Marilyn L. Huff (born March 6, 1951) is a
senior
Senior (shortened as Sr.) means "the elder" in Latin and is often used as a suffix for the elder of two or more people in the same family with the same given name, usually a parent or grandparent. It may also refer to:
* Senior (name), a surname ...
United States district judge
The United States district courts are the trial courts of the U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each federal judicial district. Each district covers one U.S. state or a portion of a state. There is at least one feder ...
of the
.
Education and career
Huff was born in
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor is a city in Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851, making it the List of municipalities in Michigan, fifth-most populous cit ...
. She received a
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...
degree from
Calvin College
Calvin University, formerly Calvin College, is a private Christian university in Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1876, Calvin University is an educational institution of the Christian Reformed Church and stands in the Reforme ...
in 1972 and a
Juris Doctor
A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...
from the
University of Michigan Law School
The University of Michigan Law School (branded as Michigan Law) is the law school of the University of Michigan, a public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Founded in 1859, the school offers Master of Laws (LLM), Master of Comparati ...
in 1976. She was in private practice of law in
San Diego
San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...
,
California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
, from 1976 to 1991.
Federal judicial service
Huff was nominated by President
George H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker BushBefore the outcome of the 2000 United States presidential election, he was usually referred to simply as "George Bush" but became more commonly known as "George H. W. Bush", "Bush Senior," "Bush 41," and even "Bush th ...
on March 12, 1991, to a seat on the
vacated by Judge
William Benner Enright
William Benner Enright (July 12, 1925 – March 7, 2020) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of California.
Education and career
Born on July 12, 1925, in New York City, New York, Enr ...
. 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 May 9, 1991, and received her commission on May 14, 1991. She served as Chief Judge from 1998 to 2005. She assumed
senior status on September 30, 2016.
As a judge, she has gained a reputation in the field of intellectual property, speaking around the country on the topic.
Notable cases
''Lucent Technologies v. Microsoft''
This case involved one of the largest awards for a computer code patent infringement in history. The original award was for $368 million. Microsoft made a motion for The final amount awarded with interest was $512 million.
The case involved a patent claim involving selecting a date from a pop-up calendar and the use of a stylus.
''Cooper v. Brown''
After a panel of the Ninth Circuit affirmed Judge Huff's ruling in a death penalty case, the court declined to hear the case en banc over strenuous dissents. Judge William Fletcher wrote: "There is no way to say this politely. The district court failed to provide Cooper a fair hearing." He would also accuse Huff of "flouting" the Ninth Circuit's instructions and intentionally conducting testing in such a way as to deny Cooper the chance to prove his innocence.
Judge
Pamela Ann Rymer
Pamela Ann Rymer (January 6, 1941 - September 21, 2011) was a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Central District o ...
by contrast would defend Judge Huff's ruling and rejected Fletcher's accusation that Huff had abused her discretion.
''Sergeant Gary A. Stein v. United States of America''
This case involved a Marine seeking a temporary restraining order against the Marine Corps. Stein stated that the Marine Corps did not follow their own procedures and the timing and content of the administrative separation proceedings were a deliberate attempt to "railroad" Stein by denying him time to prepare a defense or the ability to seek legal counsel. The majority of the complaint was ignored and the motion was denied on the basis that the panel's decision was not a "sure thing" and that Stein was unable to demonstrate irreparable harm.
References
Sources
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Huff, Marilyn L.
1951 births
Living people
Lawyers from Ann Arbor, Michigan
Judges of the United States District Court for the Southern District of California
United States district court judges appointed by George H. W. Bush
University of Michigan Law School alumni
21st-century American judges
20th-century American women judges
21st-century American women judges