American judge (born 1961)
Stephen Andrew Higginson (born April 12, 1961) is a circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and the Presiding Judge of the United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of Review .
Early life and education
Born in Boston , Higginson graduated from the Groton School in Groton, Massachusetts in 1979.[1] He then attended Harvard University and graduated summa cum laude from Harvard College with an BA in Government and English in 1983. After earning a MPhil from the University of Cambridge the following year, he enrolled in Yale Law School , where he graduated with a JD in 1987. During his time at Yale, he served as the editor-in-chief of the Yale Law Journal .[2] [3] [4]
From 1987 to 1988, Higginson served as a law clerk for Judge Patricia Wald of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit . He then served as a law clerk for Justice Byron White on the United States Supreme Court from 1988 to 1989.[5] [4]
Career
Higginson became an Assistant United States Attorney in 1989, working in the criminal division for the District of Massachusetts . In 1993, he moved to the Eastern District of Louisiana , and became chief of appeals in 1995. From 2004 to 2011, he worked part-time as a prosecutor, continuing to supervise the appellate section.[5] In 2004, he became a full-time faculty member at Loyola University New Orleans College of Law .[5] He taught criminal procedure, constitutional law and evidence. Higginson is an elected member of the American Law Institute .[4]
Federal judicial service
On May 5, 2011, President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate Higginson to a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and submitted the nomination to the Senate on May 9.[5] Senator Mary Landrieu had recommended Higginson to Obama in November 2010.[6] The Senate confirmed Higginson's nomination by an 88–0 vote on October 31, 2011.[7] Higginson received his commission on November 2, 2011[4] and filled the seat vacated by Judge Jacques L. Wiener Jr. , who assumed senior status in 2010. On February 25, 2021, Higginson was appointed to the United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of Review by Chief Justice John Roberts .[8]
In June 2017, Higginson authored the majority opinion in Plummer v. University of Houston , in which the Fifth Circuit affirmed a lower court ruling that a university did not violate the Due Process Clause or Title IX when it expelled a student for committing a campus sexual assault , as well as his girlfriend, who had recorded the assault and shared the video on social media.[9] [10] On April 26, 2022, Higginson dissented when the 5th Circuit officially rejected challenges to Texas SB 8 , a law banning abortion within the state after six weeks gestational age and allows private individuals, or "bounty hunters", to sue anyone who performed or helped a woman get an abortion after six weeks.[11] [12] Judge Higginson agreed with the majority opinion, but, in light of a Supreme Court determination, would remand the case.[13]
Personal
Higginson is married to Collette Creppell, the Vice President of Campus Planning and Design at Chapman University .[14] [15] The couple has three children and lives in New Orleans.
See also
References
^ "Stephen Higginson '79" . Groton School. 2 March 2014. Retrieved May 26, 2015 .
^ "Loyola University New Orleans College of Law Biography: Stephen A. Higginson" . Archived from the original on January 17, 2011. Retrieved May 7, 2011 .
^ Higginson's resume as of November 2010 (PDF), from the office of Senator Mary Landrieu .
^ a b c d "Higginson, Stephen Andrew - Federal Judicial Center" . www.fjc.gov .
^ a b c d The White House: Office of the Press Secretary (May 5, 2011). "President Obama Announces Intent to Nominate Stephen Higginson to Serve on United States Court of Appeals" . whitehouse.gov . Retrieved May 7, 2011 – via National Archives .
^ Maginnis, John (November 12, 2010). "Landrieu Recommends Names for 5th Circuit Vacancy" . LaPolitics . Retrieved May 7, 2011 .
^ "On the Nomination (Confirmation Stephen A. Higginson, of Louisiana, to be U.S. Circuit Judge)" . U.S. Senate . October 31, 2011. Retrieved November 1, 2022 .
^ "Current Membership - Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of Review" . United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court .
^ {{{first}}} Note, Fifth Circuit Holds that Due Process Standards May Be Lowered in the Presence of “Overwhelming” Video and Photographic Evidence of Guilt , 131 Harv. L. Rev. 634 (2017).
^ Plummer v. University of Houston , 860 F.3d 767 (5th Cir. 2017).
^ "Whole Woman's Health v. Jackson (5th Cir. No. 21-50792)" (PDF) . ca5.uscourts.gov . April 26, 2022. Retrieved April 27, 2022 .
^ "Federal appeals court ends legal challenge to Texas abortion law" . AZ Central . April 26, 2022. Retrieved April 27, 2022 .
^ "Whole Woman's Health v. Jackson (5th Cir. No. 21-50792)" (PDF) . ca5.uscourts.gov . April 26, 2022.
^ Tilove, Jonathon (May 5, 2011). "Stephen Higginson nominated to New Orleans-based federal appeals court" . The Times-Picayune . Retrieved May 7, 2011 .
^ "VP of Campus Planning and Design" . www.chapman.edu . Retrieved 2023-08-27 .
External links