Edward C. DuMont

Edward DuMont
Personal details
Born December 1961 (age 53)
Oakland, California, United States
Alma mater Yale University
Stanford University

Edward Carroll DuMont (born December 1961) is an American lawyer currently serving as the Solicitor General of California. In 2010 and 2011 had been nominated by President Barack Obama to a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.[1] In November 2011, however, DuMont sent a letter to President Obama asking him to withdraw his nomination to the judgeship.[2] Obama withdrew DuMont's nomination on November 10, 2011, nominating Richard G. Taranto in DuMont's place.

DuMont currently is California's solicitor general.[3]

Early life and education

Born in Oakland, California and raised in northern California, DuMont received a A.B. summa cum laude from Yale University in 1983, and a J.D. from Stanford Law School in 1986. DuMont then served as a law clerk to Richard A. Posner of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit from 1986 to 1987. After his clerkship, he was awarded a Henry Luce Scholarship, which allowed him to spend a year working at a law firm in Bangkok, Thailand.[1]

Professional career

DuMont spent several years as an Assistant to the United States Solicitor General at that time, Seth Waxman, and as an Associate Deputy Attorney General in the United States Department of Justice, handling issues relating to computer crime, e-commerce and privacy. DuMont has argued eighteen cases before the Supreme Court of the United States, and has briefed many more.[1] Those cases have covered a wide range of legal issues.

DuMont joined WilmerHale in 2002.[4]

Nomination to the Federal Circuit

On April 14, 2010, President Obama nominated DuMont to fill the vacancy on the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit that was to be created by Judge Paul Redmond Michel retiring on May 31, 2010.[5] DuMont's nomination languished for more than 18 months without a hearing. NPR commented on the delay in an August 4, 2011 article, stating that "Some of the longest waiting nominees, Louis Butler of Wisconsin, Charles Bernard Day of Maryland and Edward Dumont of Washington happen to be black or openly gay".[6]

DuMont would have been the first openly gay United States appeals court judge.[7] His partner is Newton Kendig.[8]

The United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary never scheduled a hearing on the nomination. On November 9, 2011, the National Law Journal reported that DuMont had submitted a letter to President Obama, asking that the president withdraw his nomination.[2] Obama did so on November 10, 2011.[9]

California Solicitor General

After his failed Federal Circuit nomination, DuMont remained at WilmerHale. Then, on October 28, 2013, California Attorney General Kamala Harris appointed DuMont to be California's solicitor general, serving as the chief appellate lawyer for the California Department of Justice.[3]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 President Obama Nominates Edward C. DuMont for the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, White House press release (April 14, 2010).
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 http://www.law.com/jsp/law/sign_me_in.jsp?article=http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/PubArticleNLJ.jsp?id=1202531041506&rss=newswire&slreturn=1. Retrieved 2013-12-04. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Attorney General Kamala D. Harris Announces Appointment of California Solicitor General | State of California - Department of Justice - Kamala D. Harris Attorney General". Oag.ca.gov. 2013-10-28. Retrieved 2013-12-04.
  4. ↑ "WilmerHale biography of Edward C. DuMont". Wilmerhale.com. Retrieved 2013-12-04.
  5. ↑ Presidential Nominations and Withdrawal sent to the Senate, White House press release (April 14, 2010).
  6. ↑ Carrie Johnson, Obama Gets High Marks For Diversifying The Bench, NPR (August 4, 2011).
  7. ↑ Chris Geidner, Breaking Barriers: Edward DuMont, praised by colleagues as "brilliant," would be the first openly gay federal appellate judge in the country, Metro Weekly (April 16, 2010).
  8. ↑ Ryan Holman, Obama Nominates Gay Man to Fed. Court, The Advocate (April 23, 2010).
  9. ↑ "Presidential Nominations and Withdrawl Sent to the Senate | The White House". Whitehouse.gov. 2011-11-10. Retrieved 2013-12-04.

External links