Richard J. Leon

American federal judge (born 1949)

This article is about the U.S. judge. For the Venezuelan judoka, see Richard Leon (judoka) .

Richard J. Leon (born December 3, 1949) is an American jurist who serves as a senior United States district judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia . He was appointed in 2002 by President George W. Bush and assumed senior status in 2016.

Early life and education

[(https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Richard_J._Leon&action=edit&section=1 "Edit section: Early life and education")
]

Leon was born in South Natick , Massachusetts , in 1949. He is the son of Silvano B. Leon and Rita M. Leon, née O'Rorke. His paternal grandparents were immigrants from Portugal who settled in Framingham, Massachusetts .

Leon graduated from the College of the Holy Cross with a Bachelor of Arts in 1971. As an undergraduate, he played varsity lacrosse; his team earned a 6-22 record during his time there and he was a classmate of future Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas . He then received his Juris Doctor , cum laude, from the Suffolk University Law School in 1974. In 1981, Leon earned a Master of Laws from Harvard Law School .

Legal career

[(https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Richard_J._Leon&action=edit&section=2 "Edit section: Legal career")
]

Leon served as a law clerk to the justices of the Massachusetts Superior Court from 1974 to 1975 and to Thomas F. Kelleher of the Rhode Island Supreme Court from 1975 to 1976. Leon was an attorney for the Immigration and Naturalization Service of the United States Department of Justice from 1976 to 1977 and a Special Assistant United States Attorney in the office of the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York working in the Civil Division from 1977 to 1978.

Leon was an assistant professor of law at St. John's University School of Law from 1979 to 1983 and a senior trial attorney in the United States Department of Justice from 1983 to 1987. Leon served as deputy chief minority counsel on the Select Committee to Investigate Covert Arms Transactions with Iran of the United States House of Representatives , which investigated the Iran-Contra affair , from 1987 to 1988.

Leon was appointed Deputy Assistant Attorney General and served from 1988 to 1989, when he entered private practice in Washington, D.C. , first with Baker & Hostetler from 1989 to 1999 and then with Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease from 1999 to 2002, when he was appointed to the district court.

Leon was a member of the President's Commission on White House Fellowships from 1990 to 1993. Leon was appointed chief minority counsel on the October Surprise Task Force of the House Foreign Affairs Committee from 1992 to 1993. He served as special counsel to the House Financial Services Committee in 1994. He is an adjunct professor at The George Washington University Law School and the Georgetown University Law Center .

Federal judicial service

[(https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Richard_J._Leon&action=edit&section=3 "Edit section: Federal judicial service")
]

Leon was nominated to the United States District Court for the District of Columbia by George W. Bush on September 10, 2001, to the seat vacated by Norma Holloway Johnson . Confirmed by the Senate on February 14, 2002, he received his judicial commission five days later. He assumed senior status on December 31, 2016.

WilmerHale v. Executive Office of the President (2025)

[(https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Richard_J._Leon&action=edit&section=4 "Edit section: WilmerHale v. Executive Office of the President (2025)")
]

On May 27, 2025, Judge Leon ruled in WilmerHale v. Executive Office of the President, striking down Executive Order 14250 issued by President Donald J. Trump. The order targeted the law firm WilmerHale due to its association with former Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller III. It directed federal agencies to suspend the firm’s security clearances, restrict access to federal buildings, and review existing contracts. Judge Leon found the order to be retaliatory and unconstitutional, violating the First and Fifth Amendments. In a 73-page opinion, he wrote, “The cornerstone of the American system of justice is an independent judiciary and an independent bar willing to tackle unpopular cases, however daunting.”

Guantanamo Bay

[(https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Richard_J._Leon&action=edit&section=5 "Edit section: Guantanamo Bay")
]

Leon was responsible for adjudicating the habeas corpus petitions of several dozen captives held at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp .

_Boumediene v. Bush _, which was eventually considered by the Supreme Court

…

Judicial Career

Biography