Danny Julian Boggs

43
Danny Julian Boggs bigraphy, stories - American judge

Danny Julian Boggs : biography

October 23, 1944 –

Danny Julian Boggs (born October 23, 1944) is a Judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. He was appointed to a newly-created seat on that court on January 29, 1986 by President Ronald Reagan, confirmed by the U.S. Senate on March 3, and received his commission on March 25. He served as the Chief Judge of the Sixth Circuit from 2003 to 2009.

Education

  • University of Chicago Law School, J.D., 1968
  • Harvard College, A.B., 1965

Professional career

  • Deputy secretary, Department of Energy, 1983–1986
  • Special assistant to the President, Executive Office of the President, 1981–1983
  • Private practice, Washington, D.C., 1979–1981
  • Deputy campaign director, Nunn for Governor Campaign, Louisville, Kentucky, 1979
  • Deputy minority counsel, U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, 1977–1979
  • Assistant to the chairman, Federal Power Commission, 1975–1977
  • Private practice, Bowling Green, Kentucky, 1975
  • Assistant to the U.S. solicitor general, Department of Justice, 1973–1975
  • Attorney, Department of Commerce, 1973
  • Private practice, Frankfort, Kentucky, 1973
  • Attorney, Kentucky Republican Campaign, 1972
  • Legislative counsel/assistant to minority leader, Kentucky State House of Representatives, 1972
  • Legal counsel and administrative assistant to Governor Louie Nunn, Kentucky, 1970–1971
  • Deputy commissioner, Kentucky Department for Economic Security, Frankfort, Kentucky, 1969–1970
  • Instructor, University of Chicago School of Law, 1968–1969

Life and career

Boggs was born in Havana, Cuba. Boggs sparked controversy in 2001 by accusing then-Chief Judge Boyce Martin of violating Sixth Circuit procedural rules by assigning himself to panels and manipulating the timing of an order. Judge Boggs recused himself from the subsequent panel inquiry, which found a rule violation, but recommended no action.

One unusual feature of Judge Boggs’ managing style is an arcane general knowledge quiz he gives to clerkship applicants. The quiz strongly emphasizes history, literature, and classics, but also contains questions asking for the takers’ opinions. Judge Boggs says he uses the answers to gain insight into potential clerks’ interests and personalities. Three of his former clerks appeared on the ABC game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire at the peak of the show’s popularity in 2001, and two of them used him as their "phone-a-friend."