Judith Ann Wilson Rogers (born July 27, 1939) is a
senior United States circuit judge of the
.
Early life and career
Judith Ann Wilson was born on July 27, 1939, in
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
.
Her father is noted architect
John Louis Wilson Jr., known for his work in designing public buildings in New York City.
Rogers received an
Artium Baccalaureus degree from
Radcliffe College
Radcliffe College was a Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Cambridge, Massachusetts, that was founded in 1879. In 1999, it was fully incorporated into Harvard Colle ...
in 1961, a
Bachelor of Laws
A Bachelor of Laws (; LLB) is an undergraduate law degree offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree and serves as the first professional qualification for legal practitioners. This degree requires the study of core legal subje ...
from
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School (HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, Harvard Law School is the oldest law school in continuous operation in the United ...
in 1964, and a
Master of Laws
A Master of Laws (M.L. or LL.M.; Latin: ' or ') is a postgraduate academic degree, pursued by those either holding an undergraduate academic law degree, a professional law degree, or an undergraduate degree in another subject.
In many jurisdi ...
from the
University of Virginia School of Law in 1988.
After graduating from law school, she was a
law clerk
A law clerk, judicial clerk, or judicial assistant is a person, often a lawyer, who provides direct counsel and assistance to a lawyer or judge by Legal research, researching issues and drafting legal opinions for cases before the court. Judicial ...
at the Juvenile Court of the
District of Columbia
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and Federal district of the United States, federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from ...
from 1964 to 1965. She then worked as an
Assistant United States Attorney for the
District of Columbia
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and Federal district of the United States, federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from ...
from 1965 to 1968, a staff attorney at
San Francisco
San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
Neighborhood Legal Assistance Foundation from 1968 to 1969, and a trial attorney at the
United States Department of Justice Criminal Division from 1969 to 1971. From 1971 to 1972, she was General Counsel for the Congressional Commission on the Organization of the District Government, where she helped develop
home rule
Home rule is the government of a colony, dependent country, or region by its own citizens. It is thus the power of a part (administrative division) of a state or an external dependent country to exercise such of the state's powers of governan ...
legislation for the District of Columbia.
She worked on legislative affairs in the District government from 1972 to 1979, a period in which the District held its first elections for
city council
A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, borough counc ...
and
mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...
under the new
District of Columbia Home Rule Act
The District of Columbia Home Rule Act is a United States federal law passed on December 24, 1973, which devolved certain congressional powers of the District of Columbia to local government, furthering District of Columbia home rule. In par ...
. In 1979, Rogers became the first female
corporation counsel for the District of Columbia.
In 1983, Rogers became an Associate Judge of the
District of Columbia Court of Appeals
The District of Columbia Court of Appeals is the highest court of the District of Columbia, the capital city of the United States. The court was established in 1942 as the Municipal Court of Appeals, and it has been the court of last resort ...
, the highest court for the
District of Columbia
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and Federal district of the United States, federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from ...
. She served as Chief Judge of that court from 1988 to 1994.
Federal judicial service
Rogers was nominated by President
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...
on November 17, 1993, to a seat on the
vacated by Judge
Clarence Thomas. She was confirmed by the
United States Senate
The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...
on March 10, 1994. She received her commission on March 11, 1994.
She became the fourth woman to be appointed to the court. On June 3, 2022, she announced her intent to assume
senior status in September 2022. She assumed
senior status on September 1, 2022.
In March 2017, Rogers argued the
First Amendment provides the public a qualified right to access prisoners' court filings when the court, unanimous in judgment but in divided opinions, found that the press could not access
classified video of
Jihad Ahmed Mustafa Dhiab being
force fed during the
Guantanamo Bay hunger strikes.
In August 2017, Rogers partially dissented when the court found that
mandatory minimum sentences as applied to the
Nisour Square massacre killers were unconstitutional
cruel and unusual punishments.
In February 2020, Rogers dissented when the majority held that the
United States House Committee on the Judiciary could not enforce a
subpoena upon President Trump's former
White House Counsel,
Don McGahn.
On November 12, 2021, Rogers wrote for the unanimous panel in allowing the
USPS regulator to set higher mail rates.
See also
*
List of African-American federal judges
*
List of African-American jurists
*
List of first women lawyers and judges in Washington D.C.
References
External links
*
*
American Bar Association profile
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Rogers, Judith Ann Wilson
1939 births
Living people
20th-century American judges
20th-century American women judges
21st-century American judges
21st-century American women judges
African-American judges
Assistant United States attorneys
Harvard Law School alumni
Judges of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals
Judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit
Lawyers from New York City
Radcliffe College alumni
United States court of appeals judges appointed by Bill Clinton
University of Virginia School of Law alumni