Appointed by John Roberts Name Rosemary Collyer Profession Judge | Role Judge | |
 | ||
Alma mater Trinity College (Washington, DC) B.A.University of Denver College of Law J.D. Education Trinity College, University of Denver | ||
Rosemary Mayers Collyer (born November 19, 1945) is a Senior United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, and a member of the United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court.
Contents
Early life and career
Born in Port Chester, New York, Collyer received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Trinity College (now Trinity Washington University) in 1968 and a Juris Doctor from the University of Denver College of Law in 1977.
She was in private practice at the law firm of Sherman & Howard in Colorado from 1977 to 1981. She was then Chairman of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission from 1981 to 1984 and General Counsel of the National Labor Relations Board from 1984 to 1989. She returned to private practice in Washington, D.C. as a partner in the firm of Crowell & Moring LLP from 1989 to 2002.
Judicial service
On August 1, 2002, Collyer was nominated by President George W. Bush to a seat on the United States District Court for the District of Columbia vacated by Thomas Penfield Jackson. Collyer was confirmed by the United States Senate on November 14, 2002, and received her commission on November 15, 2002. She assumed senior status on May 18, 2016.
In 2013, Collyer was appointed by the Chief Justice of the United States to a seven-year term on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. The Court provides a measure of judicial oversight over surveillance activities under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, as amended. Judge Collyer's term on the FIS Court began on March 8, 2013 and will conclude on March 7, 2020. She replaced Judge John D. Bates, whose term ended on February 21, 2013.
Notable cases
Judge Collyer presided over a number of habeas corpus petitions submitted on behalf of Guantanamo captives.
In United States House of Representatives v. Price (2016), Judge Collyer first found the House had standing to sue the Obama Administration and, then, found that the Administration had unconstitutionally spent billions of Treasury funds on health insurer subsidies without a Congressional appropriation. Judge Collyer enjoined any further insurer reimbursements without a valid appropriation, but stayed her order pending appeal.