Andre Davis

Andre Davis
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Current Court Information:
United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
Title:	Judge
Service:
Appointed by:	Barack Obama
Active:	11/10/2009 - Present
Preceded by:	Francis Murnaghan
Past post:	District of Maryland
Past term:	1995-2009
Past position:	Seat #3
Personal History
Born:	1949
Home State:	Baltimore, MD
Undergraduate:	U. of Pennsylvania '71
Law School:	U. Maryland Law '78

Andre Maurice Davis is an Article III federal judge for the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. He was nominated by President Obama and received his commission on November 10, 2009. Davis was officially sworn in on April 30, 2010.

Early life and education

A native Marylander, Davis received his Bachelor's degree in American history from University of Pennsylvania in 1971. Davis later went to Maryland Law from 1975 to 1978 and graduated cum laude in 1978. While at Maryland Law Judge Davis served on the Moot Court Board, and he served as chair of the Honor Board and the Black Law Students Association. Davis was a member of the National Moot Court Team. He was selected as the Best Advocate in the Myerowitz Memorial Moot Court Competition, and in the Marshall-Wythe Moot Court Competition.

Before entering the legal profession and law school, Davis worked as an Assistant Housing Manager and Equal Employment Opportunity Specialist from 1972 to 1974 with the Housing Authority of Baltimore City.

Professional career

After law school, Davis served as law clerk to federal judge Frank Kaufman of the United States District Court for the District of Maryland from 1978 to 1979. Davis also served as a law clerk to Judge Francis Murnaghan for the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals from 1979 to 1980. In 1980, Davis joined the U.S. Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division as an attorney specializing in appeals cases. In 1981, Davis joined the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland as an Assistant United States Attorney serving the Baltimore area. Two years later, Davis entered private practice. From 1984 to 1987, Davis was an an assistant professor at Maryland Law. In 1987, Davis was appointed by the Maryland Governor William Schaeferas judge of the Maryland First District Court. He became a judge of the Eighth Circuit Court in 1990, where he served until his appointment to the federal bench in 1995.

Judicial career

District of Maryland

Davis was nominated by President Bill Clinton on May 4, 1995 to a seat on the United States District Court for the District of Maryland vacated by Walter Black. Davis was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on August 11, 1995 on a majority voice vote and received commission on August 14, 1995.

Fourth Circuit

Judge Davis was tapped by President Obama for the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit on April 2, 2009.

On June 4, 2009, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted to report favorably to the nomination on a 16-3 vote in committee, and Davis was confirmed 72-16 by the Senate on November 9, 2009. He received his commission on November 10, 2009. Prior to his confirmation, Davis was rated Well Qualified by the American Bar Association.

Fourth Circuit nominating controversy

Davis was originally nominated to the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals in 2000 when President Bill Clinton nominated him to the court to replace Francis Murnaghan. The nomination was a part of President Clinton's effort to integrate the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, as an African-American had never served in that circuit as a federal appeals judge. However, Davis was nominated after July 1, 2000, which was the unofficial start date of the Thurmond Rule, which states during a presidential election year that no hearings be scheduled. The nomination was therefore returned to President Clinton at the end of his term.

President George W. Bush chose not to renominate Davis to the Fourth Circuit during his administration. Under his administration, President George W. Bush made three unsuccessful attempts to fill the vacancy in the Fourth Circuit, nominating: Peter Keisler in the spring of 2001, former Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy Claude Allen in 2004, and former Assistant Assistant U.S. Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein in 2007. Those nominations were blocked in part by Maryland U.S. Senators Paul Sarbanes and Barbara Mikulski, who claimed that the nominees were not strong enough members of the Maryland legal community.

See also

• United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit

External links

• Judge Davis on the Maryland Manual
• The Daily Record, "Obama nominates Davis for 4th Circuit seat", April 2, 2009
• To see the Judge Davis Confirmation Questionnaire from the Senate Judiciary Committee click here.
• The Robing Room- Rate Judge Davis

References

Federal judicial offices
Preceded by: Walter Black	District of Maryland 1995–2009 Seat #3	Succeeded by: Ellen Hollander
Preceded by: Francis Murnaghan	Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals 2009–present	Succeeded by: NA

This page is missing notable case information.

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