Jeffrey White
Encyclopedia
Jeffrey Steven White is a United States federal judge
serving on the United States District Court for the Northern District of California
. He was appointed to the Federal Bench by President George W. Bush
on July 25, 2002, and received his commission on November 15, 2002.
from Queens College, City University of New York
in 1967 and a J.D.
from the State University of New York
in 1970. He was an attorney in the Criminal Division of the U.S. Department of Justice from 1970 to 1971, and again from 1977 to 1978, serving in the interim as an assistant United States Attorney
for the District of Maryland. He was in private practice in San Francisco, California
from 1978 to 2002.
to a seat on the United States District Court for the Northern District of California
vacated by Charles A. Legge
. White was confirmed by the United States Senate
on November 14, 2002, and received commission on November 15, 2002.
by funding various overseas projects.
. The basis for this action was a claim by the Swiss banking group Julius Baer. On February 18, 2008, White approved an agreement between Dynadot
and Baer (an injunction
based on stipulation
);
this action garnered news coverage around the world.
This order was widely criticized as both improper (prior restraint
is generally prohibited by the First Amendment
) and ineffective (Wikileaks' web servers are in Sweden, and numerous mirrors exist).
White vacated the injunction on February 29, 2008, citing First Amendment
concerns and questions about legal jurisdiction. Wikileaks was thus able to bring its site online
again. The bank dropped the case on March 5, 2008. The judge also denied the bank's request for an order prohibiting the website's publication.
The Executive Director of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
, Lucy Dalglish, commented:
United States federal judge
In the United States, the title of federal judge usually means a judge appointed by the President of the United States and confirmed by the United States Senate in accordance with Article II of the United States Constitution....
serving on the United States District Court for the Northern District of California
United States District Court for the Northern District of California
The United States District Court for the Northern District of California is the federal United States district court whose jurisdiction comprises following counties of California: Alameda, Contra Costa, Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, Marin, Mendocino, Monterey, Napa, San Benito, San Francisco, San...
. He was appointed to the Federal Bench by President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
on July 25, 2002, and received his commission on November 15, 2002.
Early life, education, and career
Born in New York, New York, White received a B.A.Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
from Queens College, City University of New York
Queens College, City University of New York
Queens College, located in Flushing, Queens, New York City, is one of the senior colleges of the City University of New York. It is also the fifth oldest of the City University's twenty-three institutions of higher learning. The college's seventy seven acre campus is located in the heart of the...
in 1967 and a J.D.
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
from the State University of New York
State University of New York
The State University of New York, abbreviated SUNY , is a system of public institutions of higher education in New York, United States. It is the largest comprehensive system of universities, colleges, and community colleges in the United States, with a total enrollment of 465,000 students, plus...
in 1970. He was an attorney in the Criminal Division of the U.S. Department of Justice from 1970 to 1971, and again from 1977 to 1978, serving in the interim as an assistant United States Attorney
United States Attorney
United States Attorneys represent the United States federal government in United States district court and United States court of appeals. There are 93 U.S. Attorneys stationed throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands...
for the District of Maryland. He was in private practice in San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
from 1978 to 2002.
Federal judicial service
On July 25, 2002, White was nominated by President George W. BushGeorge W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
to a seat on the United States District Court for the Northern District of California
United States District Court for the Northern District of California
The United States District Court for the Northern District of California is the federal United States district court whose jurisdiction comprises following counties of California: Alameda, Contra Costa, Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, Marin, Mendocino, Monterey, Napa, San Benito, San Francisco, San...
vacated by Charles A. Legge
Charles A. Legge
Charles A. Legge is a former United States federal judge.Born in San Francisco, California, Legge received an A.B. from Stanford University in 1952 and a J.D. from Stanford Law School in 1954...
. White was confirmed by the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
on November 14, 2002, and received commission on November 15, 2002.
Global Warming ruling
In 2005, White allowed environment groups and four municipalities to go forward with a lawsuit against federal agencies. The basis for the lawsuit was a claim that the federal government is contributing to global warmingGlobal warming
Global warming refers to the rising average temperature of Earth's atmosphere and oceans and its projected continuation. In the last 100 years, Earth's average surface temperature increased by about with about two thirds of the increase occurring over just the last three decades...
by funding various overseas projects.
Wikileaks ruling
In February 2008, White shut down the ISP for the American mirror of the Website WikiLeaksWikileaks
WikiLeaks is an international self-described not-for-profit organisation that publishes submissions of private, secret, and classified media from anonymous news sources, news leaks, and whistleblowers. Its website, launched in 2006 under The Sunshine Press organisation, claimed a database of more...
. The basis for this action was a claim by the Swiss banking group Julius Baer. On February 18, 2008, White approved an agreement between Dynadot
Dynadot
-Expired auctions:Bid on domains about to expire or place a backorder for a domain pending deletion.-SSL:Both RapidSSL and AlphaSSL certificates are available for purchase.-Bank Julius Baer lawsuit:...
and Baer (an injunction
Injunction
An injunction is an equitable remedy in the form of a court order that requires a party to do or refrain from doing certain acts. A party that fails to comply with an injunction faces criminal or civil penalties and may have to pay damages or accept sanctions...
based on stipulation
Stipulation
In the law of the United States, a stipulation is an agreement made between opposing parties prior to a pending hearing or trial. For example, both parties might stipulate to certain facts, and therefore not have to argue those facts in court. After the stipulation is entered into, it is...
);
this action garnered news coverage around the world.
This order was widely criticized as both improper (prior restraint
Prior restraint
Prior restraint or prior censorship is censorship in which certain material may not be published or communicated, rather than not prohibiting publication but making the publisher answerable for what is made known...
is generally prohibited by the First Amendment
First Amendment to the United States Constitution
The First Amendment to the United States Constitution is part of the Bill of Rights. The amendment prohibits the making of any law respecting an establishment of religion, impeding the free exercise of religion, abridging the freedom of speech, infringing on the freedom of the press, interfering...
) and ineffective (Wikileaks' web servers are in Sweden, and numerous mirrors exist).
White vacated the injunction on February 29, 2008, citing First Amendment
First Amendment to the United States Constitution
The First Amendment to the United States Constitution is part of the Bill of Rights. The amendment prohibits the making of any law respecting an establishment of religion, impeding the free exercise of religion, abridging the freedom of speech, infringing on the freedom of the press, interfering...
concerns and questions about legal jurisdiction. Wikileaks was thus able to bring its site online
ONLINE
ONLINE is a magazine for information systems first published in 1977. The publisher Online, Inc. was founded the year before. In May 2002, Information Today, Inc. acquired the assets of Online Inc....
again. The bank dropped the case on March 5, 2008. The judge also denied the bank's request for an order prohibiting the website's publication.
The Executive Director of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press is an American nonprofit organization, founded in 1970, that provides free legal assistance to and on behalf of journalists. A number of prominent journalists presently sit on the organization's steering committee, including Dan Rather, and Judy...
, Lucy Dalglish, commented:
"It's not very often a federal judge does a 180 degree turn in a case and dissolves an order. But we're very pleased the judge recognized the constitutional implications in this prior restraint."
External links
- "Federal Judge OKs Global Warming Lawsuit", David Kravetz, the Associated PressAssociated PressThe Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
, August 24, 2005 - "Judge Shuts Down Web Site Specializing in Leaks" from the New York Times