Robert J. Conrad

Robert James Conrad, Jr. (born 1958 in Chicago, Illinois) is a United States federal district court judge in North Carolina. In 2007, President George W. Bush nominated Conrad for a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit [ [http://www.newsobserver.com/659/story/640708.html News and Observer] ] to take the place of the retired James Dickson Phillips, Jr. [ [http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/07/20070717-10.html Nominations Sent to the Senate ] ] [http://www.charlotte.com/local/story/201332.html]

Conrad was confirmed April 28, 2005 as a U.S. district court judge for the Western District of North Carolina, and became Chief Judge of the district in 2006. [ [http://www.ncwd.uscourts.gov/Chambers/Judges.aspx NCWD Judges ] ] Before being appointed to the district court by Bush in 2005, Conrad had served as the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.

Conrad graduated from Clemson University in 1980 and the University of Virginia Law School in 1983. Prior to his appointment as U.S. Attorney, he served as an assistant U.S. attorney for 12 years.

As a U.S. attorney, he has prosecuted cases of terrorism financing and campaign finance. Attorney General Janet Reno named Conrad as head of her campaign finance task force that investigated fund-raising improprieties during the 1996 U.S. election campaigns. He is best known for recommending an independent counsel be named to investigate then Vice President Al Gore.

During the Bush Administration, Attorney General John Ashcroft appointed Conrad as the head of the Advisory Committee on Terrorism Financing. He was instrumental in prosecuting supporters of the Hezbollah terrorist cell in North Carolina.

References

External links

* [http://pview.findlaw.com/view/1015992_1 FindLaw]
* [http://www.fjc.gov/servlet/tGetInfo?jid=3085 Federal Judicial Center biography]