John D. Bates

Judge Bates was appointed United States District Judge in December 2001. He graduated from Wesleyan University in 1968 and received a J.D. from the University of Maryland School of Law in 1976. From 1968 to 1971, he served in the United States Army, including a tour in Vietnam. Judge Bates clerked for Judge Roszel C. Thomsen of the United States District Court for the District of Maryland from 1976 to 1977 and was an associate at Steptoe & Johnson from 1977 to 1980. He served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Columbia from 1980 to 1997, and was Chief of the Civil Division of the U.S. Attorney's Office from 1987 to 1997. Judge Bates was on detail as Deputy Independent Counsel for the Whitewater investigation from 1995 to mid-1997. In 1998, he joined the Washington law firm of Miller & Chevalier, where he was Chair of the Government Contracts/Litigation Department and a member of the Executive Committee. Judge Bates has served on the Advisory Committee for Procedures of the D.C. Circuit and on the Civil Justice Reform Committee for the District Court, and as Treasurer of the D.C. Bar, Chairman of the Publications Committee of the D.C. Bar, and Chairman of the Litigation Section of the Federal Bar Association. He was a member of the Board of Directors of the Washington Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs. In 2005, he was appointed by Chief Justice Rehnquist to serve on the U.S. Judicial Conference Committee on Court Administration and Case Management. In February 2006, he was appointed by Chief Justice Roberts to serve as a judge of the United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, and he served as Presiding Judge from May 2009 until February 2013, when he completed his term of service on that court.

Director

Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts

2013 - Current

Judge

United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court

2006 - Current

Presiding Judge from May 2009 until February 2013

Judge

U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia

2001 - Current

Assumed senior status on October 12, 2014.

Attorney

Private practice, Washington, D.C.

1977 - 2001

1977-1980, 1998-2001

Deputy independent counsel

Whitewater investigation

1995 - 1997

Assistant U.S. attorney

District of Columbia

1980 - 1997

chief, Civil Division, 1987-1997

Law clerk

Hon. Roszel C. Thomsen, U.S. District Court, District of Maryland

1976 - 1977

first lieutenant

U.S. Army

1968 - 1971

University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law

J.D. (1976)

Wesleyan University

B.A. (1968)

U.S. Judicial Conference Committee on Court Administration and Case Management

Member

2005 - Current