A judge in Montana known for approving a search warrant for the Unabomber’s cabin and presiding over his first few court appearances in 1996 has retired. The Independent Record reported Wednesday that 91-year-old Senior U.S. District Court Judge Charles C. Lovell has announced he is leaving his bench after 36 years of service in the District of Montana. Lovell has assumed inactive senior status, meaning he will keep his title but relinquish his pending caseload and no longer maintain a chambers in the Helena Division. Lovell was the first federal judge to overturn a law mandating background checks on handgun buyers.

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