Saturday, December 14, 2024

President Obama Nominates Judge Albert Diaz to the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals

Yesterday, President Obama announced the nomination of Judge Albert Diaz to the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. Diaz is currently serving as a Special Superior Court Judge in North Carolina.

According to President Obama, Diaz has been an “exceptional public [servant] for the people of North Carolina and I am honored to nominate [him] today to serve from the federal bench,” said President Obama.  “[His] distinguished judicial career leaves no doubt that [he] will be [an] esteemed addition to the Fourth Circuit.”

Judge Diaz was the first Latino appointed to the North Carolina Superior Court when he became a Resident Superior Court Judge in 2001. Prior to this he served in the United States Marine Corps Legal Services Support Section, where he worked as a prosecutor, defense council, and finally Chief Review Officer. He then worked with the Navy’s Office of the Judge Advocate General (JAG), where he served for four years as appellate government counsel.

In 1995, Diaz left active duty in the Marine Corps and started working as an associate at Hunton & Williams, focusing on commercial litigation. He remained in the Marine Corps Reserves while in the private sector and eventually began working as a military judge. He finally retired from the Marine Corps in 2006. After being appointed to the North Carolina Superior Court in 2001, he quickly moved up the ranks. He was appointed as a Special Superior Court Judge in 2002 and in 2005 he was designated as one of the three Special Superior Court Judges for Complex Business Cases in North Carolina.

He earned a B.S. from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School in 1983, and received his J.D. from New York University School of Law in 1988. He also earned a Masters degree in Business Administration from Boston University in 1993.  Judge Diaz received a rating of unanimous well-qualified from the American Bar Association for his nomination to the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.

White House Press Release