Paul Peter Rao (June 15, 1899 – November 30, 1988) was a judge of the

United States Court of International Trade The United States Court of International Trade (case citations: Int'l Trade or Intl. Trade) is a U.S. federal court that adjudicates civil actions arising out of U.S. customs and international trade laws. Seated in New York City, it exercises ...

Education and career

Born June 15, 1899, in

Prizzi Prizzi is a town and ''comune'' of 5,711 inhabitants in the Italian Metropolitan City of Palermo, on the island of Sicily. It is located south of the city of Palermo at an altitude of 1045 m (3,428 ft) above sea level on a hill in the up ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

, Rao served in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

from 1917 to 1919. He received a

Bachelor of Laws Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Ch ...

in 1923 from the

Fordham University School of Law Fordham University School of Law is the law school of Fordham University. The school is located in Manhattan in New York City, and is one of eight ABA-approved law schools in that city. In 2013, 91% of the law school's first-time test t ...

. He served as an Assistant District Attorney for

New York County Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

, New York from 1925 to 1927. He worked in private practice from 1927 to 1941. He was a candidate for Justice of the New York Supreme Court in 1941. He was the Assistant United States Attorney General in charge of customs from 1941 to 1948.

Federal judicial service

Rao received a

recess appointment In the United States, a recess appointment is an appointment by the president of a federal official when the U.S. Senate is in recess. Under the U.S. Constitution's Appointments Clause, the President is empowered to nominate, and with the a ...

from President

Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. A leader of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 34th vice president from January to April 1945 under Franklin ...

on June 22, 1948, to a seat on the

United States Customs Court The United States Court of International Trade (case citations: Int'l Trade or Intl. Trade) is a U.S. federal court that adjudicates civil actions arising out of U.S. customs and international trade laws. Seated in New York City, it exercises ...

vacated by Judge

David Hayes Kincheloe David Hayes Kincheloe (April 9, 1877 – April 16, 1950) was a United States representative from Kentucky and a judge of the United States Customs Court. Education and early life Born on April 9, 1877, near Sacramento, Kentucky, Kincheloe atten ...

. He was nominated to the same position by President Truman on January 13, 1949. 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 January 31, 1949, and received his commission on February 2, 1949. Rao was initially appointed as a Judge under

Article I Article One may refer to: Legal codes * Article One of the United States Constitution, pertaining to the powers of the United States Congress * Article One of the Constitution of India, pertaining to the federal nature of the republic Other us ...

, but the court was raised to Article III status by

operation of law The phrase "by operation of law" is a legal term that indicates that a right or liability has been created for a party, irrespective of the intent of that party, because it is dictated by existing legal principles. For example, if a person dies wi ...

on July 14, 1956, and Rao thereafter served as an Article III Judge. He served as Chief Judge from 1965 to 1971. Rao was reassigned by

to the

on November 1, 1980, to a new seat authorized by 94 Stat. 1727. His service terminated on November 30, 1988, due to his death in New York City. He was succeeded by Judge Richard W. Goldberg.

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rao, Paul Peter 1899 births 1988 deaths Judges of the United States Court of International Trade Fordham University School of Law alumni Judges of the United States Customs Court United States Article I federal judges appointed by Harry S. Truman 20th-century American judges