David Jeremiah Barron

David Jeremiah Barron
Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
Assumed office
May 23, 2014
Appointed by Barack Obama
Preceded by Michael Boudin
Personal details
Born (1967-07-07) July 7, 1967
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Spouse(s) Juliette Kayyem
Alma mater Harvard University
External image
David J. Barron, an image from the newyorker.com web site.

David Jeremiah Barron (born July 7, 1967) is a United States Circuit Judge for the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit and former S. William Green Professor of Public Law at Harvard Law School. He previously served as the Acting Assistant Attorney General of the Office of Legal Counsel at the United States Department of Justice.

Barron is a controversial figure because he wrote a legal memo justifying the use of lethal drone strikes against U.S. citizens without judicial process.[1]

Biography

Early life, education and service

Barron was born on July 7, 1967, in Washington, D.C. and is the son of George Washington University Law School professor and former dean Jerome A. Barron.[2][3] He received a Bachelor of Arts degree, magna cum laude, in 1989, from Harvard College, serving as president of the Harvard Crimson. After graduation, he worked as a reporter for the The News & Observer in Raleigh, North Carolina, from 1989 to 1991. Returning to school, he received a Juris Doctor, magna cum laude, in 1994, from Harvard Law School, serving on the Harvard Law Review. He worked as a law clerk for Judge Stephen R. Reinhardt of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, from 1994 to 1995, and for Justice John Paul Stevens of the United States Supreme Court from 1995 to 1996. He worked as an attorney-advisor in the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel, from 1996 to 1999.[4]

Academic career and later service

Barron joined the Harvard Law School faculty as an assistant professor in 1999 and became a professor in 2004. He left the faculty upon his confirmation to the Court of Appeals in 2014.[5][6]

In 2009, while on leave from his faculty position, Barron rejoined the Office of Legal Counsel as Acting Assistant Attorney General. In 2010, he authored a secret memo which provided the legal foundation for President Obama's unprecedented decision to order a drone strike on Anwar al-Awlaki, an American citizen who was a radical Islamic militant living in Yemen.[7] Barron's memo was described by The New York Times Editorial Board as "a slapdash pastiche of legal theories — some based on obscure interpretations of British and Israeli law — that was clearly tailored to the desired result."[8] A lawyer for the ACLU described the memo as "disturbing" and "ultimately an argument that the president can order targeted killings of Americans without ever having to account to anyone outside the executive branch."[9]

For Barron's service, he received the National Intelligence Exceptional Achievement Medal from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, as well as the Secretary of Defense Medal for Outstanding Public Service.[6]

Barron returned to the Harvard Law School faculty in 2010 and was named the S. William Green Professor of Public Law in 2011. In 2012 he was appointed by Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick to the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education.[10] and the Massachusetts State College Building Authority.[4] He left academia in 2014, after his confirmation as a federal judge.[5]

Federal judicial service

On September 24, 2013, President Obama nominated Barron to serve as a United States Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, to the seat vacated by Judge Michael Boudin, who took senior status on June 1, 2013.[11] On January 16, 2014, his nomination was reported out of committee.[12] On Thursday, May 15, 2014 Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid filed a motion to invoke cloture on the nomination. On Wednesday, May 21, 2014, the Senate agreed to the motion to invoke cloture by a vote of 52-43.[13] Several senators, including Mark Udall (D) and Rand Paul (R), pledged to oppose Barron's nomination unless the administration publishes the secret memos Barron authored on the legality of killing American citizens with drone strikes.[14] Until senators began raising concerns about Barron's nomination, only those on the Judiciary and Intelligence committees had seen any of the classified memos.[15] On May 22, 2014, the Senate voted 53–45 for final confirmation to the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit[16] He received his judicial commission on May 23, 2014.[5]

Publications

Barron is known for coauthoring with Martin S. Lederman a Harvard Law Review article titled "The Commander in Chief at the Lowest Ebb - Framing the Problem, Doctrine and Original Understanding," Harvard Law Review, Vol. 121, Pg. 689, January 2008, which was an attack of the advice given by the Office of Legal Counsel to President George W. Bush justifying Bush's use of executive power during the War on Terror.[17]

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/may/21/us-senate-drone-memo-david-barron-nomination
  2. ↑ Biography from martindale.com
  3. ↑ "David Barron". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2014-05-18.
  4. 1 2 "President Obama Nominates David Jeremiah Barron to Serve on the United States Court of Appeals". White House. 24 September 2013.
  5. 1 2 3 "Biographical Directory of Federal Judges". Federal Judicial Center. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
  6. 1 2 White House Office of the Press Secretary (2013-09-24). "President Obama Nominates David Jeremiah Barron to Serve on the United States Court of Appeals" (Press release). Washington, D.C. Retrieved 2015-11-18.
  7. ↑ "Secret U.S. Memo Made Legal Case to Kill a Citizen" New York Times October 8, 2011
  8. ↑ "A Thin Rationale for Drone Killings". The New York Times. 2014-06-24. Retrieved 2015-11-18.
  9. ↑ Lauter, David; Phelps, Timothy (2014-06-23). "Memo justifying drone killing of American Al Qaeda leader is released". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2015-11-18.
  10. ↑ "David J. Barron". Harvard Law School. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
  11. ↑ "Presidential Nominations Sent to the Senate" White House September 24, 2013
  12. ↑ "Executive Business Meeting". United States Senate. Committee on the Judiciary. Retrieved 16 January 2014.
  13. ↑ "U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 113th Congress - 2nd Session". Vote Summary: Vote Number 161. United States Senate. Retrieved 21 May 2014.
  14. ↑ "White House to provide lawmakers access to drone memo authorizing killing of American". Washington Post. Retrieved 16 May 2014.
  15. ↑ Serwer, Adam (2014-05-16). "Left at odds over nomination of kill memo author David Barron". MSNBC.com. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  16. ↑ "U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 113th Congress - 2nd Session". United States Senate. Vote Summary: Vote Number 162. Retrieved 22 May 2014. Check date values in: |date= (help)
  17. ↑ "The Awlaki memo and Marty Lederman". Salon.com. 2011-10-09. Retrieved 2014-05-18.
Legal offices
Preceded by
Michael Boudin		 Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
2014–present 		Incumbent
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