William Orrick III
William Orrick III | |
---|---|
Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California | |
Assumed office May 17, 2023 | |
Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California | |
In office May 16, 2013 – May 17, 2023 | |
Appointed by | Barack Obama |
Preceded by | Charles Breyer |
Succeeded by | Eumi K. Lee |
Personal details | |
Born | William Horsley Orrick III May 15, 1953 San Francisco, California, U.S. |
Parent |
|
Relatives | Howard Christian Naffziger (grandfather) Andrew Downey Orrick (uncle) |
Education | Yale University (BA) Boston College (JD) |
William Horsley Orrick III (born May 15, 1953) is an American lawyer who serves as a
Early life and education
Orrick was born in
Orrick received his Bachelor of Arts, cum laude, from Yale University in 1976. He received his Juris Doctor, cum laude, from Boston College Law School in 1979.[8]
Career
From 1977 to 1979 he was a student attorney for the Boston College Legal Assistance Bureau.
Federal judicial service
On June 11, 2012, President
As a federal judge, Orrick established chambers in the Phillip Burton Federal Building in San Francisco.[4]
Notable cases
In 2014, Orrick upheld California state legislation that banned the possession and sale of
In 2015, Orrick denied a motion filed by
Orrick is the judge assigned to oversee the reforms of the Oakland Police Department mandated by the department's 2003 settlement of Allen v. City of Oakland, a long-running case involving systemic police misconduct.[24] In hearings, Orrick has pushed the department to make more progress on reforms.[24] Robert Warshaw is the court-appointed monitor of the Oakland Police Department reforms.[25] In March 2019, Orrick appointed an attorney to serve as an independent investigator to probe the killing of a homeless man with mental health problems who was shot by Oakland police in 2018.[25] At an August 2019 court conference, Orrick criticized the city for not making sufficient progress in eliminating racial disparities in policing.[26]
In 2015, Orrick issued a
In April 2017, Orrick stayed the implementation of the
In February 2018, Orrick issued a
In April 2022, Orrick cut the jury award for a former Black contractor in a racial discrimination lawsuit against Tesla from $137 million to $15 million. Diaz' lawyer told NPR that "it wasn't because [Orrick] found anything wrong with what Mr. Diaz said or that Mr. Diaz wasn't injured", suggesting that the decision was "just based on a comparison."[36]
In July 2023, he denied
San Francisco Public Works corruption scandal
Since 2020, Orrick has been involved in the plea deals, trials and sentencing of people guilty of fraud and bribery in the ongoing San Francisco Department of Public Works corruption scandal. The sentences that Orrick has handed down include:
- Former head of Public Works, Mohammed Nuru was sentenced to seven years in jail for fraud.[38][39]
- Restaurateur Nick Bovis was sentenced to nine months in prison after Bovis pleaded guilty to honest services wire fraud.[40][41]
- Sandra Zuniga, head of San Francisco's "Fix-It Team" and of the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Service and Nuru's one-time girlfriend was sentenced to three years probation for money laundering.[42]
- John Porter, another former Recology executive was sentenced to 6 months house arrest and three years probation for bribing Nuru[43]
- Ken Hong Wong, a former California parole officer, was sentenced to six months in prison for bribing Nuru.[44]
- A Chinese billionaire, Zhang Li was sentenced to a $50,000 fine and three years probation for bribing Nuru. One of Zhang's companies, Z&L properties, pleaded guilty to federal fraud and conspiracy charges and was fined $1 million.[45]
- Balmore Hernandez, the former CEO of a San Francisco Bay Area based construction firm, Azul Works Inc., admitted to conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud and was sentenced to six months in prison.[46]
References
- ^ "District Judge William H. Orrick", U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California website, archived from the original on February 20, 2023, retrieved March 8, 2023,
Nominated by Barack Obama on June 11, 2012 and renominated on January 3, 2013, to a seat vacated by Charles Breyer. Confirmed by the Senate on May 15, 2013, and received commission on May 16, 2013.
- ^ a b "Questionnaire for Judicial Nominees: William Horsley Orrick, III" (PDF). United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary.
- ^ Julia Cheever, "SF Lawyer Follows Father's Footsteps in Federal Judgeship, Bay City News (May 15, 2013).
- ^ a b c d e f g Gavin Broady. "The Scion of San Francisco: Judge William H. Orrick III". Law360.
- ^ Reynolds Holding, William Orrick – U.S. district judge, San Francisco Chronicle (August 16, 2003).
- ^ Marion Naffziger Orrick, San Francisco Chronicle (February 25, 1995).
- ^ Bob Egelko, S.F. lawyer Andrew Downey Orrick dies, San Francisco Chronicle (February 2, 2008).
- ^ a b c d e "President Obama Nominates Two to Serve on the US District Court" (Press release). White House Press Office. June 11, 2012.
- ^ a b c d William Orrick III at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
- ^ Ryan J. Reilly, New Office of Immigration Litigation Chief Named, Main Justice (June 9, 2010).
- Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary.
- ^ Nominations: Full Committee (July 11, 2012), United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary.
- ^ "Results of Executive Business Meeting – August 2, 2012" (PDF). United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary.
- ^ PN1729 — William H. Orrick III — The Judiciary, 112th Congress (2011–2012), Congress.gov.
- ^ "President Obama Re-nominates Thirty-Three to Federal Judgeships" (Press release). White House Press Office. January 3, 2013.
- ^ Results of Executive Business Meeting – February 28, 2013, United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary.
- ^ "On the Nomination (Confirmation William H. Orrick, III, of the District of Columbia, to be U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of California)". United States Senate.
- ^ Bob Egelko (May 15, 2013). "Senate confirms Orrick as federal judge".
- ^ a b Bob Egelko, California shark fin ban upheld by federal judge, San Francisco Chronicle (March 26, 2014).
- ^ Chinatown Neighborhood Ass'n v. Harris, 33 F. Supp. 3d 1085 (N.D. Cal. 2014).
- ^ Chinatown Neighborhood Ass'n v. Harris, 794 F.3d 1136 (9th Cir. 2015).
- ^ a b Bob Egelko, PG&E settles lawsuit over pollution from old power plants in San Francisco, San Francisco Chronicle (September 28, 2018).
- ^ San Francisco Herring Ass'n v. Pacific Gas & Electric Co., 81 F. Supp. 3d 847 (N.D. Cal. 2015).
- ^ a b Mayor Says She Shares Judge's Concerns About Police Department, Bay City News Service (August 22, 2019).
- ^ a b Judge Appoints Attorney To Investigate Fatal Shooting By Officers, Bay City News Service (March 5, 2019).
- ^ Bob Egelko & Megan Cassidy, Federal judge criticizes Oakland for losing ground in court-ordered policing reforms, San Francisco Chronicle (August 22, 2019).
- ^ Scott, Eugene (August 15, 2015). "Judge issues restraining order against anti-abortion group". CNN.
- ^ a b c Nicholas Iovino (June 5, 2019). "Ninth Circuit Lets Contempt Sanctions of Abortion Foe Stand". Courthouse News Service.
- ^ Kopan, Tal (April 25, 2017). "Judge blocks part of Trump's sanctuary cities executive order". CNN. Retrieved April 25, 2017.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 25, 2017.
- Huffington Post. Archivedfrom the original on November 24, 2017. Retrieved November 24, 2017.
- N.D. Cal.2017).
- City and County of San Francisco v. Trump, F.3d 1225(9th Cir. 2018).
- ^ Bob Egelko, Trump administration ordered to enforce limits on methane gas emissions, San Francisco Chronicle (February 23, 2018).
- ^ State of California v. Bureau of Land Management, 286 F. Supp. 3d 1054 (N.D. 2018).
- ^ Torchinsky, Rina (April 14, 2022). "Judge cuts the payout in a Black former Tesla contractor's racial discrimination suit". NPR.
- ^ Brittain, Blake (July 19, 2023). "US judge finds flaws in artists' lawsuit against AI companies". Reuters.
- ^ Swan, Rachel (August 26, 2022). "Judge likens Mohammed Nuru to a gang murderer and drug dealer in handing down 7-year sentence for corruption". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
- ^ Eskenazi, Joe; Stein, Carolyn (August 25, 2022). "The strange and terrible saga of Mohammed Nuru turns the page: Judge hands down 7-year sentence". Mission Local. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
- ^ Barba, Michael (March 7, 2024). "Restaurateur Nick Bovis gets prison over City Hall corruption scandal". The San Francisco Standard. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
- ^ Barned-Smith, St. John (March 8, 2024). "S.F. corruption scandal: Mohammed Nuru's partner in bribery scheme sentenced to prison". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
- ^ a b Barned-Smith, St. John (December 14, 2023). "S.F. corruption scandal: Mohammed Nuru's ex-girlfriend, former Recology exec both get probation". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
- ^ Baustin, Noah; Barba, Michael (September 21, 2023). "SF Corruption: Ex-Waste Hauler Executive Avoids Prison Time". The San Francisco Standard. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
- ^ Barned-Smith, St. John (November 30, 2023). "S.F. corruption scandal: Ex-parole officer going to prison for bribes to Mohammed Nuru". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
- ^ Baustin, Noah (October 5, 2023). "Billionaire's San Francisco Company Gets $1M Fine for Bribery". The San Francisco Standard. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
- ^ Baustin, Noah (November 9, 2023). "San Francisco Corruption: Bribing Businessman Prison-Bound". The San Francisco Standard. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
External links
- William Orrick III at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
- William Orrick III at Ballotpedia