.”

Growing up during the Depression in diverse East Los Angeles, Harry enlisted in the Marines in World War II and served in the Pacific. In the bloody Battle for Okinawa, he received a field commission to lieutenant after suffering severe gun shot wounds to his legs. After the war, he went on to become a lawyer, a district court judge and ultimately one of the most admired, and sometimes scorned, appellate judges in the United States -- a champion for veterans, the homeless, the poor and the powerless.

THE FILMMAKER
Producer/Director Terry Sanders, is a two-time Academy Award-winning director, writer, producer and five time Oscar nominee who has produced over 70 award-winning narrative and non-fiction films.

9th Circuit Cowboy
  • 9th Circuit Cowboy - The Long, Good Fight of Judge Harry Pregerson

    To his critics he was a Bleeding Heart Liberal on the Notorious 9th Circuit Court of Appeals – a would be Social Engineer – an Activist who “ruled with his
    heart instead of his head.”
    ​
    A judge for over 50 years, when he died, still on the bench at 94, it was said: “In the field of law and public...