Leonard Stark
Leonard Philip Stark is a judge on theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. He was nominated to the court by PresidentJoe Biden (D) on November 3, 2021, and confirmed by theUnited States Senate on February 9, 2022, by a vote of 61-35.[1][2][3] Stark was one of 235Article III judges nominated by PresidentJoe Biden (D) and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. To see a full list of judges appointed byJoe Biden,click here.
TheUnited States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit is one of 13U.S. courts of appeal. They are the intermediateappellate courts of theUnited States federal courts. To learn more about the court,click here.
Stark was afederal judge with theUnited States District Court for the District of Delaware. He joined the court in 2010 after being appointed by PresidentBarack Obama (D). He served as chief judge from 2014 to 2021. Prior to becoming an Article III judge, Stark served as afederal magistrate judge on the court.[4] Stark left his seat on the District of Delaware in February 2022 to join the 3rd Circuit.
Judicial nominations and appointments
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (2022-present)
On November 3, 2021, PresidentJoe Biden (D) nominated Stark to theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.[2] Stark was confirmed by a 61-35 vote of the U.S. Senate on February 9, 2022.[3] To read more about the federal nominations process,click here.
 |
| Nominee Information |
| Name: Leonard Stark |
| Court:United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit |
| Progress |
| Confirmed 98 days after nomination. |
 ANominated: November 3, 2021 |
| AABA Rating:Well qualified |
| Questionnaire:Questionnaire |
| AHearing: December 1, 2021 |
| Hearing Transcript:Hearing Transcript |
| QFRs:QFRs(Hover over QFRs to read more) |
| AReported: January 13, 2022 |
| AConfirmed: February 9, 2022 |
| AVote: 61-35 |
Confirmation vote
The U.S. Senate confirmed Stark by a vote of 61-35 on February 9, 2022.[3] To see a full breakdown of the vote on the official U.S. Senate website,click here.
| Stark confirmation vote (February 9, 2022) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Yea | Nay | No vote | ||||||
 Democratic | 47 | 0 | 1 | ||||||
 Republican | 12 | 35 | 3 | ||||||
 Independent | 2 | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| Total | 61 | 35 | 4 | ||||||
Senate Judiciary Committee hearing
TheSenate Judiciary Committee held hearings on Stark's nomination on December 1, 2021. The committee voted to advance his nomination to the full Senate on January 13, 2022.
Nomination
On November 3, 2021, PresidentJoe Biden (D) nominated Stark to theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.[2]
Stark's nomination was returned to the president at thesine die adjournment of theU.S. Senate on January 3, 2022.[5] The president renominated Stark on the same day.[3]
Stark was nominated to replace JudgeKathleen M. O'Malley, who retired on March 11, 2022.[6][7][8][9]
TheAmerican Bar Association rated StarkWell Qualified with two recusals.[10] To read more about ABA ratings,click here.
U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware (2010-2022)
On March 17, 2010, Stark was nominated to a federal seat on theUnited States District Court for the District of Delaware by PresidentPresident Obama (D).[4][11] The U.S. Senate confirmed Stark on August 5, 2010, by voice vote. Stark received commission the same day.[4] He left the District of Delaware to become a judge on theU.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit. To read more about the federal nominations process,click here.
Confirmation vote
The U.S. Senate confirmed Stark by voice vote on August 5, 2010.[4]
Senate Judiciary Committee hearing
Stark had his hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on April 22, 2010. He was reported to the full Senate on May 13, 2020, without a printed report.[12]
- Click here to access Stark's public questionnaire.
- Click here to access his responses to questions for the record.
Nomination
Stark was nominated to fill the seat vacated by JudgeKent Jordan. Jordan had vacated the seat after being appointed to theU.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in 2006.[4]
Stark was ratedUnanimously Well Qualified by theAmerican Bar Association.[13] To read more about ABA ratings,click here.
Education
Stark received an undergraduate degree in economics and a master's degree in European medieval and early modern history from the University of Delaware. He then earned a doctorate from Oxford University. Stark received his law degree from Yale University in 1996.[4]
Professional career
- 2022-present: Judge,U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
- 2010-2022:U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware
- 2010-2022:Federal judge
- 2007-2010:Federal magistrate judge
- 2002-2007: Assistant U.S. attorney,District of Delaware
- 1998-1999: Adjunct professor, University of Delaware
- 1997-2001: Private practice, Wilmington,Delaware
- 1996-1997: Law clerk, Hon.Walter Stapleton,U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit[14][4]
About the court
Federal Circuit
| Federal Circuit |
|---|
| Court of Appeals |
 |
| Judgeships |
| Posts: 12 |
| Judges: 12 |
| Vacancies: 0 |
| Judges |
| Chief:Kimberly Moore |
| Active judges:William Bryson,Raymond Chen,Raymond Clevenger,Tiffany Cunningham,Timothy Dyk,Kara Farnandez Stoll,Todd Hughes,Richard Linn,Alan Lourie,Haldane Mayer,Kimberly Moore,Pauline Newman,S. Jay Plager,Sharon Prost,Jimmie V. Reyna,Alvin Schall,Leonard Stark,Richard Gary Taranto,Evan Wallach |
TheUnited States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit is afederal appellate court with appellatejurisdiction. It hears appeals based on subject matter and its rulings may be appealed to theSupreme Court of the United States.[15]
Appeals are heard at the Howard T. Markey National Courts Building inWashington, D.C.
The Federal Circuit is the only one of the thirteen federal appeals courts whose jurisdiction is determined entirely on the subject of the lawsuit it hears, rather than on the geographical location from which the appeal originated. It has national jurisdiction over subjects including international trade, government contracts, patents, trademarks, federal personnel, veterans' benefits, and public safety officers' benefits claims.[16] Appeals of rulings by theFederal Circuit are petitioned to theSupreme Court of the United States. Chief JusticeJohn Roberts is thecircuit justice for theFederal Circuit.
The Federal Circuit hears appeals from:
- Article I tribunals:
- United States Court of Federal Claims
- United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims
- United States Trademark Trial and Appeal Board
- United States Board of Appeals and Interferences of the United States Patent and Trademark Office
- Boards of Contract Appeals (for government contracts)
- United States Merit Systems Protection Board (federal employment and employment benefits)
- United States International Trade Commission
- Article III courts:
- United States Court of International Trade
- United States district courts (for patent and certain other appeals)
Specifically, it is the job of the Federal Circuit to hear all appeals fromUnited States district courts related to:
- Non-tort monetary complaints against the federal government where the contested dollar amount is under $10,000 (the "Little Tucker Act").
- All appeals from decisions of any of the United States district courts where the original action included a complaint arising under the patent laws,except, as theSupreme Court decided, if the patent claims arose solely as counterclaims by the defendant.[17] A bill to eliminate this situation,H.R. 2955, was proposed on June 16, 2005, in the 109th Congress, but never passed. The other federal appellate courts can now hear patent counter-claims in theory; however, this happens infrequently.
Examples of cases heard by the Federal Circuit that were also heard during the 2018 Supreme Court term wereKisor v. Wilkie andReturn Mail v. U.S. Postal Service.
To read opinions published by this court, clickhere.
District of Delaware
| District of Delaware |
|---|
| Third Circuit |
 |
| Judgeships |
| Posts: 4 |
| Judges: 4 |
| Vacancies: 0 |
| Judges |
| Chief:Colm Connolly |
| Active judges: Colm Connolly,Jennifer Hall,Maryellen Noreika,Gregory Williams Senior judges: |
TheUnited States District Court for the District of Delaware is one of 94United States district courts. The court operates out of Wilmington,Delaware. When decisions of the court are appealed, they are appealed to theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit based in downtownPhiladelphia at the James Byrne Courthouse.
The District of Delaware hasoriginal jurisdiction over cases filed within its jurisdiction. These cases can include civil and criminal matters that fall under federal law.
The jurisdiction of the District of Delaware consists of all thecounties in the State ofDelaware. The court's headquarters are inWilmington.
See also
- United States District Court for the District of Delaware
- United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
External links
- Biography from theFederal Judicial Center
- U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
Footnotes
- ↑The White House, "President Biden Names Ninth Round of Judicial Nominees," November 3, 2021
- ↑2.02.12.2Congress.gov, "PN1358 — Leonard Philip Stark — The Judiciary," accessed November 4, 2021
- ↑3.03.13.23.3Congress.gov, "PN1508 — Leonard Philip Stark — The Judiciary," accessed January 5, 2022
- ↑4.04.14.24.34.44.54.6Federal Judicial Center, "Stark, Leonard Philip," accessed November 3, 2021Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "bio" defined multiple times with different content - ↑Under Senate Rule XXXI, paragraph 6 of the Standing Rules of the Senate, pending nominations are returned to the president if the Senate adjourns sine die or recesses for more than 30 days.
- ↑The White House, "Nominations Sent to the Senate," November 3, 2021
- ↑U.S. Courts, "Future Judicial Vacancies," accessed July 28, 2021
- ↑Law360, "BREAKING: Judge O'Malley To Retire, Giving Biden 2nd Fed. Circ. Seat," July 28, 2021
- ↑Bloomberg Law, "Federal Circuit Judge Kathleen O’Malley to Retire in March 2022," July 28, 2021
- ↑American Bar Association, "RATINGS OF ARTICLE III AND ARTICLE IV JUDICIAL NOMINEES - 117TH CONGRESS," Last updated November 30, 2021
- ↑White House Press Release, "Presidential Nominations Sent to the Senate," March 17, 2010
- ↑Congress.gov, "PN1563 — Leonard Philip Stark — The Judiciary," accessed February 10, 2022
- ↑Senate Judiciary Committee, "Judicial Nomination Materials"(dead link)
- ↑White House Press Release, "President Obama Nominates Judge Leonard Stark and Amy Totenberg to the United States District Court," March 17, 2010
- ↑UScourts.gov, "Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit," accessed May 12, 2021
- ↑United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, "Court Jurisdiction," accessed August 9, 2019
- ↑Justia, "Holmes Group, Inc. v. Vornado Air Circulation Systems, Inc., 535 U.S. 826, 2002," accessed May 12, 2021
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Kathleen M. O'Malley | United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit 2022-Present | Succeeded by - |
| Preceded by - | United States District Court for the District of Delaware 2010-2022 | Succeeded by - |
| |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Active judges | Chief Judge: Kimberly Moore • Leonard Stark • Sharon Prost • Pauline Newman • Alan Lourie • Timothy Dyk • Jimmie V. Reyna • Richard Gary Taranto • Raymond Chen • Todd Hughes • Kara Farnandez Stoll • Tiffany Cunningham | ||
| Senior judges | Alvin Schall • Haldane Mayer • Richard Linn • William Bryson • S. Jay Plager • Raymond Clevenger • Evan Wallach • | ||
| Former judges | Kathleen M. O'Malley • Paul Michel • Randall Rader • Arthur Gajarsa • Daniel Friedman • Glenn Archer • James Almond • Jean Bissell • Phillip Baldwin • Marion Bennett • Arnold Cowen • Oscar Davis • Shiro Kashiwa • Don Laramore • Howard Markey • Jack Miller • Philip Nichols • Helen Nies • Giles Rich • Byron Skelton • Edward Samuel Smith • | ||
| Former Chief judges | Paul Michel • Sharon Prost • Haldane Mayer • Glenn Archer • Howard Markey • Helen Nies • | ||
Federal courts:
Third Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court:District of Delaware • U.S. Bankruptcy Court:District of Delaware
State courts:
Delaware Supreme Court•Superior Court of Delaware•Delaware Court of Chancery•Delaware Family Court•Delaware Court of Common Pleas•Delaware Justice of the Peace Courts•Delaware Alderman's Courts
State resources:
Courts in Delaware •Delaware judicial elections •Judicial selection in Delaware
- Pages using DynamicPageList3 parser function
- Appointed by Barack Obama
- Appointed by Joe Biden
- Confirmed 2010
- Confirmed 2022
- Delaware
- Federal Article III judges
- Federal judge, United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
- Federal judiciary nominee, March 2010
- Federal judiciary nominee, November 2021
- Former chief judge
- Former chief judge, United States District Court for the District of Delaware
- Former federal judge
- Former federal judge, United States District Court for the District of Delaware
- United States of America
- Federal judge, Federal Circuit
- Returned nominee 2022
- Former federal judge, District of Delaware
- Former magistrate judge, District of Delaware
- Former chief judge, District of Delaware
