Robert Leon Wilkins (born October 2, 1963) is a

United States circuit judge In the United States, federal judges are judges who serve on courts established under Article Three of the U.S. Constitution. They include the chief justice and the associate justices of the U.S. Supreme Court, the circuit judges of the U.S. Cou ...

of the

United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (in case citations, D.C. Cir.) is one of the thirteen United States Courts of Appeals. It has the smallest geographical jurisdiction of any of the U.S. federal appellate cou ...

Early life and education

Wilkins was born in 1963 in

Muncie, Indiana Muncie ( ) is an incorporated city and the county seat, seat of Delaware County, Indiana, Delaware County, Indiana. Previously known as Buckongahelas Town, named after the legendary Delaware Chief.http://www.delawarecountyhistory.org/history/docs ...

,Senate Judiciary Committee Questionnaire: Robert Leon Wilkins
(May 19, 2010). where he was raised by a single mother.The 90 Greatest Washington Lawyers of the last 30 Years: Robert Wilkins
''

Legal Times ALM (formerly American Lawyer Media) is a media company headquartered in the Socony–Mobil Building in New York City, and is a provider of specialized business news and information, focused primarily on the legal, insurance, and commercial real ...

'' (May 19, 2008). He studied

chemical engineering Chemical engineering is an engineering field which deals with the study of operation and design of chemical plants as well as methods of improving production. Chemical engineers develop economical commercial processes to convert raw materials int ...

Rose–Hulman Institute of Technology Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (RHIT) is a private university in Terre Haute, Indiana. Founded in 1874 in Terre Haute, Rose-Hulman is one of the United States' few undergraduate focused engineering and technology universities. Though it sta ...

and graduated ''

cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sou ...

'' with 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 in 1986.Grant Smith
Alumnus Robert Wilkins Clears Next Hurdle in Nomination to Become U.S. District Court Judge
, ''Rose–Hulman Alumni Affairs'' (August 5, 2010). Wilkins then earned 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 ...

from

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each class ...

in 1989.Alt URL
/ref>

Professional career

After graduating from law school, Wilkins served as a

law clerk A law clerk or a judicial clerk is a person, generally someone who provides direct counsel and assistance to a lawyer or judge by researching issues and drafting legal opinions for cases before the court. Judicial clerks often play significant ...

for Judge

Earl Ben Gilliam Earl Ben Gilliam (August 17, 1931 – January 28, 2001) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of California. Education and career Born in Clovis, New Mexico, Gilliam received a Bachelo ...

of the

United States District Court for the Southern District of California The United States District Court for the Southern District of California (in case citations, S.D. Cal.) is a federal court in the Ninth Circuit (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are appe ...

from 1989 to 1990.Grant Smith
Obama Nominates Alumnus Robert Wilkins for Federal Bench in Washington, D.C.
''Rose–Hulman Alumni Affairs'' (June 1, 2010). Wilkins worked at the

Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia The Public Defender Service (PDS) for the District of Columbia provides legal defense to individuals on a court-appointed basis for criminal (at the trial and appellate levels) and delinquency cases indigent adult and juvenile defendants/ responde ...

from 1990 to 2002, serving as chief of special litigation from 1996 to 2000. Starting in 2002, Wilkins was a partner at the

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

law firm A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise clients (individuals or corporations) about their legal rights and responsibilities, and to r ...

Venable LLP Venable LLP is an American law firm headquartered in Washington, D.C. It is the largest law firm in the state of Maryland. Founded in 1900 by Richard Venable in Baltimore, today Venable has 10 offices across the United States and 800 attorneys w ...

. Wilkins was a member of the presidential commission that advised 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 ...

on the establishment of the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...

National Museum of African American History and Culture The National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) is a Smithsonian Institution museum located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., in the United States. It was established in December 2003 and opened its permanent home in ...

.Lynette Clemetson
Smithsonian Picks Notable Spot for Its Museum of Black History
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' (January 31, 2006). He wrote about this experience, and the long history of the project, in ''Long Road to Hard Truth: The 100 Year Mission to Create the National Museum of African American History and Culture'', published in 2016.

''Wilkins v. Maryland State Police''

In May 1992, Wilkins was in a rented vehicle with three other family members when they were pulled over by

Maryland State Police The Maryland State Police (MSP), officially the Maryland Department of State Police (MDSP), is the official state police force of the U.S. state of Maryland. The Maryland State Police is headquartered at 1201 Reisterstown Road in the Pikesville ...

for violating the

speed limit Speed limits on road traffic, as used in most countries, set the legal maximum speed at which vehicles may travel on a given stretch of road. Speed limits are generally indicated on a traffic sign reflecting the maximum permitted speed - expres ...

. At the time, the Maryland State Police Department instructed their officers to focus on black males in expensive vehicles when conducting traffic stops.Brent Staples
Editorial Observer; Why 'Racial Profiling' Will be Tough to Fight
''

'' (May 24, 1999). Wilkins filed suit in the case of ''Wilkins v. Maryland State Police'' and eventually won a "landmark" settlement against the state of Maryland. As part of the case settlement, Maryland was required to maintain records of all traffic stops that resulted in vehicle search requests. The case helped bring national attention to the practice of

racial profiling Racial profiling or ethnic profiling is the act of suspecting, targeting or discriminating against a person on the basis of their ethnicity, religion or nationality, rather than on individual suspicion or available evidence. Racial profiling involv ...

and helped popularize the term "

driving while black "Driving while black" (DWB) is a sardonic description of racial profiling of African-American motor vehicle drivers. It implies that a motorist may be stopped by a police officer largely because of racial bias rather than any apparent violation ...

".Racial Profiling
'' Transcript: NewsHour with Jim Lehrer'' (March 13, 2001).

Federal judicial service

District court service

During the

111th Congress The 111th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government from January 3, 2009, until January 3, 2011. It began during the last weeks of the George W. Bush administration, with th ...

Delegate Delegate or delegates may refer to: * Delegate, New South Wales, a town in Australia * Delegate (CLI), a computer programming technique * Delegate (American politics), a representative in any of various political organizations * Delegate (United ...

Eleanor Holmes Norton Eleanor Holmes Norton (born June 13, 1937) is an American lawyer and politician serving as a delegate to the United States House of Representatives, representing the District of Columbia since 1991. She is a member of the Democratic Party. Earl ...

recommended Wilkins for filling a vacancy on the

United States District Court for the District of Columbia The United States District Court for the District of Columbia (in case citations, D.D.C.) is a federal district court in the District of Columbia. It also occasionally handles (jointly with the United States District Court for the District of ...

.Mike Scarcella
Venable's Robert Wilkins Nominated for Federal Bench in D.C.
'' The Blog of Legal Times'' (May 20, 2010). On May 20, 2010, President

Barack 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, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...

nominated Wilkins to be a judge on the District Court for the District of Columbia, to a seat vacated by Judge James Robertson, who 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 December 31, 2008. 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 December 22, 2010.David Ingram
Senate Confirms Five Judicial Nominees
'' The Blog of Legal Times'' (December 22, 2010). Wilkins received his commission on December 27, 2010. His service as a district court judge was terminated on January 24, 2014 when he was elevated to the court of appeals. President Barack Obama nominates Robert Leon Wilkins Cornelia Nina Pillard and Patricia Millett

President Barack Obama nominates Robert Leon Wilkins Cornelia Nina Pillard and Patricia Millett

D.C. Circuit service

On June 4, 2013, President Obama nominated Wilkins to serve as a United States Circuit Judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, to the seat vacated by Judge

David B. Sentelle David Bryan Sentelle (born February 12, 1943) is a United States federal judge, Senior United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Early life, family and education David Sentelle was bor ...

, who assumed

on February 12, 2013. On October 31, 2013, the

United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary The United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary, informally the Senate Judiciary Committee, is a standing committee of 22 U.S. senators whose role is to oversee the Department of Justice (DOJ), consider executive and judicial nominations, a ...

voted to report Wilkins' nomination to the floor of the United States Senate by a 10–8, party-line vote. On November 14, 2013, 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 ...

motioned 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 Wilkins' nomination, seeking to end a

filibuster A filibuster is a political procedure in which one or more members of a legislative body prolong debate on proposed legislation so as to delay or entirely prevent decision. It is sometimes referred to as "talking a bill to death" or "talking out ...

of his nomination by Senate Republicans. The Senate failed to invoke cloture on November 18, 2013, by a 53–38 vote, with 1 senator voted "present". Reid planned to hold a vote on Wilkins' nomination before the Senate adjourned for the year on December 20, but the vote did not take place. Cloture was subsequently invoked on January 9, 2014, by a 55–38 vote, with 1 senator voted "present". He was confirmed by the

on January 13, 2014 by a 55–43 vote. His confirmation marked the first time the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit had a full complement of judges in over 22 years since

Clarence Thomas Clarence Thomas (born June 23, 1948) is an American jurist who serves as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. He was nominated by President George H. W. Bush to succeed Thurgood Marshall and has served since 199 ...

left the court on October 23, 1991, upon his joining the

United States Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

. He received his commission on January 15, 2014. After the death of Justice

Antonin Scalia Antonin Gregory Scalia (; March 11, 1936 – February 13, 2016) was an American jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1986 until his death in 2016. He was described as the intellectu ...

on February 13, 2016, Wilkins' name was among those mentioned by court-watchers as a possible successor. In April 2018, Wilkins wrote for the majority when it found that a

Federal Trade Commission The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is an independent agency of the United States government whose principal mission is the enforcement of civil (non-criminal) antitrust law and the promotion of consumer protection. The FTC shares jurisdiction ov ...

staff letter rejecting an earlier staff letter and concluding that use of soundboard technology violates the

Telemarketing and Consumer Fraud and Abuse Prevention Act The Telemarketing and Consumer Fraud and Abuse Prevention Act () is a federal law in the United States aimed at protecting consumers from telemarketing deception and abuse. The act is enforced by the Federal Trade Commission. The act expanded contr ...

was not itself subject to

judicial review Judicial review is a process under which executive, legislative and administrative actions are subject to review by the judiciary. A court with authority for judicial review may invalidate laws, acts and governmental actions that are incompat ...

under the Administrative Procedure Act, over the dissent of Judge

Patricia Millett Patricia Ann Millett (; born September 1963) is a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. She formerly headed the Supreme Court practice at the law firm Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Fel ...

References

External links

* * * , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Wilkins, Robert L. 1963 births Living people 21st-century American judges African-American judges Harvard Law School alumni Judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit Judges of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia People from Muncie, Indiana Public defenders Rose–Hulman Institute of Technology alumni United States court of appeals judges appointed by Barack Obama United States district court judges appointed by Barack Obama 20th-century American lawyers 21st-century American lawyers Law clerks Lawyers from Washington, D.C. American male non-fiction writers 21st-century American non-fiction writers African-American non-fiction writers