Gerald Bruce Lee facts for kids

Gerald Bruce Lee was born on February 9, 1952. He is an American who used to be a federal judge. He served in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.

Becoming a Judge: Gerald Bruce Lee's Journey

Early Life and Education

Gerald Bruce Lee studied at American University. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1973. Later, in 1976, he received his law degree (called a Juris Doctor) from American University's Washington College of Law.

Starting His Legal Career

After finishing law school, Lee worked as a private lawyer in Alexandria, Virginia. He did this until 1992.

Becoming a State Judge

In 1992, Gerald Bruce Lee became a Circuit Court judge. He worked in the 19th Judicial Circuit of Virginia, in Fairfax.

Becoming a Federal Judge

President Bill Clinton chose Lee to become a United States District Judge. This happened on May 22, 1998. He officially started his job on October 1, 1998. He stopped working as an active judge on September 30, 2017.

Gerald Bruce Lee: A Look at His Career

As a Lawyer (Attorney)

Before he became a judge, Gerald Bruce Lee was a lawyer for fifteen years. He helped people and businesses with their legal issues. He worked on both civil (non-criminal) and criminal cases. He was a partner at a law firm called Cohen, Dunn & Sinclair in Alexandria, Virginia.

As a lawyer, Lee worked on some important cases:

• In 1978, he used a special defense in a murder case, and his client was found not guilty.
• He successfully defended a veteran from the Vietnam War in a criminal case. He also helped the veteran get medical and drug treatment.
• He defended a high school principal who was facing trouble because of his interracial marriage. This was for a local civil rights group.
• He also defended many companies against business and employment claims.

Lee was very active in the Virginia State Bar, which is like a professional group for lawyers. He was elected to the Virginia State Bar Council. He also led the General Practice of Law Section and was president of the Northern Virginia Black Attorneys Association.

In 1990, the Governor of Virginia, Douglas Wilder, asked Lee to join the board of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority. This group manages Washington National and Dulles International Airports. While he was on the board, both airports were being updated and expanded.

When Lee was being considered for his judge position, twelve different lawyer groups reviewed his qualifications. He received the highest possible rating from all twelve groups.

As a State Judge

Before becoming a federal judge, Lee was a trial judge for six and a half years. He worked in Virginia's 19th Judicial Circuit (Fairfax). This was Virginia's largest and busiest trial court. He heard many different types of cases, some with juries and some without. These cases included business law, product safety, personal injury, medical malpractice, contracts, and criminal law.

While he was a judge in Fairfax, Lee was an active member of the Virginia Judges Judicial Conference. He served on two important committees: the Circuit Court Judicial Education Committee and the Circuit Court Judges Bench Book Committee. He led the Judicial Education Committee, which was in charge of training and continuing education for 150 state trial judges. He also helped edit and update the "Virginia Circuit Court Judges Benchbook," which is a reference guide for judges.

Lee was known for handling complex civil cases. He also worked to improve how the court used technology. He was very dedicated to helping the community.

As a Federal Judge

In April 1998, Virginia's U.S. Senators, Chuck Robb and John Warner, suggested Lee for a position on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. He was chosen to fill the spot left by Judge James C. Cacheris. President Clinton officially nominated him on May 22, 1998. The Senate approved his nomination with a unanimous vote on September 28, 1998. He started his new job on October 1, 1998, and retired on September 30, 2017.

Important Cases He Handled

As a federal judge, Gerald Bruce Lee oversaw several notable cases:

• Brian Patrick Regan: A former Air Force master sergeant who was found guilty of spying.
• Jay Lentz: Who was found not guilty of kidnapping and murder in his first trial. He was later found guilty in a second trial by Judge T. S. Ellis III.
• Ahmed Omar Abu Ali: Who was found guilty of helping Al-Qaeda and planning to assassinate the President of the United States.

See also

• List of African-American federal judges
• List of African-American jurists

Sources

• Gerald Bruce Lee at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.