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On September 7, 1989, Walker was nominated by President [[George H. W. Bush]] to the seat on the [[United States District Court|federal district court]] vacated by [[Spencer M. Williams]].<ref name="FJC"/> Walker was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on November 21, 1989, on unanimous consent and received commission on November 27, 1989.
On September 7, 1989, Walker was nominated by President [[George H. W. Bush]] to the seat on the [[United States District Court|federal district court]] vacated by [[Spencer M. Williams]].<ref name="FJC"/> Walker was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on November 21, 1989, on unanimous consent and received commission on November 27, 1989.


Walker is one of two federal judges publicly known to be [[Homosexuality|gay]].<ref>Chris Geidner, [http://www.metroweekly.com/news/?ak=5094 Breaking Barriers: Edward DuMont, praised by colleagues as ''brilliant,'' would be the first openly gay federal appellate judge in the country] (April 16, 2010).</ref> in San Francisco
Walker is one of two federal judges publicly known to be [[Homosexuality|gay]].<ref>Chris Geidner, [http://www.metroweekly.com/news/?ak=5094 Breaking Barriers: Edward DuMont, praised by colleagues as ''brilliant,'' would be the first openly gay federal appellate judge in the country] (April 16, 2010).</ref>


==Views==
==Views==

Revision as of 09:04, 6 August 2010

Vaughn R. Walker
Chief Judge of the US District Court for the Northern District of California
Assumed office
1989
Nominated byGeorge H. W. Bush
Personal details
Alma materUniversity of Michigan (A.B.)
Stanford Law School (J.D.)

Vaughn R. Walker (born 1944) is the Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California.

Biography

Walker was born in Watseka, Illinois, in 1944. He graduated from the University of Michigan (1966) and Stanford Law School (1970).[1]

After clerking for United States District Court for the Central District of California Judge Robert J. Kelleher (1971-72), he practiced in San Francisco at Pillsbury, Madison & Sutro.

On September 7, 1989, Walker was nominated by President George H. W. Bush to the seat on the federal district court vacated by Spencer M. Williams.[1] Walker was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on November 21, 1989, on unanimous consent and received commission on November 27, 1989.

Walker is one of two federal judges publicly known to be gay.[2]

Views

Walker believes in a legal approach known as law and economics.[3]

Walker's original nomination to the bench by Ronald Reagan in 1987 stalled in the Senate Judiciary Committee because of controversy over his representation of the United States Olympic Committee in a lawsuit that prohibited the use of the title "Gay Olympics".[4] Two dozen House Democrats, led by Rep. Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco, opposed his nomination because of his perceived "insensitivity" to gays and the poor. Years later, the San Francisco Chronicle noted the irony of their opposition.[5]

Walker is an "unorthodox" and "independent-minded conservative" judge who has called for auctioning lead counsel status in securities class actions and for the legalization of drugs.[4]

A San Francisco Chronicle columnist and reporter wrote in a commentary that Walker has an "aversion to harsh sentences for well-educated, well-heeled criminals and, in particular, perpetrators of securities fraud."[6]

Wired magazine describes Walker as having libertarian leanings.[7]

Cases

Walker has presided over such notable cases as lawsuits over NSA warrantless surveillance[8]; the criminal sentencing of radio host Bernie Ward; the breach of TD Ameritrade's customer information database; the Apple Computer, Inc. v. Microsoft Corporation[9] copyright infringement case; antitrust litigation over the Hearst Corporation's purchase of the San Francisco Chronicle; and Oracle's merger/hostile takeover of PeopleSoft, which was approved despite Justice Department opposition.[10]

In 1999, Walker rejected arguments from the parents of a San Leandro boy who claimed their religious rights were violated by pro-gay comments made by their son's teacher in the classroom.[11]

In 2005, Walker sided with the City of Oakland against two employees who placed flyers promoting "natural family, marriage and family values." Walker wrote in an opinion that the City had "significant interests in restricting discriminatory speech about homosexuals ... (and has) a duty under state law to prevent workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation."[11]

On 11 January 2010, Walker began hearing arguments for Perry v. Schwarzenegger. The case was a federal-constitutional challenge to California Proposition 8, a state referendum that defined marriage in the California constitution to reflect the federal definition found in the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), a definition previously expressed by the majority of Californians in Proposition 22.[12] On 4 August 2010, Walker ruled that Proposition 8 was unconstitutional "under both the Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses," and enjoined its enforcement.[13]

References

  1. ^ a b Federal Judicial Center page on Vaughn Walker.
  2. ^ Chris Geidner, Breaking Barriers: Edward DuMont, praised by colleagues as brilliant, would be the first openly gay federal appellate judge in the country (April 16, 2010).
  3. ^ Bob Egelko, Chronicle Staff Writer (Tuesday, September 14, 2004). "Aaron Director – profoundly influential law professor". Retrieved 2009-05-16. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  4. ^ a b Egelko, Bob (2004-09-01). "Walker becomes chief district judge". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2009-02-04. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  5. ^ Editorial (2009-02-10). "Gay judge has proven record of impartiality". Retrieved 2010-02-21.
  6. ^ Holding, Reynolds (Sunday, May 13, 2001). "White-collar crooks' suite-heart deals". The San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2009-05-16. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  7. ^ Ryan Singel (November 17, 2006). "NSA Case Becomes Lawyer Junket". Wired. Retrieved 2010-02-24.
  8. ^ Charlie Savage, James Risen (2010-03-31). "Federal Judge Finds N.S.A. Wiretaps Were Illegal". New York Times. Retrieved 2010-04-26. A federal judge ruled Wednesday that the National Security Agency's program of surveillance without warrants was illegal, rejecting the Obama administration's effort to keep shrouded in secrecy one of the most disputed counterterrorism policies of former President George W. Bush.
  9. ^ Examiner Staff and Wire Reports (1995-02-21). "High Court rejects final Apple appeal". San Francisco Examiner. Retrieved 2010-02-25.
  10. ^ Pimentel, Benjamin (2004-09-10). "Oracle wins antitrust suit in bid for rival / Ruling lifts major obstacle to takeover of PeopleSoft". The San Francisco Chronicle.
  11. ^ a b http://abcnews.go.com/US/wirestory?id=9598659&page=3
  12. ^ Michael B. Farrell (January 11, 2010). "Gay marriage trial begins with tough questions for both sides". Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved 2010-02-07.
  13. ^ Devin Dwyer (August 4, 2010). "Unconstitutional: Federal Court Overturns Proposition 8, Gay Marriage Ban in California" (PDF). ABC News Online. Retrieved 2010-08-04.

External links

Legal offices
Preceded by Judge of the U.S. District Court
for the Northern District of California
1989–present 		Incumbent
Preceded by Chief judge of the U.S. District Court
for the Northern District of California
2004–present
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