Role Judge | Name Robert Whaley | |
Education Princeton University, Emory University School of Law | ||
Preceded by Justin L. Quackenbush | ||
Robert H. Whaley (born 1943) is a Senior United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Washington.
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Early life and education
Born in Huntington, West Virginia, Whaley received an Artium Baccalaureus degree from Princeton University in 1965, and a Juris Doctor from Emory University School of Law in 1968. Robert H Whaley is the son of William Whaley, an FBI agent during World War II and Carolyn Knox Whaley.
Career
Whaley was in the United States Marine Corps in 1968, and in private practice of law in Georgia from 1968 to 1969. He became a trial attorney for the Land and Natural Resources Division of the United States Department of Justice from 1969 to 1971, and then an Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington until 1972. He returned to private practice in Spokane, Washington from 1972 to 1992. Whaley also tried a case in front of the Supreme Court of the United States, Texaco Inc. v. Hasbrouck. The case was decided on June 14, 1990.
Judicial service
Whaley was a judge on the Superior Court of Spokane County, Washington from 1992 to 1995. On May 24, 1995, President Bill Clinton nominated Whaley to a seat on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Washington vacated by Justin L. Quackenbush. Whaley was confirmed by the United States Senate on June 30, 1995, and received his commission the same day. He became chief judge of the District in 2005. He assumed senior status on July 12, 2009.