Christopher Charles Conner (born October 25, 1957) is a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.
Christopher C. Conner | |
|---|---|
| Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania | |
| In office September 1, 2013 – June 1, 2020 | |
| Preceded by | Yvette Kane |
| Succeeded by | John E. Jones III |
| Judge of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania | |
| Assumed office July 29, 2002 | |
| Appointed by | George W. Bush |
| Preceded by | Sylvia H. Rambo |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Christopher Charles Conner October 25, 1957 Harrisburg, Pennsylvania |
| Education | Cornell University (BA) Penn State Dickinson Law (JD) |
Education and career
editConner was born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Cornell University in 1979 and a Juris Doctor from Pennsylvania State University - Dickinson Law in 1982. He was in private practice in Pennsylvania from 1982 to 2002, and was an adjunct professor at the Widener University School of Law in 2000.
Federal judicial service
editOn February 28, 2002, Conner was nominated by President George W. Bush to a seat on the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania vacated by Sylvia H. Rambo. The American Bar Association unanimously rated Connor as "well qualified", its highest rating.[1] Conner was confirmed by the United States Senate by voice vote[2] on July 26, 2002, and received his commission on July 29, 2002. He served as the chief judge from September 1, 2013 to June 1, 2020.
Notable cases
editOn September 13, 2011, Conner ruled the individual mandate for health insurance in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act as unconstitutional saying, in part, “The federal government is one of limited enumerated powers, and Congress’s efforts to remedy the ailing health care and health insurance markets must fit squarely within the boundaries of those powers.”[3]
On August 28, 2022, Connor fined convicted former Luzerne County Juvenile Court judges Mark Ciavarella and Michael Conahan $106 million in compensatory damages and $100 million in punitive damages to nearly 300 people in a long-running civil suit for their role in the Kids for Cash Scandal.[4]
References
edit- ^ "Christopher Conner".
- ^ "Christopher Conner".
- ^ "Judge Invalidates Health-Care Act's Insurance-Buying Mandate". Bloomberg. 13 September 2011 – via www.bloomberg.com.
- ^ https://www.npr.org/2022/08/18/1118108084/michael-conahan-mark-ciavarella-kids-for-cash [bare URL]
Sources
edit- Christopher C. Conner at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.