John O'Meara (Michigan)
John Corbett O'Meara was a Article III federal judge for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. He joined the court in 1994 after being nominated by President Bill Clinton (D). O'Meara presides cases out of the Ann Arbor branch. He served on senior status from 2007 until his death on October 5, 2024.[1][2]
Early life and education
A native of Michigan, O'Meara graduated from the University of Notre Dame with his bachelor's degree in 1955 and graduated from Harvard Law School with his Juris Doctor degree in 1962. Before attending law school, O'Meara enlisted and served in the United States Navy from 1955 to 1959. O'Meara attained the rank of Commander in the Naval Reserve and was the Commanding Officer of Submarine Division 9-228 located at the Broadhead Naval Armory in Detroit.[3]
Professional career
After leaving the US Navy, O'Meara became a staff assistant to former United States Senator Philip Hart. After graduating from Harvard with his law degree, O'Meara became a partner at the firm of Dickinson, Wright, Moon, VanDusen & Freeman of Detroit from 1962 to his appointment in the Federal Judiciary specializing in employment law litigation, representing management clients.[2][4]
Judge O'Meara taught employment law as an adjunct professor at Detroit Mercy Law School from 1965 through 1970. O'Meara was active in Bar activities and served as an officer or member of various sections and committees of the American Bar Association, the State Bar of Michigan, and the Detroit Bar Association.[2]
Judicial career
Eastern District of Michigan
On the recommendation of Senators Carl Levin and William Riegle, Jr, O'Meara was nominated by Bill Clinton on April 26, 1994, to a seat vacated by Horace Gilmore. O'Meara was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on September 14, 1994 on a senate vote and received commission on September 15, 1994 and later assumed senior status on January 1, 2007.[4]
Noteworthy cases
Possibility of parole for juvenile lifers (2013)
- See also: United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan (Henry Hill, et al v. Rick Snyder, et al, 5:10-cv-14568-JCO-RSW)
- See also: United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan (Henry Hill, et al v. Rick Snyder, et al, 5:10-cv-14568-JCO-RSW)
In February 2012, the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit on behalf of nine Michigan inmates who were sentenced to life in prison as juveniles without the possibility of parole. The named plaintiff in the case, Henry Hill, was 16 when he was convicted of first-degree murder.
On November 26, 2013, in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court decision condemning the sentencing of children to life in prison without the possibility of parole as cruel and unusual punishment, Judge John O'Meara ordered that the State of Michigan cease enforcement of a law that denies the parole board jurisdiction over juvenile lifers. Further, O'Meara ordered that all juvenile offenders sentenced to life who have served 10 years be given notice of their eligibility for parole. Michigan's Attorney General Bill Schuette, however, did not believe that the Supreme Court's edict was meant to be applied retroactively, and appealed O'Meara's order to the United States Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit. On December 23, 2013, the Sixth Circuit stayed O'Meara's ruling pending the resolution of the governor's appeal.[5][6][7][8][9][10]
Disabled army vet loses disability discrimination monetary award (2010)
- See also: United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan (James N. McKelvey, v. Pete Geren, Secretary of the Unites States Army, 5:07-cv-14538-JCO-MKM)
- See also: United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan (James N. McKelvey, v. Pete Geren, Secretary of the Unites States Army, 5:07-cv-14538-JCO-MKM)
On January 28, 2010, Judge O'Meara tossed out a $4.3 million dollar verdict awarded to an Iraqi war veteran over claims he was ridiculed on the job due to a disability. The man had lost his right hand during combat duty in Iraq, and alleged that he quit his job because of a hostile work environment. Judge O'Meara felt it was better to have his job reinstated rather than have millions of dollars awarded to him.[11]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Orbits, "John Corbett O'Meara," accessed October 23, 2024
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Judge O'Meara Biography
- ↑ Judge O'Meara Biography
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 O'Meara's Biography from the Federal Judicial Center.
- ↑ ACLU, "Hill v. Snyder," November 26, 2013
- ↑ MLive.com, "Juvenile lifers: Federal judge orders Michigan to offer 'meaningful and realistic' parole hearings," November 26, 2013
- ↑ Detroit Free Press, "Judge tells state: Give juvenile lifers a shot at parole," November 27, 2013
- ↑ Toledo Blade, "Michigan weighs fate of its lifers in juvenile prisons," December 6, 2013
- ↑ State of Michigan Attorney General, "Schuette Announces He Will Appeal Federal Court Ruling Opening Door for Parole for Teenage Murderers," December 2, 2013
- ↑ The Detroit News, "U.S. appeals court delays possible parole for Michigan's 'juvenile lifers'," December 23, 2013 (dead link)
- ↑ Michigan Lawyers Weekly, "Judge throws out $4.3M verdict for war vet," January 29, 2010
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by: Horace Gilmore |
Eastern District of Michigan 1994–2007 Seat #5 |
Succeeded by: Mark Goldsmith
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| 1993 |
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| 1994 |
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| 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 | ||
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