Raner Collins

Raner Christercunean Collins
Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Arizona
Incumbent
Assumed office March 4, 2019
Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Arizona
In office September 3, 2013 – September 4, 2018
Preceded by	Roslyn O. Silver
Succeeded by	G. Murray Snow
Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Arizona
In office August 3, 1998 – March 4, 2019
Appointed by	Bill Clinton
Preceded by	William Docker Browning
Succeeded by	John C. Hinderaker
Personal details
Born	Raner Christercunean Collins (1952-07-08) July 8, 1952 (age 69) Malvern, Arkansas
Education	Arkansas Polytechnic College (BA) University of Arizona College of Law (JD)

Raner Christercunean Collins (born July 8, 1952) is a Senior United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Arizona.

Education and career[]

Born in Malvern, Arkansas, Collins received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Arkansas Polytechnic College (now Arkansas Tech University) in 1973 and a Juris Doctor from the University of Arizona College of Law (now James E. Rogers College of Law) in 1975. He was a law clerk in the Pima County, Arizona Attorney's Office from 1975 to 1976, and then a trial attorney for that office until 1981. He was a city magistrate for the City of Tucson Court from 1981 to 1983, thereafter returning to Pima County Attorney's Office as a county attorney until 1985. He was a superior court judge pro tempore of the Pima County Superior Court from 1985 to 1988, and a superior court judge there from 1988 to 1998.

Federal judicial service[]

On May 11, 1998, Collins was nominated by President Bill Clinton to a seat on the United States District Court for the District of Arizona vacated by William Docker Browning. Collins was confirmed by the United States Senate on July 31, 1998, and received his commission on August 3, 1998. He became Chief Judge on September 3, 2013, succeeding previous Chief Judge Roslyn O. Silver who took senior status. He finished his term as Chief Judge on September 4, 2018. He assumed senior status on March 4, 2019.

Notable ruling[]

On January 11, 2011, following the death of Chief Judge John Roll in the 2011 Tucson shooting, Collins ordered that the judges of the District of Arizona, all of whom knew Roll well, could not preside over the prosecution of the alleged murderer.

See also[]

• List of African-American jurists

Sources[]

• Raner Collins at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.