Richard Gaylore Stearns

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American judge (born 1944)

Richard Gaylore Stearns (born June 27, 1944) is an American lawyer who serves as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts .

Early life and education

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Stearns was born in Los Angeles . He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Stanford University in 1968, a Master of Letters degree (Political Philosophy) from Balliol College, Oxford , as a Rhodes Scholar , in 1971, and a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School in 1976.

Career

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Stearns worked on the George McGovern presidential campaign, 1972 , and later became a special assistant to McGovern from 1972 to 1973. He was a speech writer in the Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts office from 1975 to 1976. He worked in the Norfolk County (Massachusetts) District Attorney's office from 1976 to 1982. He was an assistant United States attorney of the District of Massachusetts from 1982 to 1990. He was an Associate Justice of the Superior Court of Massachusetts from 1990 to 1993.

Federal judicial service

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On October 27, 1993, Stearns was nominated by President Bill Clinton to a seat on the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts vacated by John J. McNaught . The United States Senate confirmed Stearns on November 20, 1993, and he received his commission on November 24, 1993. Clinton had originally wanted to appoint Stearns Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation .

Notable cases

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On August 5, 2025, Stearns ruled that the Trump administration cannot redirect $4 billion in funds intended for natural disaster prevention projects.

See also

[(https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Richard_G._Stearns&action=edit&section=5 "Edit section: See also")
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• List of United States federal judges by longevity of service

References

[(https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Richard_G._Stearns&action=edit&section=6 "Edit section: References")
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1. ↑ Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly

2. ↑ Thompson, Hunter S. (1973). _Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72 _. Straight Arrow Books. p. 265. ISBN   .

3. ↑ "James Comey Vs. Louis Freeh: How to Fight a President" . June 13, 2018.

4. ↑ "Federal judge rules Trump administration cannot reallocate billions meant for disaster mitigation" . The Detroit News. August 5, 2025. Retrieved December 15, 2025.

External links

[(https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Richard_G._Stearns&action=edit&section=7 "Edit section: External links")
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• Richard G. Stearns at the _Biographical Directory of Federal Judges _, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center .

District judges of the First Circuit Court of Appeals

Maine

Massachusetts

New Hampshire

Puerto Rico

Rhode Island

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Richard_G._Stearns&oldid=1345080033 "

Categories :

• 1944 births

• Living people

• 20th-century Massachusetts state court judges

• 21st-century American judges

• Alumni of Balliol College, Oxford

• American Rhodes Scholars

• Assistant United States attorneys

• Harvard Law School alumni

• Judges of the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts

• Lawyers from Los Angeles

• Massachusetts Superior Court justices

• Stanford University alumni

• [United States district court judges appointed by Bill Clinton](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:United_States_district_court_judges_appointed_by_Bill_Clinton "Category:United Sta

…

[(https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Richard_G._Stearns&action=edit&section=4 "Edit section: Notable cases")
]

On August 5, 2025, Stearns ruled that the Trump administration cannot redirect $4 billion in funds intended for natural disaster prevention projects.

See also

[(https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Richard_G._Stearns&action=edit&section=5 "Edit section: See also")
]

• List of United States federal judges by longevity of service

References

[(https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Richard_G._Stearns&action=edit&section=6 "Edit section: References")
]

1. ↑ Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly

2. ↑ Thompson, Hunter S. (1973). _Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72 _. Straight Arrow Books. p. 265. ISBN   .

3. ↑ "James Comey Vs. Louis Freeh: How to Fight a President" . June 13, 2018.

4. ↑ "Federal judge rules Trump administration cannot reallocate billions meant for disaster mitigation" . The Detroit News. August 5, 2025. Retrieved December 15, 2025.

External links

[(https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Richard_G._Stearns&action=edit&section=7 "Edit section: External links")
]

• Richard G. Stearns at the _Biographical Directory of Federal Judges _, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center .

Legal offices
Preceded by John J. McNaught	Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts 1993–present	Incumbent

District judges of the First Circuit Court of Appeals

Maine

Active	* **Walker Neumann 1 seat vacant
Senior	* [Hornby](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D._Brock_Hornby "D. …