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 byJimmy Carter
Preceded bySeat established by 92 Stat. 1629
Succeeded byAllison D. Burroughs
Personal details
Born (1931-12-18) December 18, 1931 (age 92)
Zwickau, Germany
EducationRadcliffe College (BA)
Harvard University (LLB)

Education and career

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Born in Zwickau, Germany, Zobel received a B.A. 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

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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]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Rya Weickert Zobel at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
  2. ^ Garrison, Joey (June 12, 2019). "Former Stanford sailing coach avoids prison in first sentence of college admissions scandal". USA Today. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
  3. ^ "Judge Rya Zobel to Receive 2020 Devitt Award".
  4. ^ "Outstanding Americans by Choice". 13 January 2023.

Sources

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Legal offices
Preceded by
Seat established by 92 Stat. 1629
Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts
1979–2014
Succeeded by