Haldane Robert Mayer is a judge of the United States Court of Appeals

United States court of appeals

The United States courts of appeals are the intermediate appellate courts of the United States federal court system...

 for the Federal Circuit.

Judge Mayer was appointed to the United States Military Academy

United States Military Academy

The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...

 by Representative William E. Miller

William E. Miller

William Edward "Bill" Miller was a New York politician. He was the Republican Party nominee for Vice President of the United States in the 1964 election...

, and received a B.S. in 1963. Judge Mayer served in the U.S. Army from 1963 to 1975. He was awarded the Bronze Star

Bronze Star Medal

The Bronze Star Medal is a United States Armed Forces individual military decoration that may be awarded for bravery, acts of merit, or meritorious service. As a medal it is awarded for merit, and with the "V" for valor device it is awarded for heroism. It is the fourth-highest combat award of the...

, Meritorious Service

Meritorious Service Medal (United States)

The Meritorious Service Medal is a military decoration presented to members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguished themselves by outstanding meritorious achievement or service to the United States subsequent to January 16, 1969...

, and Army Commendation Medal

Commendation Medal

The Commendation Medal is a mid-level United States military decoration which is presented for sustained acts of heroism or meritorious service. For valorous actions in direct contact with an enemy force, but of a lesser degree than required for the award of the Bronze Star, the Valor device may...

s, the Combat Infantryman Badge

Combat Infantryman Badge

The Combat Infantryman Badge is the U.S. Army combat service recognition decoration awarded to soldiers—enlisted men and officers holding colonel rank or below, who personally fought in active ground combat while an assigned member of either an infantry or a Special Forces unit, of brigade size...

, Parachutist Badge

Parachutist Badge (United States)

The Parachutist Badge, also commonly referred to as "Jump Wings" or "Snow Cone", is a military badge of the United States Armed Forces awarded to members of the United States Army, Air Force, Marine Corps and Navy...

, Ranger Tab

Ranger Tab

The Ranger Tab is a service school military decoration of the United States Army signifying completion of the 61-day long Ranger School course in small-unit infantry combat tactics in woodland, mountain, and swamp operations. In December 2009 a British NCO earned the Ranger tab...

, and Ranger Combat Badge for his service during the Vietnam War

Vietnam War

The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...

. He took leave from the Army to attend The College of 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 J.D.

Juris Doctor

Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...

 in 1971.

Judge Mayer served as Special Assistant to the Chief Justice of the United States, Warren E. Burger

Warren E. Burger

Warren Earl Burger was the 15th Chief Justice of the United States from 1969 to 1986. Although Burger had conservative leanings, the U.S...

, for three years, and as Law Clerk to Judge John D. Butzner, Jr.

John D. Butzner, Jr.

John Decker Butzner, Jr. was a United States federal judge.Butzner was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and as a child, he began to become interested in the law when he visited his uncle Billy Butzner, a lawyer...

, of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit

United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit

The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit is a federal court located in Richmond, Virginia, with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts:*District of Maryland*Eastern District of North Carolina...

. He was in private practice in Charlottesville, Virginia

Charlottesville, Virginia

Charlottesville is an independent city geographically surrounded by but separate from Albemarle County in the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States, and named after Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the queen consort of King George III of the United Kingdom.The official population estimate for...

, in the 1970s, and in Washington, DC, in 1980 and 1981. He was Deputy and Acting Special Counsel at the United States Merit Systems Protection Board

United States Merit Systems Protection Board

The Merit Systems Protection Board is an independent quasi-judicial agency established to protect federal merit systems against partisan political and other prohibited personnel practices and to ensure adequate protection for federal employees against abuses by agency management...

 from 1981 to 1982. President Ronald Reagan

Ronald Reagan

Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....

 appointed him to the United States Claims Court

United States Court of Federal Claims

The United States Court of Federal Claims is a United States federal court that hears monetary claims against the U.S. government. The court is established pursuant to Congress's authority under Article One of the United States Constitution...

 in 1982, where he served until his appointment, again by President Reagan, to the Federal Circuit in 1987. He served as Chief Judge of the court from 1997 to 2004. Chief Judge Glenn Leroy Archer, Jr.

Glenn Leroy Archer, Jr.

Glenn Leroy Archer, Jr. was a senior judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.Born in Densmore, Kansas, Archer moved to Topeka, Kansas where he attended public high school. Archer received a B.A. in English literature from Yale University in 1952 and a J.D., with honors,...

 preceded him as chief judge and Paul Michel

Paul Redmond Michel

Paul Redmond Michel was an American federal judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit from 1988 until 2010, and served as its chief judge from 2004 until his retirement....

 succeeded him. He was an adjunct professor at The George Washington University Law School

The George Washington University Law School

The George Washington University Law School, commonly referred to as GW Law, is the law school of The George Washington University. It was founded in 1825 and is the oldest law school in Washington, D.C. The school is accredited by the American Bar Association and is a charter member of the...

 and the University of Virginia School of Law

University of Virginia School of Law

The University of Virginia School of Law was founded in Charlottesville in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson as one of the original subjects taught at his "academical village," the University of Virginia. The law school maintains an enrollment of approximately 1,100 students in its initial degree program...

.

Haldane has announced that he will take senior status

Senior status

Senior status is a form of semi-retirement for United States federal judges, and judges in some state court systems. After federal judges have reached a certain combination of age and years of service on the federal courts, they are allowed to assume senior status...

on June 30, 2010.