Bernard A. Friedman
Bernard A. Friedman | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan | |
Assumed office January 1, 2009 | |
Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan | |
In office June 16, 2004 – January 1, 2009 | |
Preceded by | Lawrence Paul Zatkoff |
Succeeded by | Gerald Ellis Rosen |
Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan | |
In office April 20, 1988 – January 1, 2009 | |
Appointed by | Ronald Reagan |
Preceded by | Robert Edward DeMascio |
Succeeded by | Gershwin A. Drain |
Personal details | |
Born | September 23, 1943 Detroit College of Law (J.D. ) |
Bernard Alvin Friedman[1] (born September 23, 1943) is a senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.
Education and career
Born in
Federal judicial service
On February 2, 1988, Friedman was nominated by President Ronald Reagan to a seat on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan vacated by judge Robert Edward DeMascio. Friedman was confirmed by the United States Senate on April 19, 1988, and received his commission on April 20, 1988. He served as chief judge from June 16, 2004 until he assumed senior status on January 1, 2009.[2] When he took senior status, he was replaced by judge Gershwin A. Drain.[3]
Notable decisions
Overturning Michigan's same-sex marriage ban
On March 21, 2014, Friedman struck down Michigan's constitutional and statutory bans on same-sex marriage. As he did not immediately issue a stay on his ruling, more than three hundred marriage licenses were issued to same-sex couples before the Sixth Circuit Court issued a stay on Friedman's ruling the next day, pending appeals. The federal government announced it would recognize the marriages that took place during the brief period it was legal.
On August 22, 2015, Friedman presided over the wedding of the plaintiffs who he had originally ruled in favor of, after the U.S. Supreme Court had ruled two months earlier that all state bans on same-sex marriage were unconstitutional.[4]
Overturning the Federal ban on female genital mutilation (FGM)
On November 20, 2018, he ruled that the federal law against female genital mutilation (FGM) is unconstitutional because the law overreaches the federal government's enumerated powers as defined by the "necessary and proper" clause and the "Interstate commerce" clause.[5][6][7]
References
- ^ "Bernard Alvin Friedman". The Florida Bar.
- ^ a b "Friedman, Bernard A. - Federal Judicial Center". www.fjc.gov.
- ^ "'Dream come true' for new U.S. Judge | Detroit Free Press | freep.com". Archived from the original on 2014-11-25. Retrieved 2014-11-26.
- ^ "Michigan couple in gay marriage case exchange vows". USA Today.
- ^ "Genital mutilation ban ruled unconstitutional; judge drops charges".
- ^ "OPINION AND ORDER GRANTING DEFENDANTS' MOTION TO DISMISS COUNTS ONE THROUGH SIX OF THE THIRD SUPERSEDING INDICTMENT" (PDF).
- ^ "Federal Female Genital Mutilation Ban Exceeds Congress's Power, Holds District Court". 20 November 2018.
Sources
- Bernard A. Friedman at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.