Born: 1949
South Natick, Massachusetts

Richard J. Leon

Judge, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia

Nominated by George W. Bush on September 10, 2001, to a seat vacated by Norma Holloway Johnson. Confirmed by the Senate on February 14, 2002, and received commission on February 19, 2002. Assumed senior status on December 31, 2016.

Education:
College of the Holy Cross, A.B., 1971
Suffolk University Law School, J.D., 1974
Harvard Law School, LL.M., 1981

Portrait Ceremony
Program of Ceremony: May 11, 2018 

Artist
Michael Shane Neal began his artistic career when he was 21 and has since completed over 600 portraits which are displayed in the United States and around the world. He was commissioned to paint the portraits of Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, former Secretary of Energy Spence Abraham, and U.S. Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus, among many others.

A protege of renowned figurative and portrait painter Everett Raymond Kinstler, Neal’s work has been featured in a number of publications including American Artist, International Artist, Art News, and The Artist’s Magazine, which listed Neal as one of 20 contemporary artists considered “On the Rise” in 2004.

Considering himself a “people person,” Neal’s paintings portray the character and personality of his subjects as well as their outer likenesses.

Neal and his wife, Melanie, own “Lone Oak,” a historic 100-year old English manor-style country home in Nashville, where Neal maintains his studio.

Professional Career:

Law clerk, Massachusetts Superior Court, 1974-1975
Law clerk, Hon. Thomas F. Kelleher, Supreme Court of Rhode Island, 1975-1976
Attorney, Immigration and Naturalization Service, U.S. Department of Justice Honors Program, 1976-1977
Special assistant U.S. attorney, Civil Division, Southern District of New York, 1977-1978
Assistant professor of law, St. John’s University School of Law, 1979-1983
Senior trial attorney, Criminal Section, Tax Division, U.S. Department of Justice, 1983-1987
Deputy chief minority counsel, U.S. House of Representatives Select Committee to Investigate Covert Arms Transactions with Iran, 1987-1988
Deputy assistant attorney general, Environment and Natural Resources Division, U.S. Department of Justice, 1988-1989
Private practice, Washington, D.C., 1989-2002
Commissioner, White House Fellows Commission, 1990-1993
Chief minority counsel, October Surprise Task Force, U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs, 1992-1993
Special counsel, Whitewater investigation, U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Banking, Finance and Urban Affairs, 1994
Adjunct professor, Georgetown University Law Center, 1997- present
Special counsel, U.S. House of Representatives Ethics Reform Task Force, 1997
Commissioner, Judicial Review Commission on Foreign Asset Control, 2000-2001
Adjunct professor, George Washington University Law School, 2004- present

Judges of the D.C. Circuit Courts