Taranto, Richard Gary Born 1957 in New York, NY Federal Judicial Service: Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit Nominated by Barack Obama on January 4, 2013, to a seat vacated by Paul Redmond Michel. Confirmed by the Senate on March 11, 2013, and received commission on March 12, 2013. Education: Pomona College, B.A., 1977 Yale Law School, J.D., 1981 Professional Career: Law clerk, Hon. Abraham Sofaer, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, 1981-1982 Law clerk, Hon. Robert Bork, U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, 1982-1983 Law clerk, Hon. Sandra Day O'Connor, Supreme Court of the United States, 1983-1984 Private practice, Washington, D.C., 1984-1986, 1989-2013 Assistant to the solicitor general, U.S. Department of Justice, 1986-1989