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Nathaniel M. Gorton

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Nathaniel M. Gorton
Judge of the United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court
In office
May 19, 2001 – May 18, 2008
Appointed byWilliam Rehnquist
Preceded byJohn F. Keenan
Succeeded byReggie Walton
Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts
Incumbent
Assumed office
September 24, 1992
Nominated byGeorge H. W. Bush
Preceded bySeat established by 104 Stat. 5089
Personal details
Born
Nathaniel Matheson Gorton

(1938-07-25) July 25, 1938 (age 86)
Evanston, Illinois, U.S.
RelativesSlade Gorton (brother)
EducationDartmouth College (BA)
Columbia University (LLB)
Military service
Branch/service United States Navy
Years of service1960–1962
RankLieutenant Junior Grade, and Executive Officer
UnitUSS Banner (AKL-25) in the Western Pacific Ocean

Nathaniel Matheson Gorton (born July 25, 1938) is an American lawyer who has served as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts since 1992.

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Gorton was born in 1938 in Evanston, Illinois, the son of Ruth (Israel) and Thomas Slade Gorton, Jr.[1][2] His elder brother was Slade Gorton, who later became a member of the United States Senate from Washington.[3]

Gorton received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Dartmouth College in 1960, and a Bachelor of Laws from Columbia Law School in 1966. He was in the United States Navy from 1960 to 1962, where he was a Lieutenant Junior Grade, and an executive officer on the USS Banner (AKL-25) in the Western Pacific Ocean.[4][5]

Gorton worked in private practice in Boston from 1966 to 1992, where he was an associate in the trial and business departments at Nutter McClennen & Fish until 1969, an associate at Powers & Hall PC from 1970 to 1974 and a partner at the latter firm from 1975 until 1992, practicing civil business litigation.[6][7][4]

Federal judicial service

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On April 28, 1992, Gorton was nominated by President George H. W. Bush to a new seat on the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts created by Section 203(a)(14) of the Civil Justice Reform Act of 1990 (Pub. L. 101–650, 104 Stat. 5100). He was confirmed by the United States Senate on September 23, 1992, and received his commission the following day.[3] In 2015 Gorton received the Federal Bar Association, Massachusetts chapter, Recognition Award for dedication and service.[4]

According to the USA Today in April 2019, Gorton "has a reputation for issuing stronger sentences than his peers," while Law360 stated that he "has a reputation for being a no-nonsense, fairly conservative judge."[8][9] He presided over the sentencing of many parents indicted in the 2019 College admissions bribery scandal, most notably, actress Lori Loughlin and her husband, fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli, which saw the two of them sentenced to two months and five months in prison respectively.[10]

Other activities

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Gorton is a former Chair of the Board of Trustees of Buckingham Browne & Nichols School, an independent co-educational day school in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade.[4]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Current Biography Yearbook". 1993.
  2. ^ Moritz, Charles (1962). Current Biography Yearbook. H. W. Wilson Company. ISBN 9780824201289.
  3. ^ a b Nathaniel M. Gorton at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
  4. ^ a b c d "FEDERAL COURT JUDGES sitting in MASSACHUSETTS," Biographies of Massachusetts Judges, 2019.
  5. ^ Charles Bruce Brownson (2011). "Gorton, Nathanial M.," Judicial Staff Directory.
  6. ^ "Nathaniel Gorton, United States District Court of Massachusetts: Profile & Biography," Bloomberg.
  7. ^ GORTON, NATHANIEL M., Judicial Profiles, Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly, August 1, 2001.
  8. ^ Joey Garrison (April 11, 2019). "College admissions case: Parents, feds accused of judge shopping", USA Today.
  9. ^ 'Varsity Blues' Judge Tough, Fair, And A Good Draw For Feds, Law360, April 11, 2019.
  10. ^ "California Couple in College Admissions Case Sentenced to Prison". 21 August 2020.
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Legal offices
Preceded by
Seat established by 104 Stat. 5089
 Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts
1992–present 		Incumbent
Preceded by Judge of the United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court
2001–2008 		Succeeded by
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