Rya W. Zobel
Rya Weickert Zobel (born December 18, 1931) is a Senior United States District Court Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts.
Rya W. Zobel | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts | |
| Assumed office April 1, 2014 | |
| Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts | |
| In office March 23, 1979 – April 1, 2014 | |
| Appointed by | Jimmy Carter |
| Preceded by | Seat established by 92 Stat. 1629 |
| Succeeded by | Allison D. Burroughs |
| Personal details | |
| Born | December 18, 1931 Zwickau, Germany |
| Education | Radcliffe College (AB) Harvard University (LLB) |
Education and career
Born in Zwickau, Germany, Zobel received an Artium Baccalaureus degree from Radcliffe College in 1953 and a Bachelor of Laws from Harvard Law School in 1956. She was a law clerk to George Clinton Sweeney, then Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts from 1956 to 1966. She was in private practice in Boston, Massachusetts from 1967 to 1979.[1]
Federal judicial service
On January 25, 1979, Zobel was nominated by President Jimmy Carter to a new seat on the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts created by 92 Stat. 1629. She was confirmed by the United States Senate on March 21, 1979, and received her commission on March 23, 1979. Among her judicial duties, she was director of the Federal Judicial Center from 1995 to 1999. She assumed senior status on April 1, 2014.[1] Zobel served as a judge in the 2019 college admissions bribery scandal.[2]
In 2020, she received the Edward J. Devitt Distinguished Service to Justice Award, the highest honor bestowed upon an Article III federal judge in the United States.[3]
In 2021, she was a recipient of the Outstanding Americans by Choice award from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. The award recognizes the outstanding achievements of naturalized U.S. citizens.[4]
References
- Rya Weickert Zobel at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
- Garrison, Joey (June 12, 2019). "Former Stanford sailing coach avoids prison in first sentence of college admissions scandal". USA Today. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
- "Judge Rya Zobel to Receive 2020 Devitt Award".
- "Outstanding Americans by Choice". 13 January 2023.
Sources
- Rya W. Zobel at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.