Preceded by Gregory M. Sleet Role Judge Name Leonard Stark | Preceded by Kent Jordan Appointed by Barack Obama | |
Alma mater University of Delaware, Newark
Magdalen College, Oxford
Yale University Education University of Delaware, University of Oxford, Yale Law School, Magdalen College, Oxford | ||
The Honorable Ronald M. Whyte Symposium: Visiting District Judges Session
Leonard Philip Stark (born 1969) is the Chief United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Delaware and was a United States Magistrate Judge of the same district.
Contents
- The Honorable Ronald M Whyte Symposium Visiting District Judges Session
- Early life and education
- Professional career
- Federal judicial service
- References
Early life and education
Born in Detroit, Stark earned a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Science in history and political science and a Master of Arts in history from the University of Delaware, all in 1991. Stark also earned a Doctor of Philosophy in politics from Magdalen College at the University of Oxford in 1993 as a Rhodes Scholar. Finally, Stark earned a Juris Doctor from Yale Law School in 1996. From 1996 until 1997, Stark served as a law clerk to United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit Judge Walter King Stapleton.
Professional career
From 1997 until 2001, Stark was an associate with the Wilmington, Delaware office of the law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom. From 2002 until 2007, Stark served as an Assistant United States Attorney in Wilmington.
Federal judicial service
In 2007, the judges on the United States District Court for the District of Delaware selected Stark to be a United States Magistrate Judge in Wilmington.
In January 2009, Stark submitted his resume to Vice President Joe Biden, expressing his interest in a federal district judgeship vacancy in Delaware. The following month, Stark submitted his information to United States Senator Tom Carper as well. After Stark underwent nearly a year of interviews with Carper, representatives from Carper's staff, representatives from the United States Department of Justice and the Office of White House Counsel, President Obama on March 17, 2010 nominated Stark to fill the vacancy created when President George W. Bush elevated Judge Kent A. Jordan to the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in 2006. By unanimous consent, the United States Senate confirmed Stark on August 5, 2010, and he received commission on August 10, 2010. He became Chief Judge on July 1, 2014.