Ruben Castillo
| Ruben Castillo | |
| Current Court Information: | |
| United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois | |
| Title: | Judge |
| Position: | Seat #6 |
| Service: | |
| Appointed by: | Bill Clinton |
| Active: | 5/9/1994 - Present |
| Preceded by: | Nicholas Bua |
| Personal History | |
| Born: | 1954 |
| Home State: | Chicago, IL |
| Bachelors: | Loyola U. Chicago, B.A., 1976 |
| Law School: | Northwestern U. School of Law, J.D., 1979 |
Contents |
Ruben Castillo is an Article III federal judge for the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. He joined the court in 1994 after being nominated by President Bill Clinton.
Castillo has been mentioned as a possible candidate for the Supreme Court of the United States in the Obama Administration.[1]
Early life and education
Born in Chicago, Illinois, Castillo graduated from Loyola-Chicago with his Bachelor's in 1976 and with his law degree from Northwestern in 1979.[2] Castillo grew up in the in West Town neighborhood of Chicago, a blue-collar community on the city's near northwest side.[3]
Castillo's father was a Mexican immigrant and his mother was Puerto Rican. He was the first member of his family to graduate from college.[1]
Professional career
Castillo worked in private practice for Jenner & Block in Chicago, Illinois from 1979 to 1984, and was the only attorney of Hispanic descent working at the firm at that time. Castillo was an Assistant U. S. Attorney in the Special Criminal Prosecutions Division of the United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Illinois from 1984 to 1988.[2] As a prosecutor, Castillo received numerous awards including the Department of Justice Special Achievement Award and special commendations for exemplary work from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Agency, and the U.S. Customs Service.[3] During one of his prosecutions, a contract was taken out on his life by a drug-dealer, leading the police to place Castillo and his family under protective custody.[1]
Castillo served as Regional Counsel for the Mexican American Legal Defense Fund from 1988 to 1991. [2] Castillo was a lead advocate for the Mexican American community, initiating matters on employment discrimination and working to address issues including voting rights, education and immigration. Castillo's advocacy played a key role in the creation of Chicago's first Hispanic congressional district. In addition to his important work with the Mexican American community, Judge Castillo served as an Adjunct Professor of trial advocacy at Northwestern University School of Law from 1989 to 1998.[3]
In 1991, Castillo returned to private practice in Chicago, Illinois until 1994.[2]
Judicial career
Northern District of Illinois
On the recommendation of U.S. Senators Paul Simon and Carol Mosley-Braun, Castillo was nominated to the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois by President Bill Clinton on January 27, 1994, to a seat vacated by Nicholas John Bua. Castillo was confirmed by the Senate on May 6, 1994, and received commission on May 9, 1994. [4]
Federal Sentencing Commission
In 1999, Castillo was appointed by President Clinton to be the Vice-Chair of the Federal Sentencing Commission.[5] The Sentencing Commission is an independent agency in the Federal judicial branch whose purpose is to establish sentencing policies and practices for the federal criminal justice system. The commission's goal is to assure proper justice by making detailed guidelines that set the appropriate sentences for offenders convicted of federal crimes. Judge Castillo was the first Hispanic judge appointed to the Sentencing Commission since its creation in 1985. [3]
Castillo was also an outspoken advocate during his current tenure on the Federal Sentencing Commission to reduce prison sentences on people convicted of possession, sale, and manufacture of crack-cocaine by retroactively reducing criminal penalties on offenders if they were convicted under tough drug laws passed in the 1980's that were signed into law by President Reagan.[6] Those laws have come under criticism from civil libertarians and many judges who claim that crack cocaine offenders are treated more harshly than users of powder which resulted in stiffer penalties for African Americans[7].
On December 11, 2007 the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that judges may deviate from the strict sentencing guidelines developed during the "war on drugs" which was instituted during the Reagan Administration and impose looser sentences on those convicted on the sale, manufacture, or possession of [7].
Castillo supported leniency for crack-cocaine offenders by stating: "Our country has moved in the wrong direction with regard to the so-called war on drugs," Castillo said before the vote. "We need to refocus this war"[7].
Castillo voted his support for eliminating mandatory minimums by claiming that about 85% of the offenders sentenced (for crack cocaine) across all federal judicial districts are African American[7].
Mandatory Minimums
Castillo's work on the Federal Sentencing Commission has allowed him to earn his reputation as a jurist who opposes mandatory minimum sentences.
Castillo has been a lead advocate to loosen Federal sentencing standards for the possession, sale and manufacture of crack-cocaine. Castillo's advocacy for these measures have came off of recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions that gave Federal District trial judges more discretion in handing down sentences[8].
Castillo has also based his arguments on racial disparities on sentences. In the matter of USA V. Kilmbrough which was a case that upheld the decision of a district judge who rejected a guidelines range because he disagreed with the policy behind treating one gram of crack cocaine as the equivalent of 100 grams of the powder form said: the "key question is how far this language in Kimbrough goes." Castillo said he would "hate to get to the point where we have super-duper guidelines and regular guidelines. If Kimbrough authorizes that all of the guidelines may have to be revamped. Maybe that's where we're headed".[8]
However, Castillo has been an advocate for harsh sentences on crimes involving investment fraud, waste, and abuse by supporting harsher sentences on laws including the Sarbanes-Oxley Act especially in the event if corporations do not report their violations. Castillo said "A good corporate citizen must in the first instance operate ethically.” The Commission also determined that there may be limited situations where an organization may need to waive its attorney-client privilege to qualify for a full, potential fine reduction in relation to violations of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act[9].
See also
External links
- Judge Ruben Castillo at the Northern District of Illinois website
- Judge Ruben Castillo Federal Judicial Center Biography
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Salon, "Ten Picks for Obama's Supreme Court", November 19, 2008
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Judge Ruben Castillo Federal Judicial Center Biography
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 "Just the Beginning Foundation" Ruben Castillo Biography, December 17, 2008
- ↑ "THOMAS" Ruben Castillo USDC, NDIL confirmation: PN1045-103
- ↑ "THOMAS" Ruben Castillo USSC confirmation: PN500-106
- ↑ "THOMAS" Ruben Castillo USSC 2004 confirmation: PN1814-108
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 "Los Angeles Times", Ruling could free 2,500 drug inmates, December 12, 2007
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 "BNA", Speakers Say Guidelines for Fraud Cases May Change to Reflect Sentencing Realities, November 3, 2008
- ↑ "Mississippi Bar Association", Sentencing Commission Toughens Requirements, April 13, 2004
| Federal judicial offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by: Nicholas Bua |
Northern District of Illinois 1994–Current Seat #6 |
Succeeded by: NA |
| |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 |
Adams • Ambrose • Barnes • Brinkema • Bucklew • Chasanow • Coffman • Daughtrey • Ferguson • Ginsburg • Hagen • Jackson • Lancaster • Leval • Lindsay • Messitte • Michael • Piersol • Saris • Schwartz • Seybert • Shanahan • Shaw • Stearns • Trager • Vazquez • Wilken • Wilson | ||
| 1994 |
Baer • Barkett • Batts • Beaty • Benavides • Bennett • Berrigan • Biery • Block • Borman • Breyer • Briones • Bryson • Bucklo • Burgess • Burrage • Cabranes • Calabresi • Carr • Casellas • Castillo • Chatigny • Chin • Cindrich • Coar • Collins • Cooper • Cote • Currie • Davis • Dominguez • Downes • Duval • Friedman • Furgeson • Garcia • Gertner • Gettleman • Gillmor • Gilmore • Gleeson • Haggerty • Hamilton • Hannah • Hawkins • Henry • Holmes • Hood • Hull • Hurley • Jack • Jones • Jones • Kaplan • Katz • Kern • Kessler • Koeltl • Lisi • Manning • McKee • McLaughlin • Melancon • Miles-LaGrange • Moore • Motz • Murphy • O'Malley • O'Meara • Oliver • Paez • B. Parker • F. Parker • R. Parker • Perry • Ponsor • Pooler • Porteous • Rendell • Riley • Robertson • Rogers • Ross • Russell • Sands • Sarokin • Scheindlin • Silver • Squatrito • Stewart • Sullivan • Tatel • Thompson • Timlin • Urbina • Vanaskie • Vance • Walls • Wells • Williams | ||
| 1995 |
Arterton • Atlas • Black • Blake • Briscoe • Tena Campbell • Todd Campbell • Chesney • Cole • Collier • Daniel • Davis • Dennis • Dlott • Donald • Duffy • Economus • Evans • Fallon • Folsom • Gaughan • Goodwin • Heartfield • Hunt • Illston • Jones • King • Kornmann • Lawson • Lenard • Lucero • Lynch • McKinley • Moody • Moore • Moskowitz • Murphy • Murtha • Nugent • O'Toole • Orlofsky • Pogue • Sessions • C. Smith • O. Smith • Stein • Thornburg • Tunheim • Wallach • Wardlaw • Webber • Whaley • Winmill • Wood | ||
| 1996 |
Broadwater • Clevert • Fenner • Gershon • Gottschall • Greenaway • Hinkle • Jones • Kahn • Laughrey • Lemmon • Marten • Miller • Molloy • Montgomery • Pregerson • Rakoff • Sargus • Tashima • Thomas • Zapata | ||
| 1997 |
Adelman • Bataillon • Breyer • Caputo • Casey • Chambers • Clay • Damrell • Droney • Friedman • Gajarsa • Garland • Gilman • Gold • Gwin • Hall • Hayden • Hull • Ishii • Jenkins • Kauffman • Kennedy • Kimball • Kollar-Kotelly • Lazzara • Marbley • Marcus • Middlebrooks • Miller • Moon • Pratt • Rendell • Sippel • Siragusa • Snyder • Thrash | ||
| 1998 |
Aiken • Barbier • Barzilay • Berman • Buttram • Carter • Collins • Dawson • Dimitrouleas • Fletcher • Fogel • Frank • Graber • Hellerstein • Herndon • James • Johnson • Kane • Kelly • G. King • R. King • Lasnik • Lee • Lemelle • Lindsay • Lipez • Manella • Matz • McCuskey • McKeown • McMahon • Mickle • Mollway • Mordue • Moreno • Morrow • Munley • Murphy • Pallmeyer • Pauley • Polster • Pooler • Rawlinson • Ridgway • R. Roberts • V. Roberts • Sack • Scott • Seitz • Seymour • Shea • Silverman • Sleet • Sotomayor • Steeh • Story • Straub • Tagle • Tarnow • Trauger • Traxler • Tyson • Wardlaw • Whelan • Young | ||
| 1999 |
Alsup • Barry • Brown • Buchwald • Cooper • Eaton • Ellison • Feess • Fisher • Gould • Guzman • Haynes • Hibbler • Hochberg • Hurd • Huvelle • Jordan • Katzmann • Kennelly • Linn • Lorenz • Lynn • Marrero • Murguia • Pannell • Pechman • Pepper • Phillips • Schreier • Stewart • Underhill • Ward • Williams • Wilson | ||
| 2000 |
Ambro • Antoon • Battani • Berzon • Bolton • Brady • Bye • Cavanaugh • Daniels • Darrah • Dawson • Dyk • Fuentes • Garaufis • Garcia-Gregory • Gregory • Hamilton • Huck • Hunt • Lawson • Lefkow • Lynch • Martin • McLaughlin • Moody • Murguia • Paez • Pisano • Presnell • Rawlinson • Reagan • Schiller • Singal • Steele • Surrick • Swain • Tallman • Teilborg • Tucker • Whittemore | ||
