Obama Nominates Judge Robert Bacharach to Tenth Circuit
President Obama nominated Oklahoma Judge Robert Bacharach to a seat on the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday.
Judge Bacharach, who currently serves as a federal magistrate judge in Oklahoma City, will replace Judge Robert Henry. Judge Henry left his post as Chief Judge of the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals in 2010 to accept a position as President and CEO of Oklahoma City University, reports Tulsa World.
Judge Bacharach was born in Clarksdale, Mississippi. He attended the University of Oklahoma (BA, '81) and Washington University School of Law (JD, '85), where he graduated Order of the Coif and served as an editor of the Washington University Law Quarterly.
After law school, Judge Bacharach clerked for two years for Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals Judge William J. Holloway, Jr. In 1987, Judge Bacharach joined Crowe & Dunlevy, P.C. in Oklahoma City, and later became a shareholder in the firm. He also taught civil pretrial litigation as an adjunct professor at the University of Oklahoma School of Law.
President Bill Clinton appointed Judge Bacharach as a federal magistrate judge in 1999. Since his appointment, Judge Bacharach has heard nearly 3,000 civil and criminal matters. He has presided over more than 400 judicial settlement conferences, and issued more than 1,600 reports and recommendations in cases involving habeas petitions, prisoner civil rights suits, social security appeals, and other civil matters, according to a White House press release.
Oklahoma's senators, Jim Inhofe and Tom Coburn, both support Bacharach's nomination. Sen. Inhofe commented to The Oklahoman, "I like the guy ... it's not very often the White House and I agree on anything."
Judge Robert Bacharach wasn't the only judicial nominee announced this week. President Obama also nominated William J. Kayatta, Jr. to the First Circuit Court of Appeals.
Related Resources:
- Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals (US Courts)
- Obama Nominates Arizona Supreme Court Justice Andrew Hurwitz (FindLaw's Ninth Circuit blog)
- Stephen Higginson Confirmed for Fifth Circuit in Unanimous Vote (FindLaw's Fifth Circuit blog)
- Judicial Nominee Caitlin Halligan Blocked by Republicans (FindLaw's DC Circuit blog)