Samuel Ray Cummings (born October 18, 1944)[1] is a senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas.

Samuel Ray Cummings
Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas
Assumed office
December 31, 2014
Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas
In office
December 9, 1987 – December 31, 2014
Appointed byRonald Reagan
Preceded byHalbert Owen Woodward
Succeeded byJames Wesley Hendrix
Personal details
Born
Samuel Ray Commings

(1944-10-18) October 18, 1944 (age 79)
Lubbock, Texas
EducationTexas Tech University (B.B.A.)
Baylor Law School (J.D.)

Education and career edit

Born in Lubbock, Texas, Cummings received a Bachelor of Business Administration from Texas Tech University in 1967 and a Juris Doctor from Baylor Law School in 1970. He was in private practice in Amarillo, Texas from 1970 to 1987.[2]

Federal judicial service edit

On July 31, 1987, Cummings was nominated by President Ronald Reagan to a seat on the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas vacated by Judge Halbert Owen Woodward. Cummings was confirmed by the United States Senate on December 8, 1987, and received his commission on December 9, 1987. He assumed senior status on December 31, 2014.[2]

Notable cases edit

On March 1, 2001, Cummings issued an opinion in Tannahill v. Lockney I.S.D., which stated that it is a violation of the Fourth Amendment for school districts to have a mandatory whole school drug testing policy.[citation needed]

On November 16, 2016, Cummings issued a permanent nationwide injunction blocking President Barack Obama's "Persuader Rule", finding, that its attempt to require an employer's attorney to publicly disclose advise provided to persuade against unionization violated the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.[3]

References edit

  1. ^ Confirmation Hearings on Federal Appointments: Hearings before the Committee on the Judiciary, United States Senate, One Hundredth Congress, First Session, Part 4. U.S. Government Printing Office. 1989. p. 631.
  2. ^ a b "Cummings, Samuel Ray - Federal Judicial Center". www.fjc.gov.
  3. ^ Dubé, Lawrence E. "DOL Persuader Rule Blocked by Federal Judge". Bloomberg BNA Daily Labor Report. Retrieved 20 November 2016.

Sources edit

Legal offices
Preceded by Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas
1987–2014
Succeeded by