Background
Leavy was born in Butteville, Oregon, along the Willamette River south of Portland in 1929.
Leavy was born in Butteville, Oregon, along the Willamette River south of Portland in 1929.
He received his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Portland in 1950, and earned his Bachelor of Laws from the Notre Dame Law School in 1953.
Prior to these positions, Leavy was a judge for the United States. District Court for the District of Oregon. Leavy entered private legal practice in Eugene in Lane County, Oregon, in 1953, where he remained until becoming a deputy district attorney for Lane County the following year. He served in that position until 1957.
In 1957, Leavy became a district court judge for the county, and in 1961 became an Oregon circuit court (trial level court in Oregon) judge when the district courts in Oregon were abolished.
He continued as a judge in Lane County until 1976, and in 1974 spent time as a justice pro tempore on the Oregon Supreme Court. From 1976 until 1984 he was a United States magistrate judge for the United States District Court for the District of Oregon headquartered in Portland.
President Ronald Reagan nominated Leavy for the bench on the district court on March 26, 1984, to a seat vacated by Robert C. Belloni. Leavy was confirmed by the Senate on April 24, 1984, and received his commission on May 3, 1984.
President Reagan then nominated Leavy for a seat on the Ninth Circuit on February 2, 1987, to a seat vacated by Otto Richard Skopil, Junior. who assumed senior status.
Leavy was confirmed by the Senate on March 20, 1987, and received commission on March 23, 1987, and left the district court on April 8, 1987. On May 19, 1997, Leavy obtained senior status. Leavy served as a mediator in the Wen Ho Lee case, successfully negotiating a plea agreement between the government and Lee.
His hobbies include working on the Leavy farm, studying history, and traveling with his family.
Married Eileen Leavy. Children: Thomas, Patrick, Mary Kay, Paul.