Haldane Robert Mayer Explained

Haldane Mayer
Office:Senior Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
Term Start:June 30, 2010
Office1:Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
Term Start1:December 24, 1997
Term End1:December 25, 2004
Predecessor1:Glenn L. Archer Jr.
Successor1:Paul Redmond Michel
Office2:Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
Term Start2:June 15, 1987
Term End2:June 30, 2010
Appointer2:Ronald Reagan
Predecessor2:Marion T. Bennett
Successor2:Jimmie V. Reyna
Office3:Judge of the United States Claims Court
Term Start3:December 10, 1982
Term End3:June 19, 1987
Appointer3:Ronald Reagan
Predecessor3:Seat established by 96 Stat. 27
Successor3:James T. Turner
Birth Name:Haldane Robert Mayer
Birth Date:21 February 1941
Birth Place:Buffalo, New York, U.S.[1]
Education:

Haldane Robert Mayer (born February 21, 1941) is a senior United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

Education and military service

Mayer was born in Buffalo, New York, to Haldane and Myrtle Mayer. He was educated in the public schools of Lockport, New York.[1] Mayer was appointed to the United States Military Academy by Representative William E. Miller, and received a Bachelor of Science degree in 1963. Mayer served in the United States Army from 1963 to 1975. He was awarded the Bronze Star, Meritorious Service, and Army Commendation Medals, the Combat Infantryman Badge, Parachutist Badge, Ranger Tab, and Ranger Combat Badge for his service during the Vietnam War. He took leave from the Army to attend the William & Mary Law School, where he was editor-in-chief of the William and Mary Law Review. He graduated first in his class and received his Juris Doctor in 1971. He attended The Judge Advocate General's Legal Center and School at the University of Virginia.

Later career

Mayer served as special assistant to the Chief Justice of the United States, Warren E. Burger, for three years, and as law clerk to Judge John D. Butzner Jr., of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. He was in private practice in Charlottesville, Virginia, in the 1970s, and in Washington, D.C., in 1980 and 1981. He was Deputy and Acting Special Counsel at the United States Merit Systems Protection Board from 1981 to 1982.

Federal judicial service

President Ronald Reagan appointed him to the United States Claims Court in 1982, where he served until 1987. Mayer was nominated by President Ronald Reagan on February 3, 1987, to a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit vacated by Judge Marion T. Bennett. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on June 11, 1987, and received commission on June 15, 1987. He served as Chief Judge from 1997 to 2004. Mayer assumed senior status on June 30, 2010.[2] [3] He was an adjunct professor at the George Washington University Law School and the University of Virginia School of Law.[2] [3] [4] He was a member of the Judicial Conference of the United States from 1997 to 2004.[1]

Notable decisions

Mayer wrote a concurring opinion in Intellectual Ventures v. Symantec,[5] that controversially argues that "(1) patents constricting the essential channels of online communication run afoul of the First Amendment; and (2) claims directed to software implemented on a generic computer are categorically not eligible for patent."[6] [7]

Personal life

Mayer married Mary Anne McCurdy on August 13, 1966. They had two daughters, Anne Christian and Rebecca Paige.[1]

Notes and References

  1. Joint Committee on Printing, Official Congressional Directory, 2009-2010 (2010), p. 849.
  2. Web site: Federal Circuit Biographies. 2008-12-16. https://web.archive.org/web/20071029022615/http://www.cafc.uscourts.gov/judgbios.html#Mayer. 2007-10-29. dead.
  3. http://law.wm.edu/admissions/alumnispeak/haldane-mayer.php William & Mary Biographies
  4. Book: United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit: A History: 1990–2002 / compiled by members of the Advisory Council to the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in celebration of the court's twentieth anniversary.. Washington, D.C.. U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. 2004.
  5. Web site: Intellectual Ventures v. Symantec, case 2015-1769 . United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit . September 30, 2016 . 5 October 2016 .
  6. Web site: Here's Why Software Patents Are in Peril After the Intellectual Ventures Ruling . Fortune Magazine . Jeff John Roberts. October 3, 2016 . 5 October 2016.
  7. Web site: First Amendment Finally Reaches Patent Law . October 2, 2016 . Dennis Crouch . PatentlyO . 5 October 2016.