Robert Bruce King | |
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.jpg) King in 2022 | |
| Judge of theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit | |
| Assumed office October 9, 1998 | |
| Appointed by | Bill Clinton |
| Preceded by | Kenneth Keller Hall |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1940-01-29)January 29, 1940 (age 85)[1] White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Education | West Virginia University (BA,JD) |
Robert Bruce King (born January 29, 1940) is aUnited States circuit judge of theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.
King was born in 1940 inWhite Sulphur Springs,West Virginia. His father died when King was only ten, leaving his mother, Gladys, a widow at thirty-one. Gladys raised King and his two siblings while working in a kitchen atThe Greenbrier resort, all the while instilling in them the importance of hard work and education. King and his sister would later endow a scholarship atWest Virginia University in honor of their mother's dedication to her children and their education.[2]
After receiving hisBachelor of Arts degree fromWest Virginia University in 1961, King entered active duty in theUnited States Air Force and served as an officer in theOffice of Special Investigations. After his discharge in 1964, he returned toGreenbrier County to work as a teacher. While teaching, he met his future wife, a fellow teacher named Julia Kay Doak, and the two wed in April 1965. The following year, King enrolled atWest Virginia University College of Law, where he was a member of theWest Virginia Law Review and president of the Student Bar Association. He graduatedOrder of the Coif in 1968.[2][3]
King began his legal career as alaw clerk inCharleston forJudge John A. Field, Jr. on theSouthern District of West Virginia. After clerking, King joined the firm Haynes & Ford inLewisburg. He returned to Charleston in 1970 to serve as anAssistant United States Attorney in theSouthern District of West Virginia, where he stayed until 1974. One of King's most significant prosecutions during this time involved the bribing of a juror in the 1968 trial of former West Virginia GovernorWilliam Wallace Barron and some of his associates, who faced corruption charges. The jury foreperson confessed to accepting a bribe for acquittals, and Governor Barron subsequently pled guilty, received a twelve-year prison sentence, and became a government witness in the trials of two other people implicated in the bribery. As an Assistant U.S. Attorney, King also prosecuted fiveLogan County officials on civil rights charges relating to electoral fraud.[2]
In 1974, King returned to private practice at Spilman, Thomas, Battle & Klostermeyer inCharleston and became a partner in 1975. While at the Spilman firm, King served on the West Virginia State Bar's Committee on Legal Ethics. He investigated alleged ethical violations by lawyers and represented the committee in proceedings before theSupreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia.[2]
In 1977, at the recommendation of West VirginiaSenator Robert Byrd,President Carter appointed KingU.S. Attorney for theSouthern District of West Virginia. As U.S. Attorney, King took on high-profilewhite-collar crime and public corruption cases. His investigation into the liquor industry and Alcohol Beverage Control Commission of West Virginia resulted in the conviction of more than forty individuals and corporations on charges including commercial bribery, mail fraud, extortion, andRICO violations.[2]
In 1981, King returned to private practice and helped found the law firm King Betts & Allen (now Allen Guthrie McHugh & Thomas). He was a managing partner from 1981 to 1993 and from 1997 until his judicial appointment in 1998. During his thirty years of practice, King tried over 120 cases and argued many appeals. As a federal prosecutor, he prosecuted defendants in cases involving public corruption, electoral fraud, organized crime, and many other crimes. In private practice, he also handled many criminal cases as well as civil cases ranging from wrongful death, personal injury, products liability, professional malpractice, and civil rights. Reflecting on King's record,Judge M. Blane Michael of theFourth Circuit remarked that “there was little that Judge King had not done in the practice of law by the time he became a judge."[2][3]
President Bill Clinton nominated King to theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit on June 24, 1998, after JudgeKenneth Keller Hall assumedsenior status. “It’s the utmost compliment to be recommended and supported bySenator Byrd andSenator Rockefeller,” said King to theCharleston Gazette, “[a]nd the expression of support byPresident Clinton is the greatest honor of my life.” At theSenate Judiciary Committee’s hearing on September 9, 1998, Senator Byrd praised King’s “deep-seated integrity, strong work ethic, and love of public service.” He also compared King toAlexander the Great, who, when presented with an indictment, would “put one hand over one ear and keep that ear closed” to ensure both sides would have an equal opportunity to present their case. “I believe that Bob King will be the same [kind of judge],” said Byrd. TheUnited States Senate unanimously confirmed King to theFourth Circuit on October 8, 1998, and he received his commission the next day.[2][3]
In August 2021, King announced plans to assumesenior status upon the confirmation of a successor.[4] However, in November, he formally withdrew his August letter and announced he would continue on as an active member of the Fourth Circuit.[5] Reports surfaced that judge King preferred former U.S. SenatorCarte Goodwin to be nominated to replace him while the White House preferred J. Jeaneen Legato, a personal-injury lawyer in Charleston, West Virginia.[6][7]
| Legal offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Judge of theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit 1998–present | Incumbent |
| International | |
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| National | |
