American federal judge (born 1963)
Robert Leon Wilkins
(born October 2, 1963) is an American lawyer and jurist serving as
United States circuit judge
of the
United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
. He previously served as a judge of the
United States District Court for the District of Columbia
from 2010 to 2014.
Wilkins' 2013 nomination to the D.C. Circuit, along with the nominations of
Patricia Millett
and
Nina Pillard
, ultimately became central to the debate over the use of the
filibuster
in the United States Senate, leading to the use of the
nuclear option
to bring it to the floor for a vote.
Early life and education
[
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]
Wilkins was born in 1963 in
Muncie, Indiana
,
[1]
where he was raised by a single mother.
[2]
He studied
chemical engineering
at
Rose?Hulman Institute of Technology
, graduating in 1986 with a
Bachelor of Science
,
cum laude
.
[3]
Wilkins then attended
Harvard Law School
, where he was an executive editor of the
Harvard Civil Rights?Civil Liberties Law Review
. He graduated with a
Juris Doctor
in 1989.
[4]
[5]
Professional career
[
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]
After law school, Wilkins was a
law clerk
for Judge
Earl Ben Gilliam
of the
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California
from 1989 to 1990.
[6]
Wilkins worked at the
Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia
from 1990 to 2002,
[1]
serving as chief of special litigation from 1996 to 2000.
[4]
From 2002 to 2010, Wilkins was in private practice as a
partner
at the
Washington, D.C.
law firm
Venable LLP
, where he litigated
patent
disputes and other cases.
[7]
Wilkins was a member of the presidential commission that advised President
George W. Bush
on the establishment of the
Smithsonian Institution
's
National Museum of African American History and Culture
.
[8]
He wrote about this experience, and the long history of the project, in
Long Road to Hard Truth: The 100 Year Mission to Create the National Museum of African American History and Culture
, published in 2016.
[5]
Wilkins v. Maryland State Police
[
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]
In May 1992, Wilkins was in a rented vehicle with three other family members when they were pulled over by
Maryland State Police
for violating the
speed limit
.
[9]
At the time, the Maryland State Police Department instructed their officers to focus on black males in expensive vehicles when conducting
traffic stops
.
[10]
Wilkins filed suit in the case of
Wilkins v. Maryland State Police
and eventually won a "landmark" settlement against the state of Maryland.
[10]
[11]
As part of the case settlement, Maryland was required to maintain records of all traffic stops that resulted in vehicle search requests.
[10]
The case helped bring national attention to the practice of
racial profiling
and helped popularize the term "
driving while black
".
[12]
[13]
Federal judicial service
[
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]
District court service
[
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]
During the
111th Congress
,
Delegate
Eleanor Holmes Norton
recommended Wilkins for filling a vacancy on the
United States District Court for the District of Columbia
.
[14]
On May 20, 2010, President
Barack Obama
nominated Wilkins to be a judge on the District Court for the District of Columbia, to a seat vacated by Judge
James Robertson
, who assumed
senior status
on December 31, 2008.
[4]
He was confirmed by the
United States Senate
on December 22, 2010.
[15]
Wilkins received his commission on December 27, 2010. His service as a district court judge was terminated on January 24, 2014 when he was elevated to the court of appeals.
[5]
President Barack Obama delivers a statement announcing the nomination of Robert Leon Wilkins,
Cornelia Pillard
, and
Patricia Millett
D.C. Circuit service
[
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]
On June 4, 2013, President Obama nominated Wilkins to serve as a United States Circuit Judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, to the seat vacated by Judge
David B. Sentelle
, who assumed
senior status
on February 12, 2013.
[16]
On October 31, 2013, the
United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary
voted to report Wilkins' nomination to the floor of the United States Senate by a 10?8, party-line vote.
[17]
[18]
On November 14, 2013, Senate Majority Leader
Harry Reid
motioned to invoke
cloture
on Wilkins' nomination, seeking to end a
filibuster
of his nomination by Senate Republicans. The Senate failed to invoke cloture on November 18, 2013, by a 53?38 vote, with
Orrin Hatch
voting "present".
[19]
Reid planned to hold a vote on Wilkins' nomination before the Senate adjourned for the year on December 20, but the vote did not take place. Cloture was subsequently invoked on January 9, 2014, by a 55?38 vote, with
Orrin Hatch
voting "present".
[20]
He was confirmed by the
United States Senate
on January 13, 2014 by a 55?43 vote.
[21]
His confirmation marked the first time the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit had a full complement of judges in over 22 years since
Clarence Thomas
left the court on October 23, 1991, upon his joining the
United States Supreme Court
.
[
citation needed
]
He received his commission on January 15, 2014.
[5]
After the death of Justice
Antonin Scalia
on February 13, 2016, Wilkins' name was among those mentioned by court-watchers as a possible successor.
[22]
[23]
[24]
In April 2018, Wilkins wrote for the majority when it found that a
Federal Trade Commission
staff letter rejecting an earlier staff letter and concluding that use of
soundboard technology
violates the
Telemarketing and Consumer Fraud and Abuse Prevention Act
was not itself subject to
judicial review
under the
Administrative Procedure Act
, over the dissent of Judge
Patricia Millett
.
[25]
[26]
See also
[
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]
References
[
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]
- ^
a
b
Senate Judiciary Committee Questionnaire: Robert Leon Wilkins
, (May 19, 2010).
- ^
The 90 Greatest Washington Lawyers of the last 30 Years: Robert Wilkins
,
Legal Times
(May 19, 2008).
- ^
Grant Smith,
Alumnus Robert Wilkins Clears Next Hurdle in Nomination to Become U.S. District Court Judge
Archived
March 11, 2012, at the
Wayback Machine
,
Rose?Hulman Alumni Affairs
(August 5, 2010).
- ^
a
b
c
"President Obama Names Three to United States District Court"
.
whitehouse.gov
. May 20, 2010.
Archived
from the original on February 16, 2017 – via
National Archives
.
Alt URL
- ^
a
b
c
d
Robert L. Wilkins
at the
Biographical Directory of Federal Judges
, a publication of the
Federal Judicial Center
.
- ^
Grant Smith,
Obama Nominates Alumnus Robert Wilkins for Federal Bench in Washington, D.C.
,
Rose?Hulman Alumni Affairs
(June 1, 2010).
- ^
Becker, Amanda (May 31, 2010).
"Venable partner nominated U.S. District Court seat"
.
The Washington Post
.
- ^
Lynette Clemetson,
Smithsonian Picks Notable Spot for Its Museum of Black History
,
The New York Times
(January 31, 2006).
- ^
Muffler, Steven J (2006).
Racial Profiling: Issues, Data and Analyses
. Nova Science Publishers. pp. 62?63.
ISBN
978-1-59454-547-4
.
- ^
a
b
c
Brent Staples,
Editorial Observer; Why 'Racial Profiling' Will be Tough to Fight
,
The New York Times
(May 24, 1999).
- ^
"ACLU, Civil Rights Groups and Maryland Officials Reach Landmark Racial Profiling Settlement"
.
aclu.org
, April 2, 2003. Retrieved December 23, 2010.
- ^
Racial Profiling
,
Transcript: NewsHour with Jim Lehrer
(March 13, 2001).
- ^
Meeks, Kenneth (March 10, 2010).
Driving While Black: What To Do If You Are A Victim of Racial Profiling
. Broadway. pp.
21
?38.
ISBN
978-0-7679-0549-7
.
- ^
Mike Scarcella,
Venable's Robert Wilkins Nominated for Federal Bench in D.C.
,
The Blog of Legal Times
(May 20, 2010).
- ^
David Ingram,
Senate Confirms Five Judicial Nominees
,
The Blog of Legal Times
(December 22, 2010).
- ^
Shear, Michael D. (June 3, 2013).
"Obama Names 3 to Top Appeals Court in Challenge to Republicans"
.
The New York Times
. Retrieved
June 3,
2013
.
- ^
"Results of Executive Business Meeting - October 31, 2013"
(PDF)
.
- ^
"Robert Wilkins Nomination for D.C. Circuit Passes Committee"
.
The BLT: The Blog of Legal Times
.
- ^
"On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture on the Nomination of Robert L. Wilkins, to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the D.C. Circuit)"
. U.S. Senate.
- ^
"On the Cloture Motion (Upon Reconsideration Motion to Invoke Cloture on the Nomination of Robert Wilkins to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the D.C. Circuit)"
. U.S. Senate.
- ^
"On the Nomination (Confirmation Robert Leon Wilkins, of D.C., to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the D.C. Circuit)"
. U.S. Senate.
- ^
Lithwick, Dahlia (February 13, 2016).
"Obama's Supreme Court Short List"
. Slate
. Retrieved
February 13,
2016
.
- ^
The Associated Press (February 14, 2016).
"Who Obama Might Nominate to Replace Scalia on Supreme Court"
.
The New York Times
.
ISSN
0362-4331
. Retrieved
February 15,
2016
.
- ^
"In search for Scalia's successor, Obama may see GOP opposition as incentive to select a liberal"
.
Los Angeles Times
. February 15, 2016
. Retrieved
February 15,
2016
.
- ^
Note,
Recent Case: D.C. Circuit Holds that Informal Staff Letters Are Not Eligible for Judicial Review Under the Administrative Procedure Act
, 132
Harv. L. Rev.
1345 (2019).
- ^
Soundboard Ass’n v. FTC
,
888 F.3d 1261
(D.C. Cir. 2018).
External links
[
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]
Media related to
Robert L. Wilkins
at Wikimedia Commons