John Mercer Walker Jr. (born December 26, 1940) is a senior United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. He served as chief judge from September 30, 2000, to September 30, 2006, when he assumed senior status. He was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, appointed in 1985 by President Ronald Reagan before being elevated to the Second Circuit in 1989.
Early life and education
Walker was born in New York City. He graduated from Phillips Exeter Academy in 1958, and received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Yale University in 1962. He received his Juris Doctor from the University of Michigan Law School in 1966.
Walker is married to Katharine K. Walker, has a daughter and three stepsons, and lives in Madison, Connecticut. He is the son of Dr. John M. Walker and Elsie Louise Mead. His uncle is George Herbert Walker Jr., co-founder of the New York Mets. He is a first cousin of United States President George H. W. Bush, the two having a grandfather in common, George Herbert Walker. His father's sister, Dorothy, was the mother of the 41st President. He is also a first cousin once removed, of President George W. Bush and his brother, former Governor of Florida Jeb Bush.
Early career
Walker served in the Marine Corps Reserves from 1963 until 1968. From 1966 until 1968, he was State Counsel to the Republic of Botswana, sponsored by an Africa-Asia Public Service Fellowship, where he drafted a codification of tribal law and was the country's principal prosecutor in the regular (non-tribal) criminal courts.
Walker was in private practice in New York City from 1969 to 1970. From 1970 to 1975 he served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Criminal Division in the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, where he prosecuted drugs and business fraud cases. In 1975 he returned to private law practice with the New York firm of Carter, Ledyard & Milburn, where he was a partner in commercial litigation.
In 1981 Walker became Assistant Secretary of the Treasury, responsible for policy in law enforcement, regulatory, and trade matters, and with oversight of the Customs Service, Secret Service, Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, and the Office of Foreign Assets Control. As Assistant Secretary, he helped establish the Iran–United States Claims Tribunal and served as a U.S. representative to Interpol. He led the development of Treasury's drug interdiction and financial enforcement programs. He also oversaw the Treasury's review of Secret Service operations following the attempt to assassinate President Ronald Reagan. Among the shortcomings of the Secret Service that the review identified and remedied were inadequate reserve personnel and the use of unencrypted radio communications. For his Treasury service, Walker received the Alexander Hamilton Award, Treasury's highest award. His work caught the attention of New York Senator Alphonse D'Amato who supported him for the position of district judge.
Federal judicial service
District court service
Walker was nominated by President Ronald Reagan on June 25, 1985, to a seat on the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York vacated by Judge Morris E. Lasker. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on July 19, 1985, and received commission on July 22, 1985. His service terminated on December 19, 1989, due to elevation to the court of appeals. He was succeeded by Judge Sonia Sotomayor. As a district judge, Walker presided over a variety of civil and criminal proceedings, including notably the 1989 tax fraud trial of billionaire hotel magnate Leona Helmsley, whom he sentenced to four years in jail.
Court of appeals service
Walker was nominated by President George H. W. Bush on September 21, 1989, to a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit vacated by Judge Irving Kaufman. He was confirmed by the Senate on November 22, 1989, and received his commission on November 27, 1989. He served as Chief Judge from September 30, 2000 to September 30, 2006. He assumed senior status on September 30, 2006. He was succeeded by Judge Debra Ann Livingston.
Walker was awarded the Learned Hand Medal for "excellence in Federal Jurisprudence" by the Federal Bar Council and in 2006 the Robert L. Haig Award for "distinguished public service" by the New York State Bar Association, and the J. Edward Lumbard Award for "outstanding service" by the Southern District of New York U.S. Attorney's Office.