Chad Readler | |
|---|---|
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| Judge of theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit | |
| Assumed office March 7, 2019 | |
| Appointed by | Donald Trump |
| Preceded by | Deborah L. Cook |
| United States Assistant Attorney General for theCivil Division | |
Acting | |
| In office December 11, 2017 – September 4, 2018 | |
| President | Donald Trump |
| Preceded by | Himself |
| Succeeded by | Jody Hunt |
| In office January 30, 2017 – November 16, 2017 | |
| President | Donald Trump |
| Preceded by | Benjamin C. Mizer (acting) |
| Succeeded by | Himself |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Chad Andrew Readler (1972-08-23)August 23, 1972 (age 53) |
| Political party | Republican |
| Education | University of Michigan (BA,JD) Ohio State University (attended) |
Chad Andrew Readler (RAYD-ler; born August 23, 1972)[1] is an American lawyer and adjunct professor who serves as aUnited States circuit judge of theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Prior to his appointment, he was a principal deputy and former acting assistant attorney general for theCivil Division of theUnited States Department of Justice. He was also apartner at the law firmJones Day.
Readler graduated from theUniversity of Michigan in 1994. He attended theOhio State University Moritz College of Law for one year, then transferred to theUniversity of Michigan Law School, where he was an editor of theUniversity of Michigan Journal of Law Reform. He graduated in 1997 with aJuris Doctor degreecum laude.
After graduating from law school, Readler served as alaw clerk for JudgeAlan Eugene Norris of the Sixth Circuit from 1997 to 1998. From 1998 to 2017, Reader was in private practice at the law firmJones Day in itsColumbus, Ohio, office, becoming apartner in 2007[2] in the firm's Issues and Appeals practice.[3] While at Jones Day, Readler represented theR. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company in challenging aBuffalo, New York, restriction prohibiting tobacco ads from appearing within 1,000 feet of schools, playgrounds, and day-care centers.[4] He argued that the law infringed upon the Company's First Amendment right to advertise.[5]
He also successfully argued before theSupreme Court of the United States inMcQuiggin v. Perkins on behalf of apro bono client claimingactual innocence. His otherpro bono representations include representing capital defendants before theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit and theSupreme Court of Ohio, representing defendants sentenced to life in prison before the Sixth Circuit, and challenging dismissals of claims filed bypro se litigants.[2] While at Jones Day, Readler traveled to Nairobi with Lawyers Without Borders to train Kenyan lawyers in prosecuting domestic violence cases, and he was also a recipient of the American Marshall Memorial Fellowship awarded by the German Marshall Fund of the United States.[6]
Prior to becoming a judge, Readler served as Acting United States Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division from January 2017 to September 2018. In that role, Readler led and supervised the Department of Justice's largest litigating division and actively briefed and argued several cases on behalf of the United States in federal courts across the country.[2]
He was involved in some of the most high-profile cases in theTrump administration. As Acting U.S. Assistant Attorney General, Readler defended the Trump administration's attempt to add acitizenship question on the 2020 Census, based on the allegation that the Department of Justice had requested the Department of Commerce to add the question.[7] In a fractured majority, the Supreme Court later determined that false, "ruling that the justification that the government offered at the time for including the citizenship question was just apretext."[8]
On June 7, 2018, PresidentDonald Trump announced his intent to nominate Readler to serve as a United States Circuit Judge of theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.[2] On June 18, 2018, his nomination was sent to the Senate. President Trump nominated Readler to the seat being vacated by JudgeDeborah L. Cook, who previously announced her intention to assumesenior status on a date to be determined.[9] In June 2018, U.S. SenatorSherrod Brown said he did not plan to return ablue slip for Readler's nomination, while U.S. SenatorRob Portman said he planned to support Readler's nomination.[10] On October 10, 2018, a hearing on his nomination was held before theSenate Judiciary Committee.[11]
During his confirmation hearing, Democrats criticized Readler for having supported a Republican lawsuit aimed at dismantling theAffordable Care Act, including its protections for individuals withpre-existing conditions.[12][13]
On January 3, 2019, his nomination was returned to the President underRule XXXI, Paragraph 6 of theUnited States Senate. He was renominated on January 23, 2019.[14] On February 7, 2019, his nomination was reported out of committee by a 12–10 vote.[15] On March 5, 2019, the Senate invokedcloture on his nomination by a 53–45 vote.[16] On March 6, 2019, his nomination was confirmed by a 52–47 vote.[17] He received his judicial commission on March 7, 2019.[18]
Readler currently teaches a Presidential Powers Seminar at the University of Michigan Law School and the Moritz College of Law at The Ohio State University.
Notable cases as a circuit court judge
Readler is a member of theFederalist Society.[23]
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.| Legal offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Benjamin C. Mizer Acting | United States Assistant Attorney General for theCivil Division Acting 2017–2018 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Judge of theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit 2019–present | Incumbent |