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Richard J. Leon

Judge, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Senior status. Born 1949.

Federal judicial service

Newest first

Judge, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia

Appointed by
George W. Bush (Republican)
Nominated
Sep 10, 2001
Senate vote
Voice vote
Confirmed
Feb 14, 2002
Commissioned
Feb 19, 2002
Senior status
Dec 31, 2016

Education

  • A.B., College of the Holy Cross, 1971
  • J.D., Suffolk University Law School, 1974
  • LL.M., Harvard Law School, 1981

Career

  • Law clerk, Massachusetts Superior Court, 1974-1975
  • Law clerk, Hon. Thomas F. Kelleher, Supreme Court of Rhode Island, 1975-1976
  • Attorney, Immigration and Naturalization Service, U.S. Department of Justice Honors Program, 1976-1977
  • Special assistant U.S. attorney, Civil Division, Southern District of New York, 1977-1978
  • Assistant professor of law, St. John's University School of Law, 1979-1983
  • Senior trial attorney, Criminal Section, Tax Division, U.S. Department of Justice, 1983-1987
  • Deputy chief minority counsel, U.S. House of Representatives Select Committee to Investigate Covert Arms Transactions with Iran, 1987-1988
  • Deputy assistant attorney general, Environment and Natural Resources Division, U.S. Department of Justice, 1988-1989
  • Private practice, Washington, D.C., 1989-2002
  • Commissioner, White House Fellows Commission, 1990-1993
  • Chief minority counsel, October Surprise Task Force, U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs, 1992-1993
  • Special counsel, Whitewater investigation, U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Banking, Finance and Urban Affairs, 1994
  • Adjunct professor, Georgetown University Law Center, 1997-
  • Special counsel, U.S. House of Representatives Ethics Reform Task Force, 1997
  • Commissioner, Judicial Review Commission on Foreign Asset Control, 2000-2001
  • Adjunct professor, George Washington University Law School, 2004-

DataSources: Federal Judicial Center, Biographical Directory of Article III Federal JudgesData as of Oct 29, 2026

A work of the U.S. government, not under copyright (17 U.S.C. 105).