Alston Johnson

H. Alston Johnson III (born March 31, 1946) is an American lawyer, a law professor and a former federal judicial nominee to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.

Early life and education

Born in Baton Rouge and raised in Shreveport, Johnson was a Louisiana delegate to Boys Nation in Washington, D.C. in July 1963. It was there that Johnson would meet future President Bill Clinton, who also was a delegate to Boys Nation. [ [http://www.yykt.net/Article/c/a/kld/200412/Article_653.html My Life(克林顿自传)-12-克林顿自传-My Life,2005年12月英语四级六级考试答案,英语四级答案,英语六级答案,英语四级试题,英语六级试题,英语课堂 ] ] Johnson graduated from Jesuit High School in Shreveport, which now is known as Loyola College Prep, in 1964.

Johnson earned a bachelor's degree in history cum laude in 1967 from Georgetown University, where he was a classmate of Clinton's. Johnson returned to Louisiana for law school, earning a law degree from Louisiana State University Law Center in 1970, where he was a member of the order of the coif.

Professional career

In 1972, Johnson joined the faculty of the Louisiana State University Law Center, eventually becoming a full professor in 1978. In June 1984, Johnson joined the Phelps Dunbar law firm in New Orleans as a partner. He has continued to work as an adjunct professor at LSU's law school. [ [http://www.martindale.com/H-Alston-Johnson-III/590388-lawyer.htm H. Alston Johnson III Lawyer Profile on Martindale.com ] ]

Political involvement

A longtime Democrat, Johnson was a frequent overnight guest at the White House during the Clinton presidency. [ [http://www.zpub.com/un/bcguest.html The overnight Guest List - 1997 ] ] He also represented future U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu in a legal matter in 1996, back when she was serving as Louisiana's state treasurer.

Nomination to the Fifth Circuit

On April 22, 1999, President Clinton nominated Johnson to a seat on the Fifth Circuit that had become vacant with the decision by Judge John Duhé to take senior status. [http://clinton6.nara.gov/1999/04/1999-04-22-president-clinton-nominates-four-to-the-federal-bench.html] Johnson initially had been considered by the White House in early 1999 as a candidate for a vacancy on the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana, the Baton Rouge Advocate reported on January 13, 1999. However, the White House chose instead to nominate Johnson to the appeals-court post. "I am very honored that the president has nominated me to a court with a rich legal history and a reputation for judicial excellence," Johnson told the Shreveport Times in an article that was published on April 24, 1999. "I look forward to being confirmed in due course and serving on this court."

Despite being found "well-qualified" by the American Bar Association and despite having the support of both of his home-state senators, John Breaux and Mary Landrieu, Johnson's nomination languished. Then-Sen. Trent Lott blocked Johnson's nomination because Lott had wanted Clinton to nominate one of Lott's friends, Robert Galloway, to the Mississippi seat on the Fifth Circuit. [ [http://www.brennancenter.org/content/elert/breaux_says_outlook_for_baton_rouge_lawyer_worsening/ Brennan Center for Justice | Breaux Says Outlook for Baton Rouge Lawyer Worsening ] ] As a result, the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee never held a hearing on Johnson's nomination, and the full Senate never took a vote on it.

With just days to go in his presidency, Clinton renominated Johnson on January 3, 2001. [ [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb5243/is_200101/ai_n20497739 Office of the Press Secretary - President Clinton re-nominates H. Alston Johnson, III to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. | M2 Presswire | Find Articles at BNET.com ] ] However, Johnson's nomination was returned by President Bush on March 20, 2001, along with 61 other executive and judicial nominations that Clinton had made. [ [http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2001/03/20/politics/main280123.shtml Bush Dumps Clinton Nominees, 62 Executive And Judicial Nominees Are Pulled... - CBS News ] ]

In 2001, President George W. Bush nominated Edith Clement to the Fifth Circuit seat to which Johnson had been nominated. She was confirmed by the Senate on November 13, 2001 by a 99-0 vote.

ee also

*President Clinton's judicial appointments controversy

References

External links

* [http://www.phelpsdunbar.com/attorney-profile/profile/johnsoniii-107.html Phelps Dunbar profile]