Randall Ray Rader

Randall Rader
Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
In office May 31, 2010 – May 30, 2014
Preceded by	Paul Michel
Succeeded by	Sharon Prost
Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
In office August 9, 1990 – June 30, 2014
Appointed by	George H. W. Bush
Preceded by	Jean Bissell
Succeeded by	Kara Stoll
Personal details
Born	April 21, 1949 Hastings, Nebraska, U.S.
Alma mater	Brigham Young University, Utah George Washington University

Randall Ray Rader (born April 21, 1949) is a former Circuit Judge, and former Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

Early life, education, and career

Born in Hastings, Nebraska, Rader received a Bachelor of Arts in English from Brigham Young University in 1974 and a Juris Doctor from The George Washington University Law School in 1978. Rader served in staff positions on the House of Representatives from 1975 to 1980, first as a legislative assistant to U.S. Rep. Virginia Smith from 1975 to 1978, then as counsel to U.S. Rep. Philip Crane, and legislative director of the United States House Committee on Ways and Means from 1978 to 1981. He then served as counsel to the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary from 1980 to 1988. While counsel to the Judiciary Committee, he was Chief Counsel or Minority Chief Counsel for the Subcommittee on the Constitution and the Subcommittee on Patents, Trademarks, and Copyrights.

Federal judicial service

President Ronald Reagan appointed Rader to the United States Court of Federal Claims in 1988, to succeed Robert M. M. Seto. The United States Senate confirmed the nomination by unanimous consent on August 11, 1988.^[1] On June 12, 1990, Rader was nominated by President George H. W. Bush to a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit vacated by Jean Galloway Bissell.^[2] Rader was confirmed by the Senate on August 3, 1990, and received his commission on August 9, 1990.

While on the Federal Circuit, Rader has served as a law professor, having taught patent law and advanced intellectual property courses at the University of Virginia School of Law, Georgetown University Law Center, Washington, DC, the Munich Intellectual Property Law Center, and The George Washington University Law School, Washington, DC. Rader is co-author of a casebook on patent law used at over sixty-five law schools. He has received many awards, including the J. William Fulbright Award for Distinguished Public Service, 2000. As an appellate judge, Rader has also led or participated in over sixty delegations to foreign nations, usually to teach rule of law or intellectual property concepts in developing nations.^[3]

In 2010, Rader became Chief Judge of the Federal Circuit succeeding Chief Judge Paul Michel upon his retirement.^[4] Along with his new administrative duties, he continued to speak at law schools and at international conferences.^[5]

On May 23, 2014, Rader announced his resignation as Chief Judge effective May 30, 2014.^[6] Rader remained a judge on the court, and Judge Sharon Prost succeeded him as Chief Judge.^[7] On June 13, 2014, Rader announced his retirement from the court effective June 30, 2014.^[7]

Breach of an ethical obligation

His resignation as Chief Judge and his announcement of retirement come in the wake of his admitted breach of an ethical obligation not to lend the prestige of the judicial office to advance the private interests of others.^[8] Rader had sent a laudatory e-mail to a member of the bar of the Federal Circuit and asked that member to show that e-mail to other members of the Bar.^[7] Rader also recused himself from a couple of cases he had presided over, due to the participation of the attorney in question.^[9]

Works and publications

• Adelman, Martin J.; Randall R. Rader (2003). Cases and materials on patent law (2nd ed.). St. Paul, MN: Thomson/West. LCCN 2003267458.
• Adelman, Martin J.; Randall R. Rader (2008). Patent law in a nutshell. St. Paul, MN: Thomson/West. LCCN 2008273962.

References

1. PN950-100: Randall R. Rader , of Virginia, to be a Judge of the United States Claims Court for the term of fifteen years vice Robert M. M. Seto, term expired.
2. Bennett, Marion T. (1991). The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit: A History, 1982–1990. Washington, D.C.: United States Judicial Conference Committee on the Bicentennial of the Constitution of the United States. p. 149. LCCN 91601231.
3. Members of the Advisory Council to the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, compilers (2004). The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit: A History, 1990–2002. Washington, D.C.: The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. p. 49. LCCN 2004050209.
4. Scarcella, Mike (2009-11-23). "Federal Circuit Chief Judge Paul Michel Announces Retirement".
5. "A Conversation about International Patent Law with Chief Judge Randall Rader, Santa Clara High Law Institute".
6. Ashby, Jones; Brent, Kendall (May 23, 2014). "Federal Circuit’s Judge Rader Resigns as Chief Judge; Will Remain on Court". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
7. Ashby, Jones (June 13, 2014). "Judge Rader, Author of Controversial Email to Lawyer, to Resign from Bench". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
8. "An Open Letter from Chief Judge Randall R. Rader" (PDF).
9. "Judge Who Recused Himself From Patent Cases Resigns as Chief Judge" The Wall Street Journal, May 23, 2014

External links

• Randall Ray Rader at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
• Interview with Randall Rader by Matthew J. Dowd
• Rader's letter of resignation as Chief Judge, May 23, 2014
• Appearances on C-SPAN