Merrick B. Garland
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Merrick B. Garland (born November 13, 1952 in Chicago, IL) has been a federal appeals court judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit since March 1997.
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[edit] Education and legal training
Garland graduated from Harvard College (summa cum laude in Social Studies) in 1974 and Harvard Law School (magna cum laude) in 1977. Following graduation, he served as law clerk to Judge Henry Friendly of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit from 1977 to 1978, then to U.S. Supreme Court Justice William J. Brennan, Jr. from 1978 to 1979.
[edit] Professional career
Garland was Special Assistant to the Attorney General of the United States from 1979 to 1981. He then joined the law firm of Arnold & Porter, where he was a partner from 1985 to 1989 and from 1992 to 1993. He served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia from 1989 to 1992, and as Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Criminal Division of the U.S. Department of Justice from 1993 to 1994. From 1994 until his appointment as U.S. Circuit Judge, Judge Garland served as Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General, where his responsibilities included the supervision of the Oklahoma City bombing and UNABOM prosecutions. He has taught antitrust law at Harvard Law School and has served as co-chair of the administrative law section of the District of Columbia Bar.
[edit] Federal judicial service
On January 7, 1997 President Bill Clinton nominated Garland to the D.C. Circuit seat vacated by Abner J. Mikva. Garland, while a college student, had been active in Mikva's Congressional campaigns. Garland was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on March 19, 1997 in a 76-23 vote and received his commission on March 20.
[edit] Possible nomination to the Supreme Court
It is widely accepted that Garland would be the front-running male candidate if a new Supreme Court seat should open up under a future Democratic president.[1][2]
