Robert Raymar
Encyclopedia
Robert S. Raymar is an American lawyer, a former New Jersey state official and a former federal judicial nominee to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
and a law degree in 1972 from Yale Law School
, where he was a classmate of both future President Bill Clinton
and future Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton
. Raymar had edited the Yale Law Journal
while in law school.
from 1972 until 1974, both before and after President Nixon elevated Garth from the U.S. District Court to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in 1973. From 1974 until 1975, Raymar worked as Assistant Legal Counsel to New Jersey Gov. Brendan Byrne
. He subsequently was Deputy Attorney General for the state of New Jersey. Raymar became a partner at his current Newark, New Jersey
law firm in 1979.
. With the Senate under Republican control for the balance of Clinton's presidency and with Republicans loudly objecting to many of Clinton's judicial nominees, Raymar's nomination languished. The Republican-controlled Senate Judiciary Committee declined to hold a hearing for Raymar, and the Senate adjourned at the end of 1998 without having acted on Raymar's nomination.
Raymar had expected to be renominated to the seat in 1999. "Basically the job of a nominee is to wait, as quietly as possible, until the Senate Judiciary Committee opens a slot on its docket," Raymar told the Philadelphia Inquirer in an article that was published on October 26, 1998. "After all, the Senate Judiciary Committee is doing a lot of other things."
Raymar's nomination was not specifically held out by Republican senators as one to which they objected. However, another previous federal judicial nominee who had been a major Clinton fundraiser, Charles "Bud" Stack, had asked the president to withdraw his nomination in 1996 after significant Senate opposition.
Ultimately, Clinton chose not to renominate Raymar to the Third Circuit seat. He instead nominated Maryanne Trump Barry
on June 17, 1999 to Sarokin's former seat, and she was unanimously confirmed less than three months later.
Early life and education
Raymar earned a bachelor's degree in 1969 from Princeton UniversityPrinceton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
and a law degree in 1972 from Yale Law School
Yale Law School
Yale Law School, or YLS, is the law school of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Established in 1824, it offers the J.D., LL.M., J.S.D. and M.S.L. degrees in law. It also hosts visiting scholars, visiting researchers and a number of legal research centers...
, where he was a classmate of both future President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
and future Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton is the 67th United States Secretary of State, serving in the administration of President Barack Obama. She was a United States Senator for New York from 2001 to 2009. As the wife of the 42nd President of the United States, Bill Clinton, she was the First Lady of the...
. Raymar had edited the Yale Law Journal
Yale Law Journal
The Yale Law Journal is a student-run law review affiliated with the Yale Law School. Published continuously since 1891, it is the most widely known of the eight law reviews published by students at Yale Law School...
while in law school.
Professional career
After graduating law school, Raymar worked as a law clerk for Judge Leonard I. GarthLeonard I. Garth
Judge Leonard I. Garth is a senior judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.Garth was born in Brooklyn, New York, and graduated with a bachelor of arts from Columbia University in 1942. He served during World War II as a United States Army Lieutenant from 1943 to 1946...
from 1972 until 1974, both before and after President Nixon elevated Garth from the U.S. District Court to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in 1973. From 1974 until 1975, Raymar worked as Assistant Legal Counsel to New Jersey Gov. Brendan Byrne
Brendan Byrne
Brendan Thomas Byrne is an American Democratic Party politician from New Jersey, who served as the 47th Governor of New Jersey, from 1974 to 1982.-Early life and education:...
. He subsequently was Deputy Attorney General for the state of New Jersey. Raymar became a partner at his current Newark, New Jersey
Newark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
law firm in 1979.
Political involvement
According to a Newark Star-Ledger article published on June 6, 1998, Raymar coordinated a $2 million fundraising effort for Clinton by Yale alumni in 1992. In 1996, Raymar was one of six finance co-chairs for Clinton's campaign in New Jersey.Nomination to the Third Circuit
On June 5, 1998, President Clinton nominated Raymar to a vacancy on the Third Circuit that was created by the retirement of Judge H. Lee SarokinH. Lee Sarokin
Haddon Lee Sarokin is a retired U.S. district judge and U.S. appeals court judge. Sarokin served on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit from 1994 until 1996.- Early life and education :...
. With the Senate under Republican control for the balance of Clinton's presidency and with Republicans loudly objecting to many of Clinton's judicial nominees, Raymar's nomination languished. The Republican-controlled Senate Judiciary Committee declined to hold a hearing for Raymar, and the Senate adjourned at the end of 1998 without having acted on Raymar's nomination.
Raymar had expected to be renominated to the seat in 1999. "Basically the job of a nominee is to wait, as quietly as possible, until the Senate Judiciary Committee opens a slot on its docket," Raymar told the Philadelphia Inquirer in an article that was published on October 26, 1998. "After all, the Senate Judiciary Committee is doing a lot of other things."
Raymar's nomination was not specifically held out by Republican senators as one to which they objected. However, another previous federal judicial nominee who had been a major Clinton fundraiser, Charles "Bud" Stack, had asked the president to withdraw his nomination in 1996 after significant Senate opposition.
Ultimately, Clinton chose not to renominate Raymar to the Third Circuit seat. He instead nominated Maryanne Trump Barry
Maryanne Trump Barry
Maryanne Trump Barry is a senior judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. She is the daughter of real estate developer Fred Trump and Mary MacLeod Trump, the older sister of real estate/entertainment magnate Donald Trump and the mother of Dr...
on June 17, 1999 to Sarokin's former seat, and she was unanimously confirmed less than three months later.