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{{Short description|American judge (born 1957)}}
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{{Infobox judge
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2021}}
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{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix =
| honorific-prefix =
| name = James Kelleher Bredar
| name = James Bredar
| honorific-suffix =
| honorific-suffix =
| image =
| image = James K. Bredar, U.S. District Court Judge.jpg
| alt =
| alt =
| caption =
| caption =
| office = Chief Judge of the [[United States District Court for the District of Maryland]]
| office = [[Senior status|Senior Judge]] of the [[United States District Court for the District of Maryland]]
| term_start = December 17, 2010
| term_start = April 30, 2024
| term_end =
| term_end =
⚫
| office1 = Chief Judge of the [[United States District Court for the District of Maryland]]
⚫
| nominator =
| appointer = [[List of federal judges appointed by Barack Obama|Barack Obama]]
| term_start1 = October 6, 2017
| predecessor = [[J. Frederick Motz]]
| term_end1 = April 30, 2024
| successor =
| predecessor1 = [[Catherine C. Blake]]
| successor1 = [[George L. Russell III]]
⚫
| office1 = [[United States magistrate judge|Magistrate Judge]] of the [[United States District Court for the District of Maryland]]
| office2 = Judge of the [[United States District Court for the District of Maryland]]
⚫
| term_start1 = 1998
| term_end1 = December 17, 2010
| term_start2 = December 17, 2010
⚫
| term_end2 = April 30, 2024
| appointer2 = [[List of federal judges appointed by Barack Obama|Barack Obama]]
| predecessor2 = [[J. Frederick Motz]]
⚫
| successor2 = [[Adam B. Abelson]]
| office3 = Magistrate Judge of the [[United States District Court for the District of Maryland]]
⚫
| term_start3 = 1998
⚫
| term_end3 = December 17, 2010
| pronunciation =
| pronunciation =
| birth_name = James Kelleher Bredar
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{Birth year and age|1957}}
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1957|2|6}}
| birth_place = [[Omaha, Nebraska|Omaha]], [[Nebraska]]
| birth_place = [[Omaha, Nebraska]], U.S.
| death_date =
| death_date =
| death_place =
| death_place =
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| relatives =
| relatives =
| residence =
| residence =
| education = [[Harvard College]] <small>([[Bachelor of Arts|B.A.]])</small><br>[[Georgetown University Law Center]] <small>([[Juris Doctor|J.D.]])</small>
| education = [[Harvard College]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]])<br>[[Georgetown University Law Center|Georgetown University]] ([[Juris Doctor|JD]])
| alma_mater =
| occupation =
| profession =
| known_for =
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| salary =
| net_worth =
| cabinet =
| committees =
| portfolio =
| religion =
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| awards =
| signature =
| signature_alt =
| website =
<!--Embedded templates / Footnotes-->
<!--Embedded templates / Footnotes-->
| footnotes =
| footnotes =
}}
}}
'''James Kelleher Bredar''' (born 1957) serves as a [[United States federal judge|United States District Judge]] of the [[United States District Court for the District of Maryland]], a position he has held since 2010. He previously served for 12 years as a [[United States Magistrate Judge]] in the same district.
'''James Kelleher Bredar''' (born February 6, 1957) is a [[Senior status|senior]] [[United States federal judge|United States district judge]] of the [[United States District Court for the District of Maryland]]. He previously served as a [[United States magistrate judge]] of the same court.


==Early life and education==
==Early life and education==
Bredar was born in [[Omaha, Nebraska]] in 1957, and he was raised in [[Denver, Colorado]] where he attended parochial and public schools. He earned a [[Bachelor of Arts]] degree in 1979 from [[Harvard College]] and a [[Juris Doctor]] degree in 1982 from the [[Georgetown University Law Center]]. From 1981 until 1982 he was a Visiting Student at the Yale Law School.<ref name="fjc.gov">{{cite web|url=https://www.fjc.gov/history/judges/bredar-james-kelleher|title=Bredar, James Kelleher - Federal Judicial Center|website=www.fjc.gov}}</ref>
Bredar was born on February 6, 1957, in [[Omaha, Nebraska]]<ref name="MSA">{{Cite web |title=James K. Bredar, U.S. District Court Judge (Maryland) |url=https://msa.maryland.gov/msa/mdmanual/39fed/02usd/html/msa13720.html |access-date=November 3, 2021 |website=Maryland Manual On-Line |publisher=Maryland State Archives |date=March 1, 2021}}</ref> and he was raised in [[Denver, Colorado]], where he attended parochial and public schools. He earned a [[Bachelor of Arts]] degree in 1979 from [[Harvard College]] and a [[Juris Doctor]] degree in 1982 from the [[Georgetown University Law Center]]. From 1981 until 1982 he was a Visiting Student at the Yale Law School.<ref name="fjc.gov">{{FJC Bio|nid=1393511|inline=yes}}</ref>


==Career==
==Career==
Bredar clerked for Judge [[Richard P. Matsch]] of the [[United States District Court for the District of Colorado]]. He next served as a Deputy District Attorney in [[Moffat County, Colorado]] (1984–1985), and as an Assistant United States Attorney for the [[District of Colorado]] (1985-1989). He later served as an Assistant Federal Public Defender in the [[District of Colorado]] (1989–1991). During 1991 and 1992, Bredar served as a project director for the [[Vera Institute of Justice]], a research organization based in New York. Bredar served in London, England. Bredar served as the Federal [[Public defender (United States)|Public Defender]] for the [[United States District Court for the District of Maryland|District of Maryland]] (1992–1998).<ref name="fjc.gov"/>
Bredar clerked for Judge [[Richard P. Matsch]] of the [[United States District Court for the District of Colorado]]. He then served as a deputy district attorney in [[Moffat County, Colorado]], from 1984 to 1985, and as an [[Assistant United States Attorney]] for the [[District of Colorado]] from 1985 to 1989. He later served as an [[Public defender|assistant federal public defender]] in the [[District of Colorado]] from 1989 to 1991. During 1991 and 1992, Bredar served as a project director for the [[Vera Institute of Justice]], a research organization based in New York. Bredar served in London, England. Bredar served as the federal public defender for the [[United States District Court for the District of Maryland|District of Maryland]] from 1992 to 1998.<ref name="fjc.gov" />


==Federal judicial service==
=== Federal judicial service ===
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Bredar served as a [[United States Magistrate Judge]] from 1998 until 2010. On April 21, 2010, [[List of federal judges appointed by Barack Obama|President Barack Obama]] nominated Bredar to become United States District Judge for the [[United States District Court for the District of Maryland|District of Maryland]].<ref>{{cite news|title=President Obama Names Five to the United States District Court|url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/president-obama-names-five-united-states-district-court|accessdate=10 April 2017|agency=[[White House Office of the Press Secretary]]|date=21 April 2010}}</ref> His nomination was approved by the full Senate of the [[111th United States Congress]] on December 16, 2010.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Phillip|first1=Abby|title=Senate confirms judicial nominees|url=http://www.politico.com/story/2010/12/senate-confirms-judicial-nominees-046516|accessdate=10 April 2017|work=[[Politico]]|date=16 December 2010}}</ref><ref>[https://www.congress.gov/nomination/111th-congress/1653 Pres. Nom. 1653], 111th Cong. (2010).</ref> He received his commission on December 17, 2010 and was sworn in on December 22, 2010.<ref name="fjc.gov"/>


Bredar served as a [[United States magistrate judge]] from January 26, 1998, to December 17, 2010.<ref name="MSA" /><ref name="fjc.gov" />
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==Notable cases==


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On April 21, 2010, President [[Barack Obama]] nominated Bredar to be a United States District Judge for the [[United States District Court for the District of Maryland]].<ref>{{cite press release |title=President Obama Names Five to the United States District Court |url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/president-obama-names-five-united-states-district-court |access-date=April 10, 2017 |publisher=[[White House Office of the Press Secretary]] |date=April 21, 2010}}</ref> His nomination was confirmed in the Senate by [[unanimous consent]] on December 16, 2010.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Phillip |first1=Abby |title=Senate confirms judicial nominees |url=https://www.politico.com/story/2010/12/senate-confirms-judicial-nominees-046516 |access-date=April 10, 2017 |work=[[Politico]] |date=December 16, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=PN1653 - Nomination of James Kelleher Bredar for The Judiciary, 111th Congress (2009-2010) |url=https://www.congress.gov/nomination/111th-congress/1653 |website=Congress.gov |access-date=November 19, 2021 |date=December 16, 2010}}</ref> He received his commission on December 17, 2010, and was sworn in on December 22, 2010.<ref name="fjc.gov" /> He served as chief judge from October 6, 2017 to April 30, 2024.<ref name="MSA" /> Bredar assumed [[senior status]] on April 30, 2024.<ref>{{Cite web|date=October 12, 2023|title=Chief Judge James K. Bredar to Assume Senior Status on April 30, 2024|url=https://www.mdd.uscourts.gov/news/chief-judge-james-k-bredar-assume-senior-status-april-30-2024-2023-10-12t000000|website=mdd.uscourts.gov|access-date=October 13, 2023|archive-date=October 17, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231017122438/https://www.mdd.uscourts.gov/news/chief-judge-james-k-bredar-assume-senior-status-april-30-2024-2023-10-12t000000|url-status=live}}</ref>
In October 2013, Judge Bredar was dealing with a large and complex case related to numerous defendants in a marijuana drug-sale network. He held a hearing to review federal and state policies related to prosecution and sentencing of convictions for marijuana use, sales and distribution. He noted the legalization of marijuana in 25 states and the District of Columbia for medical and personal use (in some states).


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===Notable cases===
He also noted that "marijuana legal reforms and developments at the state and federal level now called for imposing below-guideline sentences for federal marijuana offenses. ... Judge Bredar handed down a 12-page opinion in ''US v. Dayi,'' No. JKB-13-0013 (D. Md. Nov. 1, 2013) [(See External link below)] explaining his views and thinking on this front."<ref name="berman"/> He believes that [[Decriminalization of non-medical cannabis in the United States|marijuana legalization]] in various states and federal policy related to prosecution were reasons to give a downward variance of two levels from the recommendations in the [[United States Federal Sentencing Guidelines]] in the cases before him of persons convicted of federal marijuana crimes. He explained that the court had a responsibility both to address the seriousness of the crime and to try to achieve parity in sentencing.<ref name="berman">{{cite news|last1=Berman|first1=Douglas|title=Sentencing judge explains his view on how nationwide reforms should impact federal marijuana sentencing|url=http://sentencing.typepad.com/sentencing_law_and_policy/2013/11/sentencing-judge-explains-his-view-on-how-nationwide-reforms-should-impact-federal-marijuana-sentenc.html|accessdate=10 April 2017|work=Sentencing Law and Policy Blog|date=4 November 2013}}</ref>


⚫
In April 2017, Bredar approved a [[consent decree]] signed by the Mayor of Baltimore; the [[Baltimore Police Department]]; and the [[U.S. Department of Justice]], Civil Rights Division. The consent decree called for major reforms within the police department. Negotiation of the decree had followed an investigation by the Department of Justice of the police department, as requested by the city in 2015. Bredar denied a request by then-recently appointed Attorney General [[Jeff Sessions]] to postpone signing for thirty days in order to give the new administration time to review the decree; Bredar said the Court was satisfied with the decree and that it was time to get the changes underway.<ref name="sun">{{cite news |url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-md-ci-consent-decree-approved-20170407-story.html |first=Kevin |last=Rector |title=Federal judge approves Baltimore policing consent decree, denying Justice Department request for delay |newspaper=[[The Baltimore Sun]] |date=April 7, 2017 |access-date=April 22, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Victor |first1=Daniel |title=Judge Approves Consent Decree to Overhaul Baltimore Police Dept. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/07/us/baltimore-justice-department-police-consent-decree.html |access-date=April 10, 2017 |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=April 8, 2017 |page=A18}}</ref>
Judge Bredar has become known for his insistence that attorneys use [[Bluebook]] citation style in [[motion (legal)|motions]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=[[David Lat]]|title=Benchslap Of The Day: Don’t You Dare Put Citations In The Footnotes|url=http://abovethelaw.com/2016/08/benchslap-of-the-day-dont-you-dare-put-citations-in-the-footnotes/|accessdate=10 April 2017|work=[[Above the Law (website)]]|date=20 August 2016}}</ref>


Bredar was one of three judges assigned to a case captioned ''[[Benisek v. Lamone]]'', No. 1:13-cv-03233-JKB (D. Md.).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.scotusblog.com/case-files/cases/benisek-v-lamone/ |title=Benisek v. Lamone |website=[[SCOTUSblog]]}}</ref> The case challenged Maryland's 2011 congressional redistricting map, and specifically [[Maryland's 6th congressional district]], as an unconstitutional partisan gerrymander. The district court entered summary judgment in Plaintiffs' favor in late 2018, and the State sought review by the [[Supreme Court of the United States]]. The case was consolidated with ''[[Rucho v. Common Cause]]'', a case that challenged the North Carolina congressional map as a partisan gerrymander. In a 5–4 decision issued in June 2019, the Supreme Court held that partisan [[gerrymandering]] claims present nonjusticiable political questions.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/18pdf/18-422_9ol1.pdf |title=Rucho v. Common Cause |website=Supreme Court of the United States}}</ref> Justice Kagan, dissenting, observed that "[f]or the first time ever, th[e] Court refuses to remedy a constitutional violation because it thinks the task beyond judicial capabilities."
⚫
In April 2017, Judge Bredar approved the [[consent decree]] signed by the Mayor of Baltimore, the [[Baltimore Police Department]], and former acting U.S. Assistant Attorney General [[Vanita Gupta]] for major reform in the police department. Negotiation of the decree had followed a thorough investigation by the Department of Justice of the police department, as requested by the city in 2015. Bredar denied a request by the new U.S. Attorney General, [[Jeff Sessions]], to postpone signing for 30 days in order to give the new administration time to review the decree; he said the court was satisfied with it and it was time to get changes underway.<ref name="sun">[http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-md-ci-consent-decree-approved-20170407-story.html Kevin Rector, "Federal judge approves Baltimore policing consent decree, denying Justice Department request for delay"], ''Baltimore Sun'', 07 April 2017; accessed 22 April 2017</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Victor|first1=Daniel|title=Judge Approves Consent Decree to Overhaul Baltimore Police Dept.|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/07/us/baltimore-justice-department-police-consent-decree.html|accessdate=10 April 2017|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=8 April 2017|page=A18}}</ref>

In an opinion at an earlier stage in the ''Benisek'' proceedings, Bredar had noted that "[p]artisan gerrymandering is noxious, a cancer on our democracy."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Kunzelman |first1=Michael |title=Judges Order Maryland to Draw New Congressional Map for 2020 |url=https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/maryland/articles/2018-11-07/judges-order-maryland-to-draw-new-congressional-map-for-2020 |access-date=November 8, 2018 |work=[[U.S. News & World Report]] |agency=[[Associated Press]] |date=November 7, 2018}}</ref>


==References==
==References==
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==External links==
==External links==
*{{FJC Bio|nid=1393511}}
*[https://www.fjc.gov/history/judges/bredar-james-kelleher FJC Bio]
*{{Ballotpedia|James_Bredar|James Bredar}}
*{{Ballotpedia|James_Bredar}}
*[http://www.mdd.uscourts.gov/recent-opinions Recent Opinions: ''US v. Dayi'', No. JKB-13-0013 (D. Md. Nov. 1, 2013)], Maryland US District Court, Judge James K. Bredar


{{s-start}}
{{s-start}}
{{s-legal}}
{{s-legal}}
{{s-bef|before=[[J. Frederick Motz]]}}
{{s-bef|before=[[J. Frederick Motz]]}}
{{s-ttl|title={{nowrap|Judge of the [[United States District Court for the District of Maryland]]}}|years=2010–present}}
{{s-ttl|title={{nowrap|Judge of the [[United States District Court for the District of Maryland]]}}|years=2010–2024}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Adam B. Abelson]]}}
{{s-inc}}
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{{s-ttl|title={{nowrap|Chief Judge of the [[United States District Court for the District of Maryland]]}}|years=2017–2024}}
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{{s-end}}
{{s-end}}
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{{United States 4th Circuit senior district judges}}


{{authority control}}
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{{United States 4th Circuit district judges}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Bredar, James K.}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bredar, James K.}}
[[Category:1957 births]]
[[Category:1957 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Living people]]
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[[Category:21st-century American judges]]
[[Category:Assistant United States Attorneys]]
[[Category:Assistant United States Attorneys]]
[[Category:Georgetown University Law Center alumni]]
[[Category:Georgetown University Law Center alumni]]
[[Category:Harvard University alumni]]
[[Category:Harvard College alumni]]
[[Category:Judges of the United States District Court for the District of Maryland]]
[[Category:Judges of the United States District Court for the District of Maryland]]
[[Category:Lawyers from Omaha, Nebraska]]
[[Category:Lawyers from Omaha, Nebraska]]
[[Category:Public defenders]]
[[Category:Public defenders]]
[[Category:United States district court judges appointed by Barack Obama]]
[[Category:United States district court judges appointed by Barack Obama]]
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[[Category:21st-century American judges]]
[[Category:United States magistrate judges]]
[[Category:United States magistrate judges]]

Latest revision as of 16:23, 10 September 2024

James Bredar
Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Maryland
Incumbent
Assumed office
April 30, 2024
Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Maryland
In office
October 6, 2017 – April 30, 2024
Preceded byCatherine C. Blake
Succeeded byGeorge L. Russell III
Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Maryland
In office
December 17, 2010 – April 30, 2024
Appointed byBarack Obama
Preceded byJ. Frederick Motz
Succeeded byAdam B. Abelson
Magistrate Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Maryland
In office
1998 – December 17, 2010
Personal details
Born (1957-02-06) February 6, 1957 (age 67)
Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.
EducationHarvard College (BA)
Georgetown University (JD)

James Kelleher Bredar (born February 6, 1957) is a senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Maryland. He previously served as a United States magistrate judge of the same court.

Early life and education

[edit]

Bredar was born on February 6, 1957, in Omaha, Nebraska[1] and he was raised in Denver, Colorado, where he attended parochial and public schools. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1979 from Harvard College and a Juris Doctor degree in 1982 from the Georgetown University Law Center. From 1981 until 1982 he was a Visiting Student at the Yale Law School.[2]

Career

[edit]

Bredar clerked for Judge Richard P. Matsch of the United States District Court for the District of Colorado. He then served as a deputy district attorney in Moffat County, Colorado, from 1984 to 1985, and as an Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Colorado from 1985 to 1989. He later served as an assistant federal public defender in the District of Colorado from 1989 to 1991. During 1991 and 1992, Bredar served as a project director for the Vera Institute of Justice, a research organization based in New York. Bredar served in London, England. Bredar served as the federal public defender for the District of Maryland from 1992 to 1998.[2]

Federal judicial service

[edit]

Bredar served as a United States magistrate judge from January 26, 1998, to December 17, 2010.[1][2]

On April 21, 2010, President Barack Obama nominated Bredar to be a United States District Judge for the United States District Court for the District of Maryland.[3] His nomination was confirmed in the Senate by unanimous consent on December 16, 2010.[4][5] He received his commission on December 17, 2010, and was sworn in on December 22, 2010.[2] He served as chief judge from October 6, 2017 to April 30, 2024.[1] Bredar assumed senior status on April 30, 2024.[6]

Notable cases

[edit]

In April 2017, Bredar approved a consent decree signed by the Mayor of Baltimore; the Baltimore Police Department; and the U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division. The consent decree called for major reforms within the police department. Negotiation of the decree had followed an investigation by the Department of Justice of the police department, as requested by the city in 2015. Bredar denied a request by then-recently appointed Attorney General Jeff Sessions to postpone signing for thirty days in order to give the new administration time to review the decree; Bredar said the Court was satisfied with the decree and that it was time to get the changes underway.[7][8]

Bredar was one of three judges assigned to a case captioned Benisek v. Lamone, No. 1:13-cv-03233-JKB (D. Md.).[9] The case challenged Maryland's 2011 congressional redistricting map, and specifically Maryland's 6th congressional district, as an unconstitutional partisan gerrymander. The district court entered summary judgment in Plaintiffs' favor in late 2018, and the State sought review by the Supreme Court of the United States. The case was consolidated with Rucho v. Common Cause, a case that challenged the North Carolina congressional map as a partisan gerrymander. In a 5–4 decision issued in June 2019, the Supreme Court held that partisan gerrymandering claims present nonjusticiable political questions.[10] Justice Kagan, dissenting, observed that "[f]or the first time ever, th[e] Court refuses to remedy a constitutional violation because it thinks the task beyond judicial capabilities."

In an opinion at an earlier stage in the Benisek proceedings, Bredar had noted that "[p]artisan gerrymandering is noxious, a cancer on our democracy."[11]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c "James K. Bredar, U.S. District Court Judge (Maryland)". Maryland Manual On-Line. Maryland State Archives. March 1, 2021. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d James K. Bredar at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
  3. ^ "President Obama Names Five to the United States District Court" (Press release). White House Office of the Press Secretary. April 21, 2010. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
  4. ^ Phillip, Abby (December 16, 2010). "Senate confirms judicial nominees". Politico. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
  5. ^ "PN1653 - Nomination of James Kelleher Bredar for The Judiciary, 111th Congress (2009-2010)". Congress.gov. December 16, 2010. Retrieved November 19, 2021.
  6. ^ "Chief Judge James K. Bredar to Assume Senior Status on April 30, 2024". mdd.uscourts.gov. October 12, 2023. Archived from the original on October 17, 2023. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
  7. ^ Rector, Kevin (April 7, 2017). "Federal judge approves Baltimore policing consent decree, denying Justice Department request for delay". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved April 22, 2017.
  8. ^ Victor, Daniel (April 8, 2017). "Judge Approves Consent Decree to Overhaul Baltimore Police Dept". The New York Times. p. A18. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
  9. ^ "Benisek v. Lamone". SCOTUSblog.
  10. ^ "Rucho v. Common Cause" (PDF). Supreme Court of the United States.
  11. ^ Kunzelman, Michael (November 7, 2018). "Judges Order Maryland to Draw New Congressional Map for 2020". U.S. News & World Report. Associated Press. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
[edit]
Legal offices
Preceded by Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Maryland
2010–2024 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Maryland
2017–2024 		Succeeded by
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