Lawrence J. Block (born March 15, 1951) is a former judge of the

United States 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, ...

who was confirmed on October 2, 2002. He retired on January 8, 2016.

Education and career

Block received a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

degree from

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

in 1973, graduating magna cum laude. He received his

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

degree from The John Marshall Law School in 1982, and after law school he clerked for Judge

Roger Miner Roger Jeffrey Miner (April 14, 1934 – February 18, 2012) was a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern Distr ...

of the

United States District Court for the Northern District of New York The United States District Court for the Northern District of New York (in case citations, N.D.N.Y.) serves one of the 94 judicial districts in the United States and one of four in the state of New York. Appeals from the Northern District of New ...

. He served as an adjunct professor at the

George Mason University School of Law The Antonin Scalia Law School (previously George Mason University School of Law) is the law school of George Mason University, a public research university in Virginia. It is located in Arlington, Virginia, roughly west of Washington, D.C., and ...

from 1990 to 1991. From 1983 to 1986, Block was an associate with the New York office of

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and Affiliates is an American multinational law firm headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1948, the firm consistently ranks among the top U.S. law firms by revenue. The company is known for its wor ...

, where his substantive areas of practice included constitutional claims involving

Commerce Clause The Commerce Clause describes an enumerated power listed in the United States Constitution ( Article I, Section 8, Clause 3). The clause states that the United States Congress shall have power "to regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and amon ...

and Commercial Speech issues, financial services litigation, as well as merger and acquisition, securities, labor and administrative law litigation. From 1986 to 1990, Block was an attorney 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 ...

. Block started out as a litigation attorney in the Department's Commercial Litigation Branch, and then from 1987 to 1990, Block served as senior attorney-advisor in the Office of Legal Policy and Policy Development, where he specialized in constitutional law, particularly in the areas of federalism, takings law, separation of powers, presidential power and foreign affairs issues. He also worked extensively on regulatory and environmental issues, particularly with the White House on the Bush Administration's Clean Air Act proposal. From 1994 to 2002, Block served as senior counsel to the Senate Judiciary Committee, where he worked on a number of significant issues including property rights legislation, punitive damages and class action court reform bills, the cost-benefit analysis regulatory reform act, tobacco policy, litigation and arbitration policy, and First Amendment, privacy and attendant constitutional issues arising out of high technology legislation and governmental programs.

Claims court service

Block was nominated by

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 ...

on September 4, 2001, to a seat vacated by Eric G. Bruggink on the

. He was confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

on October 2, 2002, and received commission on October 3, 2002. He retired from active service on January 8, 2016.

Personal life

Born in New York City, and a resident of Connecticut and New Jersey, Block has resided in

Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city (United States), independent city in the northern region of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of Downto ...

, over the last sixteen years.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Block, Lawrence J. 1951 births Living people 20th-century American lawyers 21st-century American judges 21st-century American lawyers George Mason University faculty Judges of the United States Court of Federal Claims Lawyers from New York City New York University alumni Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom people United States Article I federal judges appointed by George W. Bush United States Department of Justice lawyers United States Senate lawyers