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Boasberg, James Emanuel
Born 1963  in San Francisco, CA
Federal Judicial Service:
Judge, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
Nominated by Barack Obama on January 5, 2011, to a seat vacated by Thomas F. Hogan. Confirmed by the Senate on March 14, 2011, and received commission on March 17, 2011. Served as chief judge, 2023-present.
Other Federal Judicial Service:
Judge, Superior Court of the District of Columbia, 2002-2011
Judge, Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, 2014-2021; presiding judge, 2020-2021
Judge, Alien Terrorist Removal Court, 2020-2025; chief judge, 2020-2025
Education:
Yale College, B.A., 1985
University of Oxford, M.St., 1986
Yale Law School, J.D., 1990
Professional Career:
Federal Judicial Service:
Judge, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
Nominated by Barack Obama on January 5, 2011, to a seat vacated by Thomas F. Hogan. Confirmed by the Senate on March 14, 2011, and received commission on March 17, 2011. Served as chief judge, 2023-present.
Other Federal Judicial Service:
Judge, Superior Court of the District of Columbia, 2002-2011
Judge, Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, 2014-2021; presiding judge, 2020-2021
Judge, Alien Terrorist Removal Court, 2020-2025; chief judge, 2020-2025
Education:
Yale College, B.A., 1985
University of Oxford, M.St., 1986
Yale Law School, J.D., 1990
Professional Career:
Law clerk, Hon. Dorothy W. Nelson, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, 1990-1991
Private practice, San Francisco, California, 1991-1994
Private practice, Washington, D.C., 1995-1996
Assistant U.S. attorney, District of Columbia, 1996-2002
Member, Judicial Conference of the United States, 2023-present
Nominated to U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, June 17, 2010; no Senate vote
