Robert L. Wilkins
Robert L. Wilkins | |
---|---|
Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit | |
Assumed office January 15, 2014 | |
Appointed by | Barack Obama |
Preceded by | David B. Sentelle |
Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia | |
In office December 27, 2010 – January 24, 2014 | |
Appointed by | Barack Obama |
Preceded by | James Robertson |
Succeeded by | Randolph Moss |
Personal details | |
Born | Robert Leon Wilkins October 2, 1963 Muncie, Indiana, U.S. |
Education | Rose–Hulman Institute of Technology (BS) Harvard University (JD) |
Robert Leon Wilkins (born October 2, 1963) is an American lawyer and jurist serving as United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. He previously served as a judge of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia from 2010 to 2014.
Wilkins' 2013 nomination to the D.C. Circuit, along with the nominations of
Early life and education
Wilkins was born in 1963 in Muncie, Indiana,[1] where he was raised by a single mother.[2] He studied chemical engineering at Rose–Hulman Institute of Technology, graduating in 1986 with a Bachelor of Science, cum laude.[3] Wilkins then attended Harvard Law School, where he was an executive editor of the Harvard Civil Rights–Civil Liberties Law Review. He graduated with a Juris Doctor in 1989.[4][5]
Professional career
After law school, Wilkins was a law clerk for Judge Earl Ben Gilliam of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California from 1989 to 1990.[6] Wilkins worked at the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia from 1990 to 2002,[1] serving as chief of special litigation from 1996 to 2000.[4] From 2002 to 2010, Wilkins was in private practice as a partner at the Washington, D.C. law firm Venable LLP, where he litigated patent disputes and other cases.[7]
Wilkins was a member of the presidential commission that advised President George W. Bush on the establishment of the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of African American History and Culture.[8] He wrote about this experience, and the long history of the project, in Long Road to Hard Truth: The 100 Year Mission to Create the National Museum of African American History and Culture, published in 2016.[5]
Wilkins v. Maryland State Police
In May 1992, Wilkins was in a rented vehicle with three other family members when they were pulled over by
Federal judicial service
District court service
During the
D.C. Circuit service
On June 4, 2013, President Obama nominated Wilkins to serve as a United States Circuit Judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, to the seat vacated by Judge
After the death of Justice Antonin Scalia on February 13, 2016, Wilkins' name was among those mentioned by court-watchers as a possible successor.[22][23][24]
In April 2018, Wilkins wrote for the majority when it found that a
See also
- Barack Obama judicial appointment controversies
- Barack Obama Supreme Court candidates
- List of African-American federal judges
- List of African-American jurists
References
- ^ a b Senate Judiciary Committee Questionnaire: Robert Leon Wilkins, (May 19, 2010).
- Legal Times(May 19, 2008).
- ^ Grant Smith, Alumnus Robert Wilkins Clears Next Hurdle in Nomination to Become U.S. District Court Judge Archived March 11, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, Rose–Hulman Alumni Affairs (August 5, 2010).
- ^ National Archives. Alt URL
- ^ a b c d Robert L. Wilkins at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
- ^ Grant Smith, Obama Nominates Alumnus Robert Wilkins for Federal Bench in Washington, D.C., Rose–Hulman Alumni Affairs (June 1, 2010).
- ^ Becker, Amanda (May 31, 2010). "Venable partner nominated U.S. District Court seat". The Washington Post.
- ^ Lynette Clemetson, Smithsonian Picks Notable Spot for Its Museum of Black History, The New York Times (January 31, 2006).
- ISBN 978-1-59454-547-4.
- ^ a b c Brent Staples, Editorial Observer; Why 'Racial Profiling' Will be Tough to Fight, The New York Times (May 24, 1999).
- ^ "ACLU, Civil Rights Groups and Maryland Officials Reach Landmark Racial Profiling Settlement". aclu.org, April 2, 2003. Retrieved December 23, 2010.
- Transcript: NewsHour with Jim Lehrer(March 13, 2001).
- ISBN 978-0-7679-0549-7.
- The Blog of Legal Times(May 20, 2010).
- The Blog of Legal Times(December 22, 2010).
- ^ Shear, Michael D. (June 3, 2013). "Obama Names 3 to Top Appeals Court in Challenge to Republicans". The New York Times. Retrieved June 3, 2013.
- ^ "Results of Executive Business Meeting - October 31, 2013" (PDF).
- ^ "Robert Wilkins Nomination for D.C. Circuit Passes Committee". The BLT: The Blog of Legal Times.
- ^ "On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture on the Nomination of Robert L. Wilkins, to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the D.C. Circuit)". U.S. Senate.
- ^ "On the Cloture Motion (Upon Reconsideration Motion to Invoke Cloture on the Nomination of Robert Wilkins to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the D.C. Circuit)". U.S. Senate.
- ^ "On the Nomination (Confirmation Robert Leon Wilkins, of D.C., to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the D.C. Circuit)". U.S. Senate.
- ^ Lithwick, Dahlia (February 13, 2016). "Obama's Supreme Court Short List". Slate. Retrieved February 13, 2016.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
- ^ "In search for Scalia's successor, Obama may see GOP opposition as incentive to select a liberal". Los Angeles Times. February 15, 2016. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
- ^ Note, Recent Case: D.C. Circuit Holds that Informal Staff Letters Are Not Eligible for Judicial Review Under the Administrative Procedure Act, 132 Harv. L. Rev. 1345 (2019).
- ^ Soundboard Ass’n v. FTC, 888 F.3d 1261 (D.C. Cir. 2018).
External links
Media related to Robert L. Wilkins at Wikimedia Commons
- Robert L. Wilkins at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
- Robert L. Wilkins at Ballotpedia
- Appearances on C-SPAN