Richard D. Bennett

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Richard D. Bennett
Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Maryland
Assumed office
June 30, 2021
Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Maryland
In office
April 10, 2003 – June 30, 2021
Appointed byGeorge W. Bush
Preceded byFrederic N. Smalkin
Succeeded byDeborah Boardman
Personal details
Born (1947-08-12) August 12, 1947 (age 76)
University of Maryland School of Law (JD
)

Richard D. Bennett (born August 12, 1947) is a

white collar criminal defense. Appointed to the federal bench in 2003, he took senior status in 2021.[4][7][8] While maintaining an active trial docket in the District of Maryland, Bennett has increasingly been sitting by designation with the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.[4]

Education and career

Born in

Maryland Law Review and won academic awards.[3][5][8]

In 1976, Bennett was appointed to serve as an Assistant United States Attorney of the District of Maryland. He remained in that position until 1981, when he returned to private practice.[3] In 1991, Bennett was unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate as the United States Attorney for the District of Maryland.[3] In that position he received the Outstanding Service Award from the Maryland State's Attorneys Association, and an award from the Governor of Maryland for outstanding contributions in the field of victim rights.[3]

In 1993, Bennett returned to private practice as a partner at the Maryland law firm of Miles and Stockbridge, PC, where he spearheaded that firm's white collar criminal defense and government investigations practice.

State Delegate Tony E. Fulton, who was acquitted in 2000 of federal fraud and conspiracy charges.[5][9] He was also retained by the United States House of Representatives as Special Counsel to investigate foreign campaign contributions in the 1996 United States Presidential Election.[4] He was recognized by a respected national publication as one of the "Best Lawyers in America."[4]

In addition to his active federal trial practice, Bennett was a leading figure in the Maryland Republican Party.

Ellen R. Sauerbrey as her running mate in her gubernatorial campaign.[9] He was selected as a delegate to the Republican National Conventions in 1988, 1996, and 2000.[3] At a Maryland state Republican Party convention in 1998, he was elected by acclamation to serve as the Chairman of the Maryland Republican Party.[3][9][2] In that capacity, he represented Maryland on the Republican National Committee until 2000, when he resigned out of his determination to represent Democratic State Delegate Tony E. Fulton in a high-profile federal corruption case.[10]

Outside of his legal practice, Bennett served over 20 years in the

Board of Visitors of the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law, and the Board of Trustees of Severn School,[4] where he has been inducted to that school's athletic Hall of Fame, and received the school's Distinguished Alumnus Award.[3]

Federal Judicial Service

On January 29, 2003, Bennett was nominated by President George W. Bush to a seat on the United States District Court for the District of Maryland vacated by Frederic N. Smalkin. Bennett's nomination received the strong, bipartisan support of Democratic Senators Paul S. Sarbanes and Barbara A. Mikulski, and was praised by prominent members of the Maryland legal community.[7] He was unanimously confirmed with a vote of 99-0 by the United States Senate on April 9, 2003, received his commission on April 10, 2003, and took his oath of office on April 29, 2003.[6] After more than eighteen years on the federal bench, Bennett assumed senior status on June 30, 2021.[11] Since taking senior status, Bennett has continued to maintain an active trial docket. Additionally, Bennett has been frequently sitting by designation with the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.[4]

In October of 2009, Judge Bennett was appointed by Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr. to serve on the International Judicial Relations Committee of the United States Judicial Conference.[4] He has traveled extensively in Central and Eastern Europe participating in judicial exchange programs in Russia, Estonia, Bulgaria, Turkey, Ukraine and the Czech Republic.[4]

Notable Cases

In 2011 he presided in the case of

United States Supreme Court
.

In National Federation of the Blind v. Lamone, 2014 WL 4388342 Bennett held that the State of Maryland's refusal to provide an online ballot marking tool to enable blind residents to vote privately and independently violated the Americans With Disabilities Act, 42 U.S.C. §1201. This ruling, called "historic" by the President of the National Federation of the Blind, was affirmed by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit in National Federation of the Blind v. Lamone, __ F.3d __ 2016 WL 497187 (February 9, 2016).

References

  1. ^ "108-1 Hearing: Confirmation Hearings on Federal Appointments, S. Hrg. 108-135, Part 2, February 5, 2003, Etc., *". 11 May 2004 – via Google Books.
  2. ^ a b Zorzi, William F. Jr. (4 February 2000). "Bennett quitting as Md. GOP chairman after Nov. Elections; Moderate's positions have provoked frequent criticism from party". The Baltimore Sun.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Richard D. Bennett, U.S. District Court Judge (Maryland)". msa.maryland.gov. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Richard D. Bennett, District Judge | District of Maryland | United States District Court". www.mdd.uscourts.gov. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
  5. ^ a b c d "Register". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  6. ^ a b "Richard D. Bennett, U.S. District Court Judge (Maryland)". msa.maryland.gov. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
  7. ^ a b c d "Legal Community Praises Nomination of Bennett for U.S. District Court Bench". CNS Maryland. 30 January 2003. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
  8. ^ a b c "Bennett, Richard D." www.fjc.gov. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
  9. ^ a b c d Gibson, Gail (30 April 2003). "State gains U.S. District judge today". The Baltimore Sun.
  10. ISSN 0190-8286
    . Retrieved 20 July 2023.
  11. ^ Richard D. Bennett at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.

Sources

Legal offices
Preceded by
Breckinridge L. Willcox
 United States Attorney for the District of Maryland
1991–1993 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Maryland
2003–2021 		Succeeded by
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