Appointed by Bill Clinton Role Judge Name Diana Motz | Political party Democratic Preceded by Seat established Party Democratic Party | |
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Born July 15, 1943 (age 80)
Washington, D.C., U.S. ( 1943-07-15 ) Alma mater Vassar College
University of Virginia Spouse J. Frederick Motz (m. 1968) Education University of Virginia School of Law, Vassar College Similar People J Frederick Motz, Roger Gregory, Paul V Niemeyer, Andre M Davis, James A Wynn - Jr | ||
Diana Jane Gribbon Motz (born July 15, 1943) is a United States Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.
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Early life and education
Born in Washington, D.C., Motz was raised in a legal family. Her father was attorney Daniel M. Gribbon. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Vassar College in 1965 and a Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1968. She was one of two women in her law school class.
Professional career
Motz worked in private law practice in Baltimore, Maryland for the firm Piper & Marbury (now DLA Piper) from 1968 until 1971. She became the assistant state attorney general for the state of Maryland in 1972, and served in that capacity until 1986, when she returned to private practice. In 1991, Motz returned to the public sector, appointed as an associate judge for the State Court of Special Appeals of Maryland. She worked in that court until her confirmation by the United States Senate in 1994 as a federal appeals court judge.
While an assistant state attorney general for Maryland, Motz won a $268,482 judgment against former Vice President Spiro Agnew to recover money he accepted as bribes while he was Maryland's governor.
Federal judicial service
Motz was nominated by President Bill Clinton on January 27, 1994, to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, to a new seat authorized by 104 Stat. 5089. She was confirmed by the United States Senate on June 15, 1994, and received commission on June 16, 1994. She is the first woman from Maryland to serve on the Fourth Circuit.
Her husband, J. Frederick Motz, had been appointed a federal district court judge by President Ronald Reagan in 1985. The Motzes are the first married couple to each sit on the federal bench. "Yes, it's true: He's a Republican. It's his only flaw," Motz quipped.