Randall Ray Rader (born April 21, 1949) is a former

United States Circuit Judge In the United States, a federal judge is a judge who serves on a court established under Article Three of the U.S. Constitution. Often called "Article III judges", federal judges include the chief justice and associate justices of the U.S. Su ...

and former

Chief Judge Chief judge may refer to: In lower or circuit courts The highest-ranking or most senior member of a lower court or circuit court with more than one judge. * Chief judge (Australia) * Chief judge (United States) In supreme courts Some of Chief ...

of the

United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (in case citations, Fed. Cir. or C.A.F.C.) is one of the 13 United States courts of appeals. It has special appellate jurisdiction over certain categories of cases in the U.S. federa ...

Early life, education, and career

Born in

Hastings Hastings ( ) is a seaside town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to th ...

Nebraska Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...

, Rader 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 in English from

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU) is a Private education, private research university in Provo, Utah, United States. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is the flagship university of the Church Educational System sponsore ...

in 1974 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

George Washington University Law School The George Washington University Law School (GW Law) is the law school of George Washington University, a Private university, private research university in Washington, D.C. Established in 1865, GW Law is the oldest law school in Washington, D. ...

in 1978. Rader served in staff positions on the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

from 1975 to 1980, first as a legislative assistant to

United States Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

Virginia D. Smith from 1975 to 1978, then as counsel to United States Representative

Philip Crane Philip Miller Crane (November 3, 1930 – November 8, 2014) was an American politician. He was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from 1969 to 2005, representing the 8th District of Illinois in the northwestern s ...

, and legislative director of the

United States House Committee on Ways and Means The Committee on Ways and Means is the chief tax-writing committee of the United States House of Representatives. The committee has jurisdiction over all taxation, tariffs, and other revenue-raising measures, as well as a number of other progr ...

from 1978 to 1981. He then served as counsel to the

United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary The United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary, informally known as the Senate Judiciary Committee, is a Standing committee (United States Congress), standing committee of 22 U.S. senators whose role is to oversee the United States Departm ...

from 1980 to 1988. While counsel to the Judiciary Committee, he was Chief Counsel or Minority Chief Counsel for the Subcommittee on the Constitution and the Subcommittee on Patents, Trademarks, and Copyrights.

Federal judicial service

President

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...

appointed Rader to the

United States Court of Federal Claims The United States Court of Federal Claims (in case citations, Fed. Cl. or C.F.C.) is a United States federal courts, United States federal court that hears monetary claims against the Federal government of the United States, U.S. government. It ...

in 1988, to succeed Robert M. M. Seto. 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 ...

confirmed the nomination by

unanimous consent In parliamentary procedure, unanimous consent, also known as general consent, or in the case of the parliaments under the Westminster system, leave of the house (or leave of the senate), is a situation in which no member present objects to a propo ...

on August 11, 1988. On June 12, 1990, Rader 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 ...

to a seat on the

vacated by Judge

Jean Galloway Bissell Jean Galloway Bissell (June 9, 1936 – February 4, 1990) was a South Carolina attorney who became a high-ranking bank executive, and later a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Early life a ...

. Rader was confirmed by the Senate on August 3, 1990, and received his commission on August 9, 1990. While on the Federal Circuit, Rader has served as a law professor, having taught

patent law A patent is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the legal right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention for a limited period of time in exchange for publishing an enabling disclosure of the invention."A ...

and advanced intellectual property courses at the

University of Virginia School of Law The University of Virginia School of Law (Virginia Law) is the law school of the University of Virginia, a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded by Thomas Jefferson in 1819 as part of his "academical village", and now ...

Georgetown University Law Center Georgetown University Law Center is the Law school in the United States, law school of Georgetown University, a Private university, private research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It was established in 1870 and is the largest law ...

, Washington, DC, the

Munich Intellectual Property Law Center The Munich Intellectual Property Law Center (MIPLC) is a center for both research and education in intellectual property and competition law, founded in 2003 and based in Munich, Germany.MIPLC web site''About MIPLC''. Consulted on March 21, 2008. ...

, and the

Washington, D.C. 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. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

Rader is co-author of a

casebook A casebook is a type of textbook used primarily by students in law schools.Wayne L. Anderson and Marilyn J. Headrick, The Legal Profession: Is it for you?' (Cincinnati: Thomson Executive Press, 1996), 83. Rather than simply laying out the legal do ...

on patent law used at over sixty-five law schools. He has received many awards, including the

J. William Fulbright James William Fulbright (April 9, 1905 – February 9, 1995) was an American politician, academic, and statesman who represented Arkansas in the United States Senate from 1945 until his resignation in 1974. , Fulbright is the longest-serving chair ...

Award for Distinguished Public Service, 2000. As an appellate judge, Rader has also led or participated in over sixty delegations to foreign nations, usually to teach

rule of law The essence of the rule of law is that all people and institutions within a Body politic, political body are subject to the same laws. This concept is sometimes stated simply as "no one is above the law" or "all are equal before the law". Acco ...

intellectual property Intellectual property (IP) is a category of property that includes intangible creations of the human intellect. There are many types of intellectual property, and some countries recognize more than others. The best-known types are patents, co ...

concepts in developing nations. In 2010, Rader became

of the Federal Circuit succeeding Chief Judge Paul Redmond Michel upon his retirement. Along with his new administrative duties, he continued to speak at law schools and at international conferences. On May 23, 2014, Rader announced his resignation as Chief Judge effective May 30, 2014. Rader remained a judge on the court, and Judge

Sharon Prost Sharon Prost (born May 24, 1951) is a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Education Prost was born in Newburyport, Massachusetts. She received a Bachelor of Science degree from Cornell Unive ...

succeeded him as Chief Judge. On June 13, 2014, Rader announced his retirement from the court effective June 30, 2014. Rader is on the Board of the International IP Commercialization Council (IIPCC.org), a global NPO NGO. Rader also serves as an advisor to the Mimura Komatsu Law Firm in Tokyo, Japan.

Breach of an ethical obligation

Rader's resignation as Chief Judge and his announcement of retirement came in the wake of his admitted breach of an ethical obligation to not lend the prestige of the judicial office to advance the private interests of others. Rader had sent a laudatory e-mail to a member of the bar of the Federal Circuit and asked that member to show that e-mail to other members of the Bar. Rader also recused himself from a couple of cases he had presided over, due to the participation of the attorney in question.

Works and publications

* *

References

External links

*
Interview with Randall Rader
by Matthew J. Dowd *Rader'
letter of resignation
as Chief Judge, May 23, 2014 * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rader, Randall Ray 1949 births Living people American Latter Day Saints American legal scholars Brigham Young University alumni George Washington University Law School alumni Judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit Judges of the United States Court of Federal Claims United States Article I federal judges appointed by Ronald Reagan United States court of appeals judges appointed by George H. W. Bush University of Virginia School of Law faculty