By Sophia Pappalardo and Kenya Parrish
Judge Paul V. Niemeyer was born in Princeton, New Jersey in 1941.[1] After completing his undergraduate studies at Kenyon College in 1962, Judge Niemeyer studied at the University of Munich from 1962-1963.[2] Judge Niemeyer then went to Notre Dame Law School where he graduated with a J.D. in 1966.[3] After graduating from law school, Judge Niemeyer entered private practice at Piper & Marbury in Baltimore, Maryland, where he worked until 1988.[4]
In 1987, Judge Niemeyer received his first appointment to the federal judiciary.[5] On September 11, 1987, Judge Niemeyer was appointment by President Ronald Reagan to serve as a judge in the United States District Court for the District of Maryland.[6] Judge Niemeyer was then confirmed by the Senate for this position on February 19, 1988.[7] Judge Niemeyer served in this position for two years before he was nominated to his second role in the federal judiciary.[8] On May 11, 1990, Judge Niemeyer was nominated by President George H.W. Bush to serve as a judge in the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.[9] Judge Niemeyer was confirmed by the Senate on August 3, 1990.[10]
In addition to working as an attorney and as a judge, Judge Niemeyer has also worked as a Senior Lecturing Fellow at Duke Law School since 1994.[11] Judge Niemeyer has previously served as the Chair of the Committee to rewrite the Maryland Rules of Procedure and has also served as the Chair of the Advisory Committee on the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.[12] Additionally, Judge Niemeyer also co-authored the Maryland Rules Commentary.[13]
One notable case that Judge Niemeyer participated in was Bostic v. Schaefer, 760 F.3d 352 (4th Cir. 2014). In Bostic, two same-sex couples challenged Virginia laws that prohibited same-sex marriage and the recognition of same-sex marriages performed outside of Virginia.[14] While the court held that these laws banning same-sex marriage were unconstitutional, Judge Niemeyer wrote the dissenting opinion in this case.[15] After arguing that the majority did not conduct the appropriate constitutional analysis, Judge Niemeyer wrote, “Virginia was well within its constitutional authority to adhere to its traditional definition of marriage as the union of a man and a woman and to exclude from that definition the union of two men or two women.”[16]
Today, Judge Niemeyer maintains his chambers in Baltimore, Maryland, and next year, in 2020, Judge Niemeyer will celebrate thirty years of service as a judge in the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.[17]
[1] Judge Paul V. Niemeyer, U.S. Ct. of Appeals for the Fourth Cir., http://www.ca4.uscourts.gov/judges/judges-of-the-court/judge-paul-v-niemeyer (last visited Feb. 26, 2019).
[2] Id.
[3] Id.
[4] Id.
[5] Id.
[6] Id.
[7] Id.
[8] Id.
[9] Id.
[10] Id.
[11] Id.
[12] Id.
[13] Id.
[14] Bostic v. Schaefer, 760 F.3d 352, 367 (4th Cir. 2014).
[15] Id. at 367, 385.
[16] Id. at 386.
[17] U.S. Ct. of Appeals for the Fourth Cir., supra note 1; Judges of the Court, U.S. Ct. of Appeals for the Fourth Cir., http://www.ca4.uscourts.gov/judges/judges-of-the-court (last visited Feb. 26, 2019).
