Colleen Kollar-Kotelly
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Colleen Kollar-Kotelly is a federal judge for the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. She joined the court in 1997 after being nominated by President Bill Clinton.
Early Life and Education
Born in New York, New York, Kollar-Kotelly graduated from the Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law with her Bachelor's degree in 1965 and Juris Doctor degree in 1968.[1]
Legal Career
Kollar-Kotelly was a law clerk for an Appeals Judge, Catherine Kelly, in the District of Columbia Court of Appeals from 1968 to 1969. From 1969 to 1972, Kollar-Kotelly was a Staff Attorney in the Criminal Appeals Division for the United States Department of Justice. Kollar-Kotelly served as Chief Legal Counsel for the United States Department of Health and Human Services from 1972 to 1984. From 1984 to 1997, Kollar-Kotelly served as Associate Judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.[1]
Federal Judicial Career
Kollar-Kotelly was nominated to the United States District Court for the District of Columbia by President Bill Clinton on January 7, 1997 to a seat vacated by Harold Greene. Kollar-Kotelly was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on March 20, 1997 on a Senate voice vote and received commission on March 26, 1997. [1][2]
Notable cases
Guantanamo detainee case
Judge Kollar-Kotelly on September 25, 2009 ordered that a Kuwaiti-national detainee held at Guantanamo Bay be released after being held in prison for seven years. In a declassified opinion, the judge found that federal prosecutors did not have enough evidence to keep Fouad al-Rabiah detained for a long time period. Rabiah became the 30th person held at Guantanamo to be released in 2009. [3]
Federal pardon disclosure
On July 31, 2009, Judge Kollar-Kotelly ruled in a lawsuit that unsuccessful applicants for pardons and commutations of prison sentences must be disclosed to the public. Kollar-Kotelly also stated that no applicant for a pardon would have their chances harmed if their information was disclosed. [4]
George Lardner, a Washington Post reporter, sued the US Justice Department's Office of Pardon Attorney after being denied a Freedom of Information Act request to look at who applied for pardons when George W. Bush was President. [4]
Muslim mafia
Judge Kollar-Kotelly was the presiding judge in a case involving the author of the book Muslim Mafia. The judge ruled against the author publishing intelligence documents he had access to while posing as an intern to gather such documents. Also, the judge ordered the author to retract other private documents in the book[5].
External Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Judge Kollar-Kotelly Biography from the Federal Judicial Center.
- ↑ "THOMAS" Colleen Kollar-Kotelly USDC, DC confirmation: PN15-105
- ↑ "New York Times" Kuwaiti Ordered Released From Guantánamo Bay, September 25, 2009
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "McClathy-DC" Presidential pardon applicants to become public, July 31, 2009
- ↑ "Talking Points Memo" Judge Bars Muslim Mafia Authors From Publishing Docs Lifted From CAIR, November 4, 2009
