David Douglas Gustafson (born October 13, 1956) is a

senior Senior (shortened as Sr.) means "the elder" in Latin and is often used as a suffix for the elder of two or more people in the same family with the same given name, usually a parent or grandparent. It may also refer to: * Senior (name), a surname ...

judge A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility an ...

of the

United States Tax Court The United States Tax Court (in case citations, T.C.) is a federal trial court of record established by Congress under Article I of the U.S. Constitution, section 8 of which provides (in part) that the Congress has the power to "constitute Trib ...

Biography

Gustafson was born on October 13, 1956 in

Greenville, South Carolina Greenville (; locally ) is a city in and the seat of Greenville County, South Carolina, United States. With a population of 70,720 at the 2020 census, it is the sixth-largest city in the state. Greenville is located approximately halfway be ...

. He graduated summa cum laude from

Bob Jones University , motto_lang = Latin , mottoeng = We seek, we trust , top_free_label = , top_free = , type = Private university , established = , closed = , f ...

in 1978, and with distinction from the

Duke University School of Law Duke University School of Law (Duke Law School or Duke Law) is the law school of Duke University, a private research university in Durham, North Carolina. One of Duke's 10 schools and colleges, the School of Law is a constituent academic unit th ...

in 1981, where he was a member of the

Order of the Coif The Order of the Coif is an honor society for United States law school graduates. The name is a reference to the ancient English order of advocates, the serjeants-at-law, whose courtroom attire included a coif—a white lawn or silk skullcap, whi ...

and executive editor of the ''Duke Law Journal'' (1980–1981). Gustafson was admitted to the District of Columbia Bar in 1981 and served as an associate at the law firm of Sutherland, Asbill and Brennan, in Washington, D.C., 1981–1983. He was a trial attorney (1983–1989), Assistant Chief (1989–2005), and Chief (2005–2008) in the

Court of Federal Claims The United States Court of Federal Claims (in case citations, Fed. Cl. or C.F.C.) is a United States federal court that hears monetary claims against the U.S. government. It was established by statute in 1982 as the United States Claims Court, ...

Section of the Tax Division in the

U.S. Department of Justice The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a federal executive department of the United States government tasked with the enforcement of federal law and administration of justice in the United State ...

; and Coordinator of Tax Shelter Litigation for the entire Tax Division (2002–2006). He won Tax Division Outstanding Attorney Awards in 1985, 1989, 1997, 2001–2005, and the Federal Bar Association's Younger Attorney Award, 1991. He was elected president of the Court of Federal Claims Bar Association (2001). He was appointed by President

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

to be a judge of the

on July 29, 2008, for a term ending July 29, 2023. He assumed

senior status Senior status is a form of semi-retirement for United States federal judges. To qualify, a judge in the Federal judiciary of the United States, federal court system must be at least 65 years old, and the sum of the judge's age and years of servi ...

on November 1, 2022.

Personal life

Gustafson married Sharon Elizabeth Fast in 1980 and they have nine children. Gustafson's father was the late composer

Dwight Gustafson Dwight Leonard Gustafson (April 20, 1930 – January 28, 2014) was an American composer, conductor, and dean of the School of Fine Arts at Bob Jones University. Biography Gustafson was born in Seattle, Washington to Leonard Gustafson, a me ...

. Sharon Fast Gustafson served as the

General counsel A general counsel, also known as chief counsel or chief legal officer (CLO), is the chief in-house lawyer for a company or a governmental department. In a company, the person holding the position typically reports directly to the CEO, and their ...

of the

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is a federal agency that was established via the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to administer and enforce civil rights laws against workplace discrimination. The EEOC investigates discrimination ...

until March 2021.

References

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website of the United States Tax Court
a United States government agency, and the information is therefore in the

public domain The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work A creative work is a manifestation of creative effort including fine artwork (sculpture, paintings, drawing, sketching, performance art), dance, writing (literature), filmmaking, ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Gustafson, David Douglas 1956 births Living people 21st-century American judges Bob Jones University alumni Duke University School of Law alumni Judges of the United States Tax Court United States Article I federal judges appointed by George W. Bush