Stanley Allen Bastian (born April 3, 1958) is an American attorney and jurist serving as
chief United States district judge of the
.
Early life and education
Bastian was born in
Seattle, Washington
Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region ...
in 1958. He 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 o ...
degree in 1980 from the
University of Oregon
The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, billion ...
and a
Juris Doctor from the
University of Washington School of Law
The University of Washington School of Law is the law school of the University of Washington, located on the northwest corner of the main campus in Seattle, Washington.
The 2023 '' U.S. News & World Report'' law school rankings place Wash ...
in 1983.
Career
After graduating from law school, he worked as an associate at the law firm of Bergman & Bauer from 1983 to 1984. He served as a
law clerk to Judge Ward Williams of the
Washington State Court of Appeals from 1984 to 1985 and as an Assistant City Attorney in Seattle, from 1985 to 1988. In 1988, he joined the law firm of Jeffers, Danielson, Sonn & Aylward, P.S. in
Wenatchee, Washington
Wenatchee ( ) is the county seat and largest city of Chelan County, Washington, United States. The population within the city limits in 2010 was 31,925, and was estimated to have increased to 34,360 as of 2019. Located in the north-central part ...
, where he primarily handled civil employment cases. From 2012 to 2014, he was the managing partner of the law firm. He also served as the president of the
Washington State Bar Association
The Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) operates under the delegated authority of the Washington Supreme Court to license the state's nearly 41,000 active and inactive lawyers and other legal professionals. In furtherance of its obligation to ...
in 2007. Bastian was selected as a fellow of the
American College of Trial Lawyers
The American College of Trial Lawyers (ACTL) is a professional association of trial lawyers from the United States and Canada. Founded in 1950, the College is dedicated to maintaining and improving the standards of trial practice, especially trial ...
in 2007, and chaired the Equal Justice Coalition from 2010 to 2013. Over the course of his career Bastian tried hundreds of cases before juries and judges.
Federal judicial service
On September 19, 2013, President
Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Obama was the first Af ...
nominated Bastian to serve as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Washington, to the seat vacated by Judge
Edward F. Shea, who assumed
senior status
Senior status is a form of semi- retirement for United States federal judges. To qualify, a judge in the federal court system must be at least 65 years old, and the sum of the judge's age and years of service as a federal judge must be at leas ...
on June 7, 2012. The American Bar Association's committee on federal judicial recommendations unanimously rated Bastian as well-qualified for the position. On January 16, 2014 his nomination was reported out of committee. On April 11, 2014 Senate Majority Leader
Harry Reid
Harry Mason Reid Jr. (; December 2, 1939 – December 28, 2021) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States senator from Nevada from 1987 to 2017. He led the Senate Democratic Caucus from 2005 to 2017 and was the Sena ...
filed a motion to invoke
cloture
Cloture (, also ), closure or, informally, a guillotine, is a motion or process in parliamentary procedure aimed at bringing debate to a quick end. The cloture procedure originated in the French National Assembly, from which the name is taken. ' ...
on the nomination. On April 29, 2014 a vote on the motion to invoke
cloture
Cloture (, also ), closure or, informally, a guillotine, is a motion or process in parliamentary procedure aimed at bringing debate to a quick end. The cloture procedure originated in the French National Assembly, from which the name is taken. ' ...
on the nomination was agreed to by a vote of 55–41. On April 30, 2014 the nomination was confirmed by a final vote of 95–0. He received his judicial commission on May 1, 2014.
He became chief judge on July 27, 2020.
On September 17, 2020, Bastian issued a nationwide
preliminary injunction against the
United States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the U ...
to reverse changes that had occurred in early July that had slowed down mail delivery and removed sorting machines. Bastian called it a "politically-motivated attack on the efficiency of the postal service".
[''State of Washington, et al. v. Donald J. Trump, et al.'', no. 20-3127 (E.D. Wash. September 17, 2020)]
order
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References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Bastian, Stanley
1958 births
Living people
21st-century American judges
Judges of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Washington
Lawyers from Seattle
People from Wenatchee, Washington
Public defenders
United States district court judges appointed by Barack Obama
University of Oregon alumni
University of Washington School of Law alumni
Washington (state) lawyers