James Robart
emerged from relative obscurity on Saturday when he ordered a temporary bar on
Donald Trump's controversial Muslim ban .
The
President branded Robart a "so-called" judge whose
"ridiculous" opinion "essentially takes law-enforcement away
from our country."
To those who
know Robart, who has been on the federal bench in Seattle for more than a
decade after his appointment by another Republican, President George W. Bush,
the ensuing drama surrounding the move was a far cry from the judge's standard.
"He is
relatively apolitical," said Douglas Adkins, a private equity investor and
former investment banker who has known Robart since childhood.
"He's
not a conservative or a liberal. He's a man interested in the law and
fairness."
On Friday
night, Robart grabbed national headlines with his decision to temporarily lift
Trump's week-old travel ban for citizens of seven mainly Muslim countries and
refugees.
His ruling
was just a first step in considering the merits of the case challenging the
ban.
The Justice
Department on Saturday filed a formal notice that it intends to appeal the
ruling.
As a
candidate, Trump had criticised federal judge Gonzalo Curiel, who was
overseeing a case against his Trump University - arguing Curiel could not be
impartial because of his Mexican heritage and Trump's vow to crack down on
Mexican immigrants.
But by
lashing out at Robart as president, Trump's anti-judiciary stance takes on new
importance: it hits at the very heart of the checks and balances system meant
to protect the country from government abuse of power.
Coincidentally,
in his wide-reaching ruling on Friday, Robart emphasized that the three
branches of government - the executive branch, Congress and the judiciary -
should function as equals.
"The
work of the Judiciary, and this court, is limited to ensuring that the actions
taken by the other two branches comport with our country's laws, and more
importantly, our constitution," Robart wrote.
Judge Robart
has chosen not to comment on Trump's Twitter rant.
A graduate
of Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington, and Georgetown University Law
Center, Robart spent 30 years in private practice at the law firm now known as
Lane Powell, before being appointed to the bench by Bush in 2004.
Adkins said
Robart and his wife have no children but have been foster parents to several
immigrant children over the years, primarily from Southeast Asia.
The judge
served in the past as the president of the Seattle Children's Home and was a
former trustee of the Children's Home Society of Washington, according to his
official biography on the federal court website.
Those
organisations provide mental health services for at-risk youth and help
troubled families.
"His
involvement with children may have helped contribute to his understanding of
the people impacted by this ruling but would not have shaped his interpretation
of the rule of law," said Paul Lawrence, who was one of the attorneys who
filed an amicus brief backing Washington State in the immigration case.
During his confirmation
hearing, Robart recalled providing pro-bono legal services early in his career
to "people who in many times felt that the legal system was stacked
against them."
He said he
learned that the law "could be, if properly used, an opportunity for them
to seek redress if they had been wronged," according to a transcript of
the testimony.
Often
sporting bow-ties with his black robes, Robart is known for saying from the
bench in 2016 that "black lives matter."
He cited the
statement popularized by protesters during a hearing about a 2012 consent
decree with the federal government that required the Seattle police department
to address allegations of bias and excessive force.
In 2011,
Robart put a temporary hold on a state rule change that would have cut
government funding for disabled children and families in Washington.
"When
faced with a conflict between the financial and budgetary concerns ... and the
preventable human suffering," Robart wrote in that opinion, "the
balance of hardships tips in the favor of preventing human suffering."
Adkins said
he thought his friend would be able to take Trump's attacks in stride.
"His
view is that criticism is important," said Adkins.
(UKMirror)
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