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Paul Niemeyer

From Ballotpedia
Paul Niemeyer
United States Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit
Tenure
1990 - Present
Years in position
35
Prior offices:
United States District Court for the District of Maryland
Years in office: 1988 - 1990
Education
Bachelor's
Kenyon College, 1962
Law
Notre Dame Law School, 1966
Personal
Birthplace
Princeton, NJ


Paul Victor Niemeyer is afederal judge on theUnited States Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit. He joined the court in 1990 after being nominated by PresidentGeorge H.W. Bush. Prior to joining the Fourth Circuit, Judge Niemeyer served as a judge on theUnited States District Court for the District of Maryland.[1]

Education

Niemeyer graduated from Kenyon College with his bachelor's degree in 1962, and from Notre Dame Law School with hisJ.D. in 1966.[1]

Professional career

From 1966 to 1988, Niemeyer was in private practice inBaltimore, Maryland.[1]

Judicial career

4th Circuit Court of Appeals

Nomination Tracker
Fedbadgesmall.png
Nominee Information
Name: Paul V. Niemeyer
Court:United States Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit
Progress
Confirmed 85 days after nomination.
ApprovedANominated: May 11, 1990
ApprovedAABA Rating:Unanimously Well Qualified
Questionnaire:
ApprovedAHearing: July 16, 1990
QFRs:(Hover over QFRs to read more)
ApprovedAReported: July 26, 1990 
ApprovedAConfirmed: August 4, 1990
ApprovedAVote: Unanimous consent

Niemeyer was nominated by PresidentGeorge H.W. Bush on May 11, 1990, to a seat vacated by JudgeHarrison Winter as Winter assumedsenior status. TheAmerican Bar Association rated NiemeyerUnanimously Well Qualified for the nomination.[2] Hearings on Niemeyer's nomination were held before theUnited States Senate Committee on the Judiciary on July 16, 1990, and his nomination was reported by then-U.S. Sen.Joseph Biden (D-Del.) on July 26, 1990. Niemeyer was confirmed in theU.S. Senate by unanimous consent on August 3, 1990, and he received his commission on August 7, 1990.[1][3]

United States District Court for the District of Maryland

Niemeyer was nominated by PresidentRonald Reagan on September 11, 1987, to a seat vacated by JudgeFrank Kaufman as Kaufman assumedsenior status. Hearings on Niemeyer's nomination were held before theSenate Judiciary Committee on January 27, 1988, and his nomination was reported by then-U.S. Sen.Joseph Biden (D-Del.) on February 4, 1998. Niemeyer was confirmed in theU.S. Senate by unanimous consent on February 19, 1988, and he received his commission on February 22, 1988. He resigned from the district court on August 10, 1990, upon his elevation to theFourth Circuit. Niemeyer was succeeded in this position by JudgeBenson Legg.[1][4]

Noteworthy cases

Challenge to Virginia ban on same-sex marriage (2014)

See also:United States Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit (Bostic v. Rainey, et al, No. 14-1173)

JudgeHenry Floyd wrote the 2-1 opinion affirming theEastern District of Virginia's ruling that found a ban on same-sex marriages to be unconstitutional. JudgeRoger Gregory joined the majority opinion andPaul Niemeyer wrote the dissent. The majority found the defendants arguments that the law protected responsible procreation, proper child-rearing and the tradition of marriage, to be in violation of theFourteenth Amendment's Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses. Judge Floyd wrote in conclusion:

“We recognize that same-sex marriage makes some people deeply uncomfortable. However, inertia and apprehension are not legitimate bases for denying same-sex couples due process and equal protection of the laws. Civil marriage is one of the cornerstones of our way of life. It allows individuals to celebrate and publicly declare their intentions to form lifelong partnerships, which provide unparalleled intimacy, companionship, emotional support, and security. The choice of whether and who to marry is an intensely personal decision that alters that course of an individual's life. Denying same-sex couples this choice prohibits them from participating fully in our society, which is precisely the type of segregation that the Fourteenth Amendment cannot countenance.[5][6]”

In dissent, JudgePaul Niemeyer wrote that theUnited States Constitution does not explicitly define fundamental right for same-sex marriages it should be left to the States to decided if it should be recognized or not. He wrote:

“The U.S. Constitution does not, in my judgement, restrict the States' policy choices on this issue. If given the choice, some States will surely recognize same-sex marriage and some will surely not. But that is, to be sure, the beauty of federalism.[5][6]”

See also

External links


Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by
-		United States Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit
1990-Present		Succeeded by
-
Preceded by
-		United States District Court for the District of Maryland
1988-1990		Succeeded by
-


US-CourtOfAppeals-4thCircuit-Seal.png
v • e
Federal judges who have served theU.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
Active judges

Chief Judge: Albert Diaz  •  Steven Agee  •  Harvie Wilkinson  •  Paul Niemeyer  •  Robert King  •  Roger Gregory  •  James Wynn  •  DeAndrea G. Benjamin  •  Stephanie Thacker  •  Pamela A. Harris  •  A. Marvin Quattlebaum Jr.  •  Julius Richardson  •  Allison Jones Rushing  •  Toby Heytens  •  Nicole Berner

Senior judges

Barbara Keenan  •  Diana Motz  •  William Traxler  •  Henry Floyd  •  

Former judgesHugh Lennox Bond  •  Karen J. Williams  •  Clyde Hamilton  •  Blane Michael  •  Dennis Shedd  •  Allyson Duncan  •  Michael Luttig  •  Emory Sneeden  •  Samuel Ervin  •  James Sprouse  •  Charles Henry Simonton  •  Nathan Goff  •  Edmund Waddill  •  Jeter Connelly Pritchard  •  Martin Augustine Knapp  •  John Carter Rose (Maryland)  •  Andre Davis  •  Charles Albert Woods  •  Morris Ames Soper  •  Elliott Northcott  •  John Johnston Parker  •  James Phillips (Court of Appeals Judge)  •  Armistead Dobie  •  Harrison Winter  •  James Craven  •  Donald S. Russell  •  Albert Bryan, Sr.  •  John Butzner  •  Hiram Widener  •  Herbert Boreman  •  John Field (West Virginia)  •  Kenneth Hall (West Virginia)  •  J. Spencer Bell  •  Clement Haynsworth  •  Francis Murnaghan  •  Simon Sobeloff  •  William Walter Wilkins  •  
Former Chief judges

Karen J. Williams  •  Harvie Wilkinson  •  William Traxler  •  Samuel Ervin  •  John Johnston Parker  •  Harrison Winter  •  Clement Haynsworth  •  Simon Sobeloff  •  William Walter Wilkins  •  


Maryland District.jpeg
v • e
Federal judges who have served theUnited States District Court for the District of Maryland
Active judges

Chief Judge: George L. Russell, III  •  Julie Rubin  •  Theodore Chuang  •  Stephanie A. Gallagher  •  Lydia Kay Griggsby  •  Paula Xinis  •  Deborah Boardman  •  Matthew Maddox  •  Brendan Hurson  •  Adam Abelson

Senior judges

Richard Bennett (Maryland)  •  Catherine Blake  •  William M. Nickerson  •  Deborah Chasanow  •  Ellen Hollander  •  James Bredar  •  

Magistrate judgesCharles Day  •  Susan Gauvey  •  Jillyn Schulze  •  Timothy J. Sullivan  •  C. Bruce Anderson  •  David Copperthite  •  Mark Coulson  •  Gina Simms  •  
Former Article III judges

Alexander Williams  •  William Paca  •  James Winchester  •  James Houston  •  Theodorick Bland  •  Elias Glenn  •  Upton Scott Heath  •  John Glenn (Maryland)  •  William Fell Giles  •  Thomas John Morris  •  Paul Niemeyer  •  John Carter Rose (Maryland)  •  Benson Legg  •  Walter Black  •  Andre Davis  •  Marvin Garbis  •  Alex Harvey  •  William Quarles  •  Roger Titus  •  Peter Messitte  •  Joseph Young (Maryland)  •  Morris Ames Soper  •  William Caldwell Coleman  •  William Calvin Chesnut  •  Joseph Clemens Howard  •  Harrison Winter  •  Charles Blair  •  John Hargrove  •  Shirley Jones  •  Frank Kaufman  •  James Rogers Miller Jr. (Federal judge)  •  Herbert Murray  •  Edward Northrop  •  Norman Ramsey  •  Roszel Thomsen  •  Robert Watkins  •  Frederic Smalkin  •  Paul Grimm  •  George Jarrod Hazel  •  

Former Chief judges

Benson Legg  •  Catherine Blake  •  Walter Black  •  Alex Harvey  •  Frederick Motz  •  William Caldwell Coleman  •  Frank Kaufman  •  Edward Northrop  •  Roszel Thomsen  •  Robert Watkins  •  Frederic Smalkin  •  James Bredar  •  


Ronald Reagan
v • e
Federal judges nominated byRonald Reagan
1981

Bartlett •Beam •Becker •Bork •Cacheris •Cardamone •Chapman •Coughenour •Cox •Crow •Cyr •Doumar •Eschbach •Forrester •Garwood •Gibson •Glasser •Hall •Hamilton •Head •Jones •Kiser •Krenzler •Lee •Magnuson •McLaughlin •Miner •Moore •Nowlin •O'Connor •Pierce •Posner •Potter •Russell •Ryan •Shabaz •Sprizzo •Stevens •Waters •Wilhoit •Wilkins •Winter

1982

Acker •Acosta •Altimari •Bell •Bissell •Black •Bullock •Caldwell •Coffey •Contie •Coyle •Dowd •Fagg •Fong •Fox •Gadbois •Gibson •Ginsburg •Hart •Higginbotham •Hogan •Irving •Jackson •Jolly •Kanne •Kovachevich •Krupansky •Lynch •Mansmann •McNamara •Mencer •Mentz •Mihm •Moody •Nordberg •Paul •Pieras •Plunkett •Porfilio •Potter •Pratt •Rafeedie •Restani •Roberts •Scalia •Selya •Telesca •Wellford

1983

Baldock •Barbour •Barry •Bowman •Carman •Carter •Curran •Davis •Dorsey •Feldman •Fish •Flaum •Gibbons •Hallanan •Harris •Hinojosa •Hull •Hupp •Katz •Keenan •Kelly •Kram •Laffitte •Limbaugh, Sr. •Limbaugh, Sr. •Milburn •Nesbitt •Nevas •O'Neill •Rymer •Sharp •Starr •Vinson •Vukasin •Wexler •

Woods
1984

Barker •Beezer •Biggers •Billings •Bissell •Boyle •Brewster •Browning •DiCarlo •Duhe •Garcia •George •Hall •Hargrove •Higgins •Hill •Holland •Ideman •Jarvis •Keller •Leavy •Lee •Legge •Leisure •Little •Livaudais •Longobardi •McKibben •Milburn •Newman •Norgle •Prado •Rea •Rosenblatt •Rovner •Scirica •Smith, Jr. •Sneeden •Stotler •Suhrheinrich •Torruella •Wiggins •Wilkinson

1985

Alley •Altimari •Anderson •Aquilino •Archer •Arnold •Baldock •Batchelder •Battey •Broomfield •Brown •Brown •Brunetti •Buckley •Cobb •Conmy •Cowen •Davidson •Dimmick •Duff •Easterbrook •Edgar •Farnan •Fernandez •Fitzpatrick •Fuste •Greene •Gunn •Guy •Hall •Hilton •Holderman •Hughes •Johnson •Jones •Korman •Kozinski •La Plata •Leinenweber •Letts •Lovell •Ludwig •Maloney •Mansmann •Marcus •McDonald •Meredith •Miller •Mills •Miner •Motz •Nelson •Noonan •Porfilio •Revercomb •Rhoades •Ripple •Rodriguez •Rosenbaum •Roth •Ryan •Sam •Scott •Sentelle •Silberman •Sporkin •Stanton •Stapleton •Strand •Strom •Tacha •Tevrizian •Thompson •Todd •Tsoucalas •Walker •Walter •Weber •Williams •Wilson •Wingate •Wolf •Wollman •Young •Zloch

1986

Anderson •Boggs •Bryan •Cedarbaum •Cholakis •Conway •Davies •Dearie •Dubina •Duggan •Edmondson •Fawsett •Fitzwater •Gex •Graham •Hackett •Hansen •Henderson •Hittner •Howard •Jensen •Kay •Kleinfeld •Kosik •Lagueux •Lechner •Magill •Mahoney •Manion •McAvoy •McQuade •Norris •O'Scannlain •Rehnquist •Ryskamp •Scalia •Selya •Simpson •Smalkin •Spencer •Stiehl •Wilkins •Williams •Woodlock •Zatkoff

1987

Alesia •Beam •Bell •Conboy •Cowen •Cummings •Daronco •Doty •Dwyer •Ebel •Ellis •Gadola •Gawthrop •Greenberg •Harrington •Howard •Hoyt •Hutchinson •Kanne •Kelly •Larimer •Leavy •Lew •Marsh •Mayer •McKinney •Michel •Mukasey •Musgrave •Niemeyer •Parker •Phillips •Politan •Pro •Raggi •Reasoner •Reed •Scirica •Sentelle • Smith •Smith •Stadtmueller •Standish •Tinder •Torres •Trott •Turner •Van Antwerpen •Voorhees •Webb •Whipple •Wolin •Wolle •Wood •Zagel

1988

Arcara •Babcock •Brorby •Butler •Cambridge •Camp •Conlon •Cox •Dubois •Duhe •Ezra •Forester •Friedman •Garza •Hutton •Jordan •Kennedy •Lake •Lamberth •Lifland •Lozano •Marovich •Nygaard •Patterson •Schell •Smith •Smith •Tilley •Waldman •Zilly

George H.W. Bush
v • e
Federal judges nominated byGeorge H.W. Bush
1989

Barksdale •Bonner •Buckwalter •Cyr •Fernandez •Garbis •Harmon •Lee •Lindberg •Lodge •Nelson •Nottingham •Plager •Rosen •Rymer •Smith •Spatt •Thomas •VanBebber •J. Walker •V. Walker •Wiener •Wright

1990

Alito •Amon •Birch •Boudin •Cleland •Clevenger •Dubina •Hamilton •Henderson •Hood •Hornby •Jones •Kent •Levi •Loken •Lourie •Martin •McBryde •McClure •McKenna •McLaughlin •McNamee •Moreno •Mullen •Nelson •Nickerson •Niemeyer •Norton •Parker •Pickering •Rader •Rainey •Randolph •Shanstrom •Shedd •Shubb •Singleton •Skretny •Souter •Sparr •Stahl •Stamp •Suhrheinrich •Taylor •Vollmer •Ware •Wilson

1991

Albritton •Andersen •Armstrong •Arnold •Bartle •Bassler •Batchelder •Beckwith •Belot •Benson •Blackburn •Bramlette •Brody •Brody •Burrell •Carnes •Caulfield •Cauthron •Clement •Collier •Conway •Cooper •Dalzell •DeMent •DeMoss •Doherty •Echols •Edmunds •Faber •Freeh •Gaitan •Garza •Graham •Haik •Hamilton •Hansen •Hendren •Herlong •Highsmith •Hogan •Huff •Hurley •Irenas •Johnson •Joyner •Kelly •Kleinfeld •Legg •Leonard •Lewis •Longstaff •Lungstrum •Luttig •Matia •McCalla •McDade •McKeague •McKelvie •Means •Merryday •Moore •Morgan •Nielsen •Nimmons •Osteen Sr. •Padova •Payne •Reinhard •Robinson •Robreno •Roll •Roth •Schlesinger •Scullin •Siler •Solis •Sotomayor •Sparks •Stohr •Thomas •Traxler •Trimble •Ungaro •Van Sickle •Wanger •Werlein •Whyte •

Yohn
1992

Baird •Barbadoro •Black •Boudin •Carnes •Covello •DiClerico •Gilbert •Gonzalez •Gorton •Hansen •Heyburn •Jackson •Jacobs •Keeley •Kendall •Kopf •Kyle •Lewis •McAuliffe •McLaughlin •Melloy •Preska •Quist •Randa •Rosenthal •Rovner •Schall •Sedwick •Simandle •Stahl •Vratil •Williams