Christopher R. Cooper
| Christopher Cooper | |
|---|---|
| File:JudgeChristopherCooper.jpg | |
| Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia | |
| Assumed office March 28, 2014 |
|
| Appointed by | Barack Obama |
| Preceded by | Royce Lamberth |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1966 (age 57–58) Mobile, Alabama, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Yale University Stanford University |
Christopher "Casey" Reid Cooper (born 1966) is an United States federal judge. Formerly a lawyer in private practice, Cooper was appointed to the United States District Court for the District of Columbia in 2013 and was confirmed the following year.
Contents
Early life and education
Cooper received a B.A. summa cum laude, in 1988 from Yale University, where he was also a member of Phi Beta Kappa.[1][2] He received a J.D. with distinction in 1993 from Stanford Law School, where he was president of the Stanford Law Review.[1][2]
Legal career
He served as a law clerk for Judge Abner J. Mikva of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit from 1993 to 1994.[1] From 1994 to 1996, he served as a Special Assistant to the Deputy Attorney General in the United States Department of Justice.[1][2]
He served as an associate at Miller, Cassidy, Larroca & Lewin LLC from 1996 until its merger with Baker Botts LLP in 2001, serving as a partner at the latter firm until 2012, when he joined Covington & Burling LLP as a partner.[1] Cooper remained at Covington & Burling until his appointment to the federal bench.[1] While in private practice, Cooper "represented diverse sets of clients in both criminal and civil investigations, with a focus on white-collar and anti-corruption matters."[2]
Cooper served on the Obama/Biden transition team in 2008 as an advisor on Justice Department issues.[3][4]
Federal judicial service
Appointment
On August 1, 2013, President Barack Obama nominated Cooper to serve as a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, to the seat vacated by Judge Royce C. Lamberth, who took senior status on July 15, 2013.[2] On January 16, 2014 his nomination was reported out of the Senate Judiciary Committee.[5]
On March 13, 2014, Senator Harry Reid filed a motion to invoke cloture on the nomination. On March 26, 2014, cloture was invoked in a 56-43 vote.[6] He was confirmed later that same day by a vote of 100-0.[7] He received his commission two days later.[8]
Noteworthy cases
Among Cooper's notable cases in the U.S. District Court is the criminal case of Ahmed Abu Khattala, who is charged with orchestrating the 2012 Benghazi attack. (The matter is currently pending trial.)[3]
In 2014, Cooper rejected a challenge brought by various pet-breeding groups against the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The challengers sought to invalidate Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service regulations affecting certain pet breeders who make Internet sales. Cooper upheld the rules in a "pun-filled" decision.[9]
In 2015, Cooper issued a 21-page decision dismissing a suit brought by the Florida counties of Indian River and Martin seeking to block the All Aboard Florida railway project on environmental grounds. Cooper ruled that the countries lacked standing to pursue their claim, and wrote: "The Court is mindful of the vigorous debate in Central and South Florida over whether the express railway should be built. But the relative merits of the project are not for this Court to decide."[10]
Personal life
Cooper is an African-American.[11]
Cooper is married to Amy Jeffress, a former Justice Department official and national security counselor to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder.[3][4]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Christopher R. Cooper Final Senate Questionnaire (January 6, 2014.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 President Obama Nominates Six to Serve on the United States District Courts, White House Office of the Press Secretary (August 1, 2013).
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Ann Marimow, Well-connected rookie judge to preside over Khattala Benghazi trial, Washington Post (July 7, 2014).
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Zoe Tillman, Covington's Casey Cooper Chosen for D.C. District Court, Blog of the Legal Times (August 2, 2013).
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- ↑ Michael Doyle, Judge unleashes USDA's rules for pet breeders who sell online, McClatchy Washington Bureau (November 10, 2014).
- ↑ Michael Doyle, Court sidetracks challenge to Florida train project McClatchy Washington Bureau (June 11, 2015).
- ↑ Active African-American Article III Judges, Minority Corporation Counsel Association.
External links
- Christopher Reid Cooper at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
| Legal offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia 2014–present |
Incumbent |
- Pages with broken file links
- Wikipedia articles incorporating text from the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges
- 1966 births
- African-American judges
- Judges of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia
- Living people
- People from Mobile, Alabama
- Stanford Law School alumni
- United States district court judges appointed by Barack Obama
- Washington, D.C. lawyers
- Yale University alumni
