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Robert J. Conrad, Jr.
Nominee to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
- Chief Judge Robert J. Conrad, Jr. of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina is a highly respected jurist who is widely praised by lawyers and fellow judges alike for his intellect, fairness, and judicial temperament.
- Chief Judge Conrad has been nominated to the Fourth Circuit, which hears appeals from the federal district courts of North Carolina, Maryland, South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia. The Senate should give Chief Judge Conrad a fair up-or-down vote and promptly confirm him to the Fourth Circuit.
- The Fourth Circuit, a court which plays a key role in hearing terrorism-related cases, faces an unacceptable 33% vacancy rate. Only ten of fifteen authorized judges are currently conducting the work of the entire court.
- The seat to which Chief Judge Conrad is nominated is considered a "judicial emergency" by the Judicial Conference of the United States.
- Chief Judge Conrad has been waiting for a hearing since his nomination on July 17, 2007.
- Chief Judge Conrad has the strong support of his home state Senators - Elizabeth Dole and Richard Burr.
- Chief Judge Conrad is known for his intelligence, preparation, courtesy towards attorneys and litigants, facility in conducting courtroom proceedings, and fairness in applying the law. He was unanimously rated by the American Bar Association as "Well Qualified" to serve on the Fourth Circuit.
- Chief Judge Conrad has a distinguished record as a district court judge and federal prosecutor.
- In 2005, Chief Judge Conrad was confirmed by bipartisan voice vote to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina, where he sits today. He became Chief Judge on June 3, 2006.
- In October 2001, Chief Judge Conrad was confirmed by bipartisan voice vote to be the United States Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina, where he served until 2004. As a federal prosecutor, he played a key role in the landmark investigation and prosecution of members of a U.S. cell of Hezbollah, the terrorist organization based in Lebanon.
- From 1989 to 2001, Chief Judge Conrad served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the same office. In 1999, he was appointed as Chief of the Campaign Finance Task Force, which investigated irregularities in the 1996 presidential campaigns and a Senate campaign.
- From 2004 to 2005, Chief Judge Conrad was a partner at the law firm of Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw. He previously was in private practice in Charlottesville, Virginia, from 1983 to 1986. His practice focused at different times on commercial litigation, white-collar criminal defense, and corporate investigations.
- Chief Judge Conrad has impeccable academic credentials and professional training.
- He attended Clemson University, where he graduated in 1980 magna cum laude, and was honored as an academic All-American in basketball.
- Chief Judge Conrad received his J.D. from the University of Virginia Law School in 1983.
- Chief Judge Conrad has also contributed his time and energy to the community and to teaching others.
- He has taught at the University of Virginia's trial advocacy college and was an instructor at the Department of Justice's National Advocacy Center in Columbia, South Carolina.
- He has also been active in a variety of non-legal organizations, including his church, and he has dedicated time to coaching boys' and girls' sports.
- Judge Conrad earns bipartisan praise for his commitment to upholding the law:
- "Judge Conrad will not take the bench with any political 'agenda' or predisposition on the outcome of a case before him. His 'abiding principle' of following the rule of law will always be his foundation." Roscoe C. Howard, Jr. former United States Attorney, District of the District of Columbia.
- "[Judge Conrad] approaches his responsibilities as a jurist and as a lawyer with seriousness and intensity coupled with respect for litigants, the public, the judicial process and the law itself." Mark C. Treanor, Senor Executive Vice President, General Counsel & Secretary of Wachovia Corporation.
- "[W]hat has most impressed me . . . is the serious[] manner in which [Judge Conrad] views the role of the judge as an impartial interpreter of the law." D. Scott Broyles, Assistant Professor of Law at Charlotte School of Law and a former Assistant U.S. Attorney under Judge Conrad.
- Joe Erwin, a former Chairman of the South Carolina Democratic Party, states that the most important consideration in selecting judges is that the individual "have an even hand and care more about the law than about any conflicts due to partisanship." He further states, "This describes [Judge Conrad] perfectly."
- "[Judge Conrad] has earned a reputation as knowledgeable and faithful to the law, which is all any party or attorney can ask." Kenneth D. Bell, former Assistant U.S. Attorney and North Carolina trial attorney.
- "This Democrat strongly encourages the Senate to confirm Judge Conrad's nomination to the Fourth Circuit. Like at the district court level, he will base his decisions on the facts and the law, and will humbly serve our legal system, while seeking justice without regard to politics." Mark T. Calloway, former U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina under President Clinton.
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