James Robart
James Robart | |
|---|---|
| Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington | |
| Assumed office June 28, 2016 | |
| Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington | |
| In office June 21, 2004 – June 28, 2016 | |
| Appointed by | George W. Bush |
| Preceded by | Thomas Samuel Zilly |
| Succeeded by | vacant |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1947 (age 76–77) Seattle, Washington, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Whitman College Georgetown University Law Center |
James Louis Robart is a United States federal judge in the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington.
Born in Seattle, Washington in 1947, Robart received a bachelor of arts degree from Whitman College in 1969 and a law degree from Georgetown University Law Center in 1973. From 1973 to 2004 he was in private practice in Seattle with Lane Powell PC, where he was managing partner for many years. As an attorney, Robart tried numerous cases, including high profile litigation related to Washington's Initiative 695. He is a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers.
On December 9, 2003, Robart was nominated by President George W. Bush to a seat on the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington vacated by Thomas S. Zilly. Robart was confirmed by the United States Senate on June 17, 2004, and received his commission on June 21, 2004. He took senior status on June 28, 2016.
Among the notable cases Robart presided over as a judge was breach of contract litigation between Microsoft and Motorola, in which his was the first court in the world to set a reasonable and non-discriminatory ("RAND") royalty rate for a portfolio of Standard Essential Patents ("SEPs"), including for several 802.11 ("WiFi") and H.264 video-encoding patents.[1]
In August 2016, Judge Robart presided over a 2012 consent decree requiring the Seattle Police Department to address federal allegations of police bias. During the hearing, he declared "black lives matter."[2]
On February 3, 2017, Robart granted a temporary restraining order against President Donald Trump's immigration executive order,[3] pending review of a suit brought by Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson.[4]
References
- ^ Microsoft Corp. v. Motorola, Inc., vol. 854, February 27, 2012, p. 993, retrieved 2017-02-04
- ^ Chasmar, Jessca (August 17, 2016). "Federal judge declares 'black lives matter' in court". Washington Times.
- ^ "Judge to hear state's lawsuit against Trump's immigration ban Friday". KIRO. February 3, 2017.
- ^ Person, Daniel (February 3, 2017). "'No One Is Above the Law': Federal Judge in Seattle Puts Trump's Immigration Order On Ice | Seattle Weekly". Seattle Weekly.
External links
- James Robart at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.