Nominee Spotlight Archive

INDEX:
Priscilla R. Owen • William D. Quarles • James C. Dever, III
Frederick W. Rohlfing, III • Richard A. Griffin • Jay S. Bybee
Susan Bieke Neilson • Julia Smith Gibbons • Henry W. Saad
David W. McKeague • Dennis W. Shedd • William H. Steele
Timothy Tymkovich • Carolyn Kuhl • Deborah L. Cook
Jeffrey Sutton • Terrence W. Boyle • Charles W. Pickering
Priscilla R. Owen • Miguel A. Estrada • John G. Roberts, Jr.

NOMINEE SPOTLIGHT :

Priscilla R. Owen

Justice Priscilla R. Owen was nominated May 9, 2001 by President George W. Bush to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. She is currently serving her second six-year term on the Supreme Court of Texas, to which she became only the second woman elected in 1994. After graduating at the top of her class from Baylor University Law School, Owen earned the highest score in the state on the Fall 1977 Bar Examination. Justice Owen is a member of the American Law Institute. The American Bar Association ranks her "well-qualified," its highest rating.

William D. Quarles

The Honorable William Quarles was nominated September 12, 2002 by President George W. Bush to become a U.S. District Court Judge for the District of Maryland. He is currently a Maryland State Judge on the Circuit Court for Baltimore City, where he has served since 1996. Judge Quarles began his career as a law clerk for The Honorable Joseph C. Howard of the United States District Court for the District of Maryland. He worked as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the District of Maryland for four years. In addition to his public career, Judge Quarles has more than ten years of experience in private practice, including working as an equity partner in the law firm of Venable, Baetjer & Howard from 1986-1996.

Judge Quarles is currently a member of the United States Fourth Circuit Judicial Conference. He is a former member of the D.C. Law Revision Commission and the Maryland Governor’s Commission on Volunteerism Service. As a U.S. Attorney, he was appointed to the Presidential Regional Task Force on Organized Crime and Drug Law Enforcement.

Judge Quarles was first appointed to the United States District Court for the District of Maryland in 1992 by President George H. W. Bush. His nomination died when the Senate failed to consider it before President Bill Clinton took office in 1993.

Information gathered from various news articles, The Complete Marquis Who’s Who Biographies, Judge Quarles Bio at the Circuit Court for Baltimore City, U.S. Justice Department’s Office of Legal Policy and the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary.
Load Date: October 18 , 2002

James C. Dever, III

James Dever was nominated May 22, 2002 by President George W. Bush to become a U.S. District Court Judge for the Eastern District of North Carolina. He is currently a shareholder in the Raleigh, North Carolina office of Maupin, Taylor & Ellis, P.A., where he serves on the firm’s five-person Executive Committee. Mr. Dever began his career as a law clerk for The Honorable J. Clifford Wallace on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Following his clerkship, he was the sole attorney entering active duty in the United States Air Force in 1988, where he served for four years in the Air Force General Counsel’s Honors Program at the Pentagon. Upon completing his service in the program, Mr. Dever was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal. Mr. Dever has worked as an adjunct professor at the Wiggins School of Law at Campbell University since 1997, where he teaches employment law.

Mr. Dever received his Juris Doctorate degree from Duke University, School of Law, where he was Editor-in-Chief of the Duke Law Review and a member of the Order of the Coif. While at Duke, he received the Bidlake Legal Research and Writing Award, the Corpus Juris Secundum Award and a Special Faculty Award of Merit for Contribution to Legal Scholarship. Mr. Dever is currently a member of the American Bar Association, the North Carolina Bar Association and the Federalist Society. He is listed in the 2001 edition of Best Lawyers in America and is rated A-V by Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory, its highest rating. The American Bar Association ranks him "qualified."

Information gathered from various news articles, Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory, James C. Dever’s Bio at Maupin, Taylor & Ellis, P.A., U.S. Justice Department’s Office of Legal Policy and the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary.
Load Date: October 1 , 2002

Frederick W. Rohlfing, III

Frederick Rohlfing was nominated January 23, 2002 by President George W. Bush to become a U.S. District Court Judge for the District of Hawaii. He is currently a founding partner of the Honolulu-based law firm of Rohlfing & Stone. Throughout his career, Rohlfing has gained extensive private practice experience dealing in Constitutional Law, the Americans With Disabilities Act, Clean Water Act, Securities Act, and the Sherman Anti-Trust Act, among others. In addition, Rohlfing worked as the Chief Minority Attorney for both the Hawaii House of Representatives and Hawaii Senate.

Mr. Rohlfing is well respected by his colleagues and peers. An opening brief he co-authored in the case of Swire Properties Ltd. v. Zoning Board of Appeals was selected by the Hawaii Supreme Court as the best example of appellate writing from Hawaii for submission to the first annual Scribe’s Brief Writing Competition. Mr. Rohlfing is a former member of the Manoa Neighborhood Board of the City and County of Honolulu and a former President of Manoa Paniolo (Youth) Football. He currently serves as a member of the board for Mission Houses Museum.

The Honorable Richard Griffin was nominated June 26, 2002 by President George W. Bush to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. He is currently a Judge of the Michigan Court of Appeals, where he has served since 1989. While in law school, Judge Griffin worked for two years as a law clerk for The Honorable Ross W. Campbell of the Washtenaw [Michigan] Circuit Court. Upon graduation, he joined the law firm of Williams, Coulter, Cunningham, Davison & Read, where he worked as an associate for four years before making Partner in 1981. In 1985, Judge Griffin became a founding partner of the Traverse City Michigan-based firm of Read & Griffin.

During his time on the bench, Judge Griffin has presided over thousands of cases and has written more than 280 published opinions. During his numerous years in private practice, he has tried cases in thirteen different counties and handled numerous appeals, both at the state level and federal district and circuit court levels. Judge Griffin is a former member of the Federal Judicial Selection Committee for the Western District of Michigan and has served as a court-appointed mediator in eight Michigan counties. In addition, Judge Griffin has played an active role in community affairs, serving as Chief Judge for the YMCA Youth in Government mock trial program and president of the Grand Traverse Zoological Society.

Jay S. Bybee

Jay Bybee was nominated May 22, 2002 by President George W. Bush to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. He currently serves as Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Counsel at the U.S. Department of Justice. Mr. Bybee began his career as a law clerk for The Honorable Donald Russell of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit before working as an associate in the Washington D.C. office of Sidley & Austin. He then served a five-year stint with the U.S. Department of Justice, working in both the Office of Legal Policy and the Civil Division, where he prepared numerous briefs and presented oral arguments in the U.S. Courts of Appeal and drafted Supreme Court briefs. From 1989 to 1991, Mr. Bybee served in the White House as Associate Counsel to the President.

In addition to his public service, Mr. Bybee has worked for many years in the academic arena, including nine years on the faculty of the Paul M. Hebert Law Center at Louisiana State University. In 1999, he joined the founding faculty of the William S. Boyd School of Law at the University of Nevada. He taught constitutional law, administrative law and civil procedure at both institutions. Mr. Bybee has been published in numerous law journals, including The Yale Law Review, Vanderbilt Law Review and The George Washington University Law Review.

A majority of the American Bar Association's Committee on the Federal Judiciary ranks him "well-qualified," its highest rating.

Information gathered from various news articles, the U.S. Justice Department’s Office of Legal Policy and the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary.

Load Date: August 7, 2002

The Honorable Susan Bieke Neilson was nominated November 8, 2001 by President George W. Bush to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Appointed by Governor John M. Engler in 1991, she currently serves as a judge with the Third Judicial Circuit Court of Michigan, the largest trial court in the state. Prior to joining the bench, Judge Neilson worked for more than 10 years in private practice with the law firm of Dickenson Wright PLLC, where she specialized in products liability claims, general negligence claims, medical malpractice claims and commercial litigation. She was named Partner in 1986.

Judge Neilson is co-editor and author of Michigan Civil Procedures, a multi-volume guide for attorneys on all areas of Michigan civil practice. The publication received the "Plain English Award" from the State Bar of Michigan, and was selected by the Michigan Judicial Institute for purchase on behalf of every trial court judge in the state. Judge Neilson is currently a member of the Women Lawyers Association, Catholic Lawyers Society and Soroptimist International, of which she is past president. She serves on the advisory board of The Institute for Continuing Legal Education and the Detroit Bar Association’s Circuit Court Liaison Committee. The American Bar Association ranks her "well-qualified," its highest rating. Judge Neilson is a lifelong Michigan resident. She has been married for 23 years to Jeff Neilson and is the mother of two children.

Information gathered from various news articles, the U.S. Justice Department’s Office of Legal Policy, the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary and The Institute of Continuing Legal Education.
Load Date: July 23, 2002

Julia Smith Gibbons

The Honorable Julia Smith Gibbons was nominated October 9, 2001 by President George W. Bush to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Appointed by President Ronald Reagan, she is currently a United States District Judge for the Western District of Tennessee, where he has served since 1983. Prior to joining the federal bench, Judge Gibbons served for two years as a judge on the 15^th Judicial Circuit Court of Tennessee. She has worked as Deputy Counsel and Legal Advisor to Governor Lamar Alexander and in private practice for the Memphis-based law firm of Farris, Hancock, Gilman, Branan & Lanier. She started her career as a law clerk for the late Honorable William E. Miller on the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.

Judge Gibbons is a member of the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation and former Chair of the Judicial Resources Committee of the Judicial Conference of the United States. She has served by designation on the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit on numerous occasions. The American Bar Association ranks her "well-qualified," its highest rating.

Information gathered from various news articles, the U.S. Justice Department’s Office of Legal Policy and the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary.
Load Date: July 5, 2002

Henry W. Saad

The Honorable Henry W. Saad was nominated November 8, 2001 by President George W. Bush to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. He is currently a judge on the Michigan Court of Appeals, where he has served since 1994. Prior to joining the bench, Judge Saad spent 20 years in private practice at the law firm of Dickenson, Wright, Moon, Van Dusen & Freeman, specializing in employment law, education law and media law. Judge Saad is an adjunct professor at Wayne State University Law School and the University of Detroit’s Mercy School of Law, where he teaches courses in Legal Ethics and Evidence.

Judge Saad currently serves on the boards of Detroit Public Television and the American Heart Association, and is a member of the Board of Visitors for the Ave Maria Law School. He is a former president of the Wayne State University Law School Alumni Association, former Chairman of the Board of the Oakland Community College Foundation and a former board member of the National Conference of Christians and Jews. Judge Saad has received numerous awards for his dedication to community and volunteer service. The American Bar Association ranks him "qualified."

David W. McKeague

The Honorable David W. McKeague was nominated November 8, 2001 by President George W. Bush to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Unanimously confirmed by the Senate in 1992, he is currently a judge for the United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan. Judge McKeague is also an adjunct professor at Michigan State University, Detroit College of Law, where he teaches Federal Jurisdiction. Prior to his appointment to the federal bench, Judge McKeague was a senior partner and officer for the Lansing, Michigan based firm of Foster, Swift, Collins & Smith, PC, where he worked for more than 20 years.

Judge McKeague is currently a member of the Western Michigan Chapter of the Federal Bar Association, the Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies and the Judicial Conference’s Committee on Defender Services. He is also Chairman of the District Judges Education Committee of the Federal Judicial Center, Chairman of the ADR and Automation Committees of the Western District of Michigan and a Fellow of the Michigan State Bar Foundation. Judge McKeague is listed in Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who in American Law, The Best Lawyers in America and Who’s Who of Emerging Leaders in America. The American Bar Association ranks him "well-qualified," its highest rating.

Dennis W. Shedd

The Honorable Dennis W. Shedd was nominated May 9, 2001 by President George W. Bush to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. Appointed by President George H.W. Bush in 1990, he currently serves as a federal judge on the United States District Court for South Carolina. In that capacity, Judge Shedd has sat by designation on dozens of Fourth Circuit cases. Judge Shedd worked for several years in different capacities in the United States Senate, including Counsel for the President Pro Tempore and Chief Counsel and Staff Director for the Senate Judiciary Committee. He later became Of Counsel for the firm of Bethea, Jordan & Griffin while simultaneously maintaining his own private practice.

Judge Shedd also worked as an adjunct professor of law at the University of South Carolina Judge Shedd is a former member of the Judicial Conference Committee on the Judicial Branch and its Subcommittee on Judicial Independence. A majority of the American Bar Association’s Committee on the Federal Judiciary ranks him "well-qualified," its highest rating.

Information gathered from various news articles, the U.S. Justice Department’s Office of Legal Policy and the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary.
Load Date: June 5, 2002

William H. Steele

The Honorable William H. Steele was nominated October 9, 2001 by President George W. Bush to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. He is currently serving his second term as a United States Magistrate Judge for the Southern District of Alabama. Judge Steele began his career as an Assistant District Attorney in Mobile, Alabama where he handled more than 100 jury trials. In 1985, he was appointed Chief Assistant District Attorney in that office. Judge Steele later worked as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of Alabama before joining the Court in 1990.

While serving as the Chief Assistant District Attorney, Judge Steele was instrumental in establishing the Child Advocacy Center, an agency devoted to identifying and helping youth victims of physical and sexual abuse. He is currently a member of the Federal Magistrate Judges Association and the Alabama and Mobile Bar Associations. Throughout his career, Judge Steele has served on several bar association committees, including the Civil Practice Committee, Criminal Practice Committee, Juvenile Practice Committee, Law Day Committee and the Bench and Bar Committee. The American Bar Association ranks him "qualified."

Information gathered from various news articles, the U.S. Justice Department’s Office of Legal Policy and the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary.
Load Date: May 23, 2002

Timothy Tymkovich

Timothy Tymkovich was nominated May 25, 2001 by President George W. Bush to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. He is currently a managing partner at the Denver, Colorado based law firm of Hale, Hackstaff, Tymkovich & ErkenBrack. He specializes in civil litigation and appeals, with emphasis on regulatory and administrative law. Mr. Tymkovich began his career as a law clerk for Colorado Supreme Court Chief Justice William H. Erickson. He later served for five years as Colorado’s Solicitor General under then-State Attorney General Gale Norton.

For the past two years, Mr. Tymkovich has served as Counsel to the Governor’s Columbine Review Commission in Colorado. He presently chairs the Colorado Board of Ethics and is a former co-chair of the Governor’s Task Force on Civil Justice Reform. Mr. Tymkovich is a Fellow at the American Bar Foundation and the Colorado Bar Foundation, and a member of the American Law Institute and International Society of Barristers.

Information gathered from various news articles, the U.S. Justice Department’s Office of Legal Policy, the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary and Timothy Tymkovich’s bio at Hale, Hackstaff, Tymkovich & ErkenBrack.
Load Date: May 1, 2002

Carolyn Kuhl

The Honorable Carolyn Kuhl was nominated June 22, 2001 by President George W. Bush to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. She currently serves as a trial judge on the California Superior Court for Los Angeles County, where she has sat since 1995. Prior to her appointment by Governor Pete Wilson, Judge Kuhl gained extensive legal experience in both the public and private sectors. She worked five years for the U.S. Department of Justice, including a stint as Principal Deputy Solicitor General, when she argued cases before the U.S. Supreme Court and supervised other attorneys’ work before the Court. Judge Kuhl was a partner in the Los Angeles law firm of Munger, Tolles & Olson, where she specialized in appellate litigation, the federal False Claims Act and employment litigation. After earning her Juris Doctorate degree from Duke University, Judge Kuhl began her career as a clerk for then-U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Anthony Kennedy.

Judge Kuhl currently serves on the Judicial Council Task Force on Jury Instructions and sits on the California Superior Court’s Committee on Alternative Dispute Resolution. She is former Chair of the Superior Court’s Research Attorney Committee and is a past member of the Board of Visitors at Duke Law School. The American Bar Association ranks her "well-qualified," its highest rating.

Information gathered from various news articles, the U.S. Justice Department’s Office of Legal Policy and the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary.
Load Date: April 16, 2002

Deborah L. Cook

Justice Deborah L. Cook was nominated May 9, 2001 by President George W. Bush to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. She is currently serving her second term as an Ohio Supreme Court Justice. Prior to her election to the Ohio Supreme Court, Justice Cook served four years as a judge for Ohio’s Ninth District Court of Appeals. Justice Cook started her career in 1976 at Rodick, Myers & Linton, Akron’s oldest law firm. She became the firm’s first female partner in 1983.

Justice Cook is very active in the legal community. She chaired the Commission on Public Legal Education, and served as a member of the Ohio Courts Futures Commission and the Ohio Commission on Dispute Resolution and Conflict Management. Justice Cook is former president of the Akron Bar Association, was a fellow of the American Bar Foundation, and a former member of the Akron Bar Association Disciplinary Committee.

The American Bar Association unanimously ranked her "qualified."

Information gathered from various news articles, the U.S. Justice Department’s Office of Legal Policy, the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary and Deborah L. Cook’s bio at the Ohio Supreme Court.
Load Date: April 11, 2002

Jeffrey Sutton

Jeffrey Sutton was nominated May 9, 2001 by President George W. Bush to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. He is currently a Partner in the law firm of Jones, Day, Reavis and Pogue in Columbus, Ohio, where he specializes in commercial, constitutional and appellate litigation. As both a state solicitor and private attorney, Mr. Sutton has argued nine cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. He has argued 14 cases in various state supreme courts and eight cases in the federal courts of appeal. Early in his career, Mr. Sutton clerked for U.S. Supreme Court Justices Lewis Powell and Antonin Scalia.

Since 1993, Jeffrey Sutton has been an adjunct professor at Ohio State University College of Law. He currently sits on the Board of Directors for The Equal Justice Foundation and National Council for the College of Law. Mr. Sutton was awarded the National Association of Attorneys General’s Best Briefs award four times as a state solicitor, and, in 1997, was appointed to the Ohio Supreme Court’s Committee on Alternative Dispute Resolution.

Terrence W. Boyle

The Honorable Terrence W. Boyle was nominated May 9, 2001 by President George W. Bush to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. He is currently the Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina, where he has sat since 1984. Judge Boyle began his career in the U.S. Congress as Minority Counsel for the House Subcommittee on Housing, Banking and Currency and as Legislative Assistant to Senator Jesse Helms. He then worked for ten years in private practice for the North Carolina law firm of LeRoy, Wells, Shaw, Hornthal & Riley, where he was named Partner in 1977.

Judge Boyle was appointed by Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist to serve on the Judicial Resources Committee, where he sat from 1987 to 1992. In 1999 he was appointed by the Chief Justice to serve on the Judicial Branch Committee, where he currently sits as a member. Judge Boyle has sat by designation numerous times on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, and has issued more than 20 opinions for that court. The American Bar Association ranks him "qualified."

Charles W. Pickering

US District Court Judge Charles W. Pickering was nominated May 25, 2001 by President George W. Bush to the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. He currently sits on the US District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi, where he has served for more than 10 years. Prior to his appointment to the federal bench, Judge Pickering earned extensive legal experience in private practice, as a city prosecuting attorney, county prosecuting attorney, municipal court judge and Mississippi state senator for two consecutive terms. Throughout the course of his career, Judge Pickering has played an active role in civic and public service in Mississippi. He headed up the March of Dimes Campaign in Jones County, served as Jones County Chairman for the American Red Cross, Chairman of the Jones County Heart Fund, Chairman of the Jones County Drug Education Council, Co-Chairman of the United Givers Fund and served as the first Chairman of the Economic Development Authority of Jones County. Judge Pickering currently serves on the Judicial Branch Committee of the Judicial Conference of the United States and sits on the Board of Directors for the Institute of Racial Reconciliation at the University of Mississippi. The American Bar Association ranks him "well-qualified," its highest rating.

Justice Priscilla R. Owen was nominated May 9, 2001 by President George W. Bush to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. She is currently serving her second six-year term on the Supreme Court of Texas, to which she became only the second woman elected in 1994. After graduating at the top of her class from Baylor University Law School, Owen earned the highest score in the state on the Fall 1977 Bar Examination. Justice Owen is a member of the American Law Institute. The American Bar Association ranks her "well-qualified," its highest rating.

Miguel A. Estrada, 40, was nominated May 9, 2001 by President George W. Bush to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the D.C. Circuit. He is currently a partner in the Washington, D.C. office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP. Estrada has argued 15 cases before the Supreme Court, and the American Bar Association ranks him "well-qualified," its highest rating.

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