Chief Judge James E. Boasberg was appointed to the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia by President Barack Obama in March 2011. He became Chief Judge on March 17, 2023.
Prior to his federal appointment, Judge Boasberg served as an Associate Judge on the D.C. Superior Court from September 2002 to 2011. He previously served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia from 1996 to 2001, specializing in homicide prosecutions. He also served on the U.S. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court from May 2014 to 2021, including as Presiding Judge from January 2020 to May 2021.
Education
- Yale Law School, J.D., 1990
- Oxford University, M.St. in Modern European History, 1986
- Yale College, B.A. in History, magna cum laude, 1985
Career
- Chief Judge, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia (2023–present)
- Presiding Judge, U.S. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (2020–2021)
- Judge, U.S. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (2014–2021)
- Associate Judge, D.C. Superior Court (2002–2011)
- Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of Columbia (1996–2001)
- Litigation associate, Kellogg, Huber, Hansen, Todd & Evans, Washington (1995–1996)
- Litigation associate, Keker & Van Nest, San Francisco (1991–1994)
- Law clerk to Judge Dorothy W. Nelson, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit