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Jane Restani

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Jane Restani

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United States Court of International Trade (senior status)
Tenure

2015 - Present

Years in position

10

Prior offices
United States Court of International Trade

Education

Bachelor's

University of California, Berkeley, 1969

Law

University of California, Davis School of Law, 1973

Personal
Birthplace
San Francisco, Calif.


Jane A. Restani is an Article III federal judge on senior status for the United States Court of International Trade. She joined the court in 1983 after being nominated by President Ronald Reagan. She served as the chief judge from 2003 to 2010. Restani assumed senior status on March 1, 2015.[1]

Education

Restani graduated from University of California, Berkeley with her bachelor's degree in 1969 and from the University of California Davis School of Law with her J.D. in 1973.[1]

Professional career

Restani was a trial attorney in the Civil Division of the United States Department of Justice from 1973 to 1976. Restani was an assistant chief of the Civil Division's Commercial Litigation Branch from 1976 to 1980, before serving as its director until 1983.[1]

Judicial career

Court of International Trade

Restani was nominated to the United States Court of International Trade by President Ronald Reagan on November 3, 1983, to a seat vacated by Judge Herbert N. Maletz. Restani was confirmed by the Senate on November 15, 1983, and received commission on November 16, 1983. Restani has served as chief judge of the Court of International Trade from 2003 until 2010. She assumed senior status on March 1, 2015.[1]

Noteworthy cases

Tariff orders declared invalid (May 2025)

See also: Donald Trump's executive orders and actions on trade and tariffs, 2025

On May 28, 2025, a unanimous three-judge panel of the United States Court of International Trade ruled that several of President Donald Trump's (R) executive orders imposing tariffs were invalid and ordered the administration to stop collecting them. The court ruled that Trump exceeded his authority granted by the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to implement global tariffs in April 2025. The panel also ruled that individual tariffs placed on Mexico, China, and Canada in February 2025 "fail because they do not deal with the threats set forth in those orders."[2]

White House spokesperson Kush Desai said in a statement about the ruling: "It is not for unelected judges to decide how to properly address a national emergency." Oregon Seretary of State Dan Rayfield (D), one of the plaintiffs in the case, said, "President Trump’s sweeping tariffs were unlawful, reckless, and economically devastating. They triggered retaliatory measures, inflated prices on essential goods, and placed an unfair burden on American families, small businesses and manufacturers."[2]

Judges Jane Restani, Gary Katzmann, and Timothy Reif issued the ruling. Restani was appointed by President Ronald Reagan (R), Katzmann was appointed by President Barack Obama (D), and Reif was appointed by Trump. To read the court's full order, click here.

The administration appealed the ruling to the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. On May 29, the appeals court agreed to hear the case and issued a stay against the Court of International Trade order.[3]

Hiram Monserrate case (2010)

See also: United States Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit (Monserrate v. New York State Senate, 599 F. 3d 148)

District Judge William Pauley denied an request by former New York State Senator Hiram Monserrate to stop a decision made by the New York Senate to expel him on February 9, 2010.[4]

Monserrate was expelled after being convicted of domestic violence towards his girlfriend which is considered a misdemeanor.[4]

The judge's decision will allow a special election on March 16, 2010, to select the replacement to his Senate seat.[4]

The case was appealed to the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, but the appellate court judges, Gerard Lynch, Dennis Jacobs, and Jane Restani, ruled that the district court "did not abuse its discretion in determining that the Monserrate Appellants failed to establish a likelihood of success on the merits of any of the claims they press on appeal. We thus need not reach any of the other arguments advanced by the parties. For the foregoing reasons, we affirm the district court's denial of the preliminary injunction."[5]

See also

External links

Footnotes