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John B. Owens

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
John Byron Owens
Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
Incumbent
Assumed office
April 2, 2014
Appointed byBarack Obama
Preceded byStephen S. Trott
Personal details
Born1971 (age 52–53)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
EducationUniversity of California, Berkeley (BA)
Stanford University (JD)

John Byron Owens (born 1971) is an American judge and lawyer who serves as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

Early life and education

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Owens was born in Washington, D.C. in 1971, and grew up in Northern California.[1][2] He is the grandson of Harold Agnew.[3][4]

Owens graduated from the University of California, Berkeley in 1993 with a Bachelor of Arts with high distinction. While an undergraduate, Owens worked as a marketing assistant for the Golden State Warriors. He then attended Stanford Law School, where he was an editor of the Stanford Law Review. He graduated in 1996 ranked first in his class with a Juris Doctor degree with distinction.[1]

Career

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After law school, Owens was a law clerk for Judge J. Clifford Wallace of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit from 1996 to 1997 and for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg of the U.S. Supreme Court from 1997 to 1998.[5] Owens then worked as a trial attorney for the United States Department of Justice's Office of Consumer Litigation.[5] From 2000 until 2001, he served as a litigation associate at the law firm O'Melveny & Myers in Washington, D.C.[5] From 2001 until 2004, he served in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California as an Assistant United States Attorney. In 2004, he transferred to the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Southern District of California, where he served until 2012, serving first as an Assistant United States Attorney from 2004 until 2008, then as the deputy chief of the major frauds section from 2008 until 2010 and finally as the chief of the criminal division from 2010 until 2011.[5] He has appeared on the television show American Greed.[6]

From January 2012 until April 2014, Owens was a litigation partner in the Los Angeles office of Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP.[1]

Federal judicial service

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Owens taking oath of office; Being sworn in as circuit judge of the Ninth Circuit (April 25, 2014)

On August 1, 2013, President Barack Obama nominated Owens to a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.[1] He filled the seat that was vacated by Judge Stephen S. Trott, who assumed senior status on December 31, 2004.[7] On January 16, 2014 his nomination was reported out of committee by a voice vote.[8] On March 26, 2014, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid filed for cloture on the nomination. On March 27, 2014, the United States Senate invoked cloture on Owens' nomination by a 54–44 vote.[9] On March 31, 2014, Owens’ nomination was confirmed by a 56–43 vote.[10][11] He received his judicial commission on April 2, 2014.[12] Owens was officially seated and sworn in on April 25, 2014.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d Dolan, Maura (August 1, 2013). "Two lawyers from same California firm nominated for 9th Circuit". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 2, 2013.
  2. ^ "New 9th Circuit judge's local roots". San Jose Mercury News. July 17, 2014. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
  3. ^ Mulkin, Barb (March 1979). "Beverly J Agnew" (PDF). The Atom. 15 (2): 9. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
  4. ^ "SJC Questionnaire" (PDF).
  5. ^ a b c d "President Obama Nominates Three to Serve on the United States Courts of Appeals". whitehouse.gov. 1 August 2013 – via National Archives.
  6. ^ "» John B. Owens".
  7. ^ Mintz, Howard (August 1, 2013). "White House names S.F., L.A. lawyers to powerful federal appeals court". San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved August 2, 2013.
  8. ^ "Results of Executive Business Meeting - January 16, 2014" (PDF). Retrieved 16 January 2014.
  9. ^ "On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture on the Nomination of John B. Owens, of California, to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the Ninth Circuit)". United States Senate. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
  10. ^ "On the Nomination (Confirmation John B. Owens, of California, to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the Ninth Circuit)". United States Senate. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
  11. ^ "Senate Vote Could End Feud Over Ninth Circuit Seat". Legal Times. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
  12. ^ "Owens, John Byron". Federal Judicial Center.
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Legal offices
Preceded by Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
2014–present 		Incumbent
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