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James Robertson (District of Columbia)
James Robertson was a federal judge for the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. He joined the court in 1994 after being nominated by President Bill Clinton and served until his retirement on June 1, 2010.[1][2][3]
Early life and education
Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Robertson graduated from Princeton University with his bachelor's degree in 1959. From 1959 to 1964, Robertson served as a United States Navy Lieutenant. Robertson later graduated from George Washington University Law School with his J.D. degree in 1965.[1]
Career
Robertson was a private practice attorney in Washington, D.C. from 1965 to 1969 before serving as Chief Counsel of the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law from 1969 to 1970. From 1970 to 1972, Robertson was the National Director of the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under the Law. Robertson was a private practice attorney in Washington, D.C. from 1972 to 1994.[1]
Federal judicial career
Robertson was nominated to the United States District Court for the District of Columbia by President Bill Clinton on September 14, 1994 to a seat vacated by George Revercomb. Robertson was confirmed by the Senate on October 7, 1994, and received commission on October 11, 1994.[4] He assumed senior status on December 31, 2008 and continued serving in that capacity until his retirement on June 1, 2010.[1]
Noteworthy cases
Minority farmers case
Judge Robertson is presided over a case involving Hispanic farmers in the State of Texas. Two Hispanic farmers sued the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) over being denied grant applications after speaking out against discrimination by the USDA.[5]
Judicial pay dispute
Robertson was one of eight judges pressing a claim that Congress violated the Constitution's compensation clause by failing to honor promised judicial salary increases in five separate years. The case was thrown out on October 16, 2009, but the group of judges appealed it to the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.[6]
Guantanamo detainee case
On August 12, 2009, Judge Robertson issued a classified order that Adham Mohammed Ali Awad was legally detained at Guantanamo Bay and asked for the 27 year old man to remain held at the military compound.
Judge Robertson's ruling was the sixth ruling in 2009 that upheld the detention status of a Guantanamo detainee in comparison to twenty eight detainees who were ruled to be unlawfully held. The case is one of many that was heard after President Barack Obama ordered the military detention center to be shut down by 2010.[7]
External links
- Judge Robertson's Webpage at the United States District Court for the District of Columbia (dead link)
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Judge James Robertson Biography from the Federal Judicial Center.
- ↑ Associated Press "Judge in Indian trust lawsuit retires," June 2, 2010
- ↑ Associated Press "Judge retires before vote on Indian trust lawsuit," June 2, 2010 (dead link)
- ↑ The Library of Congress, James Robertson USDC, DC confirmation: PN1749-103
- ↑ "Washington Post" Minority farmers seek redress, claim USDA discrimination, December 21, 2009
- ↑ Christian Science Monitor "Federal judges pursue judicial pay dispute in appeals court," November 3, 2009
- ↑ Miami Herald "Federal judge rules Yemeni is held lawfully at Guantánamo," August 17, 2009 (dead link)
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| 1993 |
Adams • Ambrose • Barnes • Brinkema • Bucklew • Chasanow • Coffman • Daughtrey • Ferguson • Ginsburg • Hagen • Jackson • Lancaster • Leval • Lindsay • Messitte • Michael • Piersol • Saris • Schwartz • Seybert • Shanahan • Shaw • Stearns • Trager • Vazquez • Wilken • Wilson | ||
| 1994 |
Baer • Barkett • Batts • Beaty • Benavides • Bennett • Berrigan • Biery • Block • Borman • Breyer • Briones • Bryson • Bucklo • Burgess • Burrage • Cabranes • Calabresi • Carr • Casellas • Castillo • Chatigny • Chin • Cindrich • Coar • Collins • Cooper • Cote • Currie • Davis • Dominguez • Downes • Duval • Friedman • Furgeson • Garcia • Gertner • Gettleman • Gillmor • Gilmore • Gleeson • Haggerty • Hamilton • Hannah • Hawkins • Henry • Holmes • Hood • Hull • Hurley • Jack • Jones • Jones • Kaplan • Katz • Kern • Kessler • Koeltl • Lisi • Manning • McKee • McLaughlin • Melancon • Miles-LaGrange • Moore • Motz • Murphy • O'Malley • O'Meara • Oliver • Paez • B. Parker • F. Parker • R. Parker • Perry • Ponsor • Pooler • Porteous • Rendell • Riley • Robertson • Rogers • Ross • Russell • Sands • Sarokin • Scheindlin • Silver • Squatrito • Stewart • Sullivan • Tatel • Thompson • Timlin • Urbina • Vanaskie • Vance • Walls • Wells • Williams | ||
| 1995 |
Arterton • Atlas • Black • Blake • Briscoe • Tena Campbell • Todd Campbell • Chesney • Cole • Collier • Daniel • Davis • Dennis • Dlott • Donald • Duffy • Economus • Evans • Fallon • Folsom • Gaughan • Goodwin • Heartfield • Hunt • Illston • Jones • King • Kornmann • Lawson • Lenard • Lucero • Lynch • McKinley • Moody • Moore • Moskowitz • Murphy • Murtha • Nugent • O'Toole • Orlofsky • Pogue • Sessions • C. Smith • O. Smith • Stein • Thornburg • Tunheim • Wallach • Wardlaw • Webber • Whaley • Winmill • Wood | ||
| 1996 |
Broadwater • Clevert • Fenner • Gershon • Gottschall • Greenaway • Hinkle • Jones • Kahn • Laughrey • Lemmon • Marten • Miller • Molloy • Montgomery • Pregerson • Rakoff • Sargus • Tashima • Thomas • Zapata | ||
| 1997 |
Adelman • Bataillon • Breyer • Caputo • Casey • Chambers • Clay • Damrell • Droney • Friedman • Gajarsa • Garland • Gilman • Gold • Gwin • Hall • Hayden • Hull • Ishii • Jenkins • Kauffman • Kennedy • Kimball • Kollar-Kotelly • Lazzara • Marbley • Marcus • Middlebrooks • Miller • Moon • Pratt • Rendell • Sippel • Siragusa • Snyder • Thrash | ||
| 1998 |
Aiken • Barbier • Barzilay • Berman • Buttram • Carter • Collins • Dawson • Dimitrouleas • Fletcher • Fogel • Frank • Graber • Hellerstein • Herndon • James • Johnson • Kane • Kelly • G. King • R. King • Lasnik • Lee • Lemelle • Lindsay • Lipez • Manella • Matz • McCuskey • McKeown • McMahon • Mickle • Mollway • Mordue • Moreno • Morrow • Munley • Murphy • Pallmeyer • Pauley • Polster • Pooler • Rawlinson • Ridgway • R. Roberts • V. Roberts • Sack • Scott • Seitz • Seymour • Shea • Silverman • Sleet • Sotomayor • Steeh • Story • Straub • Tagle • Tarnow • Trauger • Traxler • Tyson • Wardlaw • Whelan • Young | ||
| 1999 |
Alsup • Barry • Brown • Buchwald • Cooper • Eaton • Ellison • Feess • Fisher • Gould • Guzman • Haynes • Hibbler • Hochberg • Hurd • Huvelle • Jordan • Katzmann • Kennelly • Linn • Lorenz • Lynn • Marrero • Murguia • Pannell • Pechman • Pepper • Phillips • Schreier • Stewart • Underhill • Ward • Williams • Wilson | ||
| 2000 |
Ambro • Antoon • Battani • Berzon • Bolton • Brady • Bye • Cavanaugh • Daniels • Darrah • Dawson • Dyk • Fuentes • Garaufis • Garcia-Gregory • Hamilton • Huck • Hunt • Lawson • Lefkow • Lynch • Martin • McLaughlin • Moody • Murguia • Paez • Pisano • Presnell • Rawlinson • Reagan • Schiller • Singal • Steele • Surrick • Swain • Tallman • Teilborg • Tucker • Whittemore | ||
