Posted on 05/08/2005 2:44:27 PM PDT by TaxRelief
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- U.S. District Judge Malcolm J. Howard of Greenville has been appointed by Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court.
The court, commonly referred to as America's Secret Court, considers requests for surveillance and physical search orders from the U.S. Department of Justice and various U.S. intelligence agencies.
This court has nationwide jurisdiction to authorize the U.S. government to conduct electronic surveillance and physical searches for national security purposes when the target is a foreign power or when an individual is acting as an agent for a foreign power.
The Supreme Court Chief Justice appoints the members of this court to seven-year, non-renewable terms. The court was established in 1978 under provisions of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Although the establishment of the court and the appointment of its member judges are public knowledge, the work of the court is secret and classified.
Howard was appointed to the federal bench in 1988 by President Ronald Reagan. Howard will continue to discharge his duties as a federal district judge for the Eastern District of North Carolina while simultaneously serving as a judge of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court.
Howard is a native of Lenoir County. He grew up on a farm in Woodington and graduated from Deep Run High School in 1957 where he was active in farm youth organizations [4H] and athletics.
During his high school days, Howard worked for the Lenoir County Agriculture Stabilization and Conservation Service and as a salesclerk for the J.C. Penney store in downtown Kinston.
He enrolled at The Citadel in 1957 where he was a member of the basketball team then coaced by Norm Sloan. He matriculated to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1958.
While at West Point, he was a member of the 1961 NCAA National Championship Lacrosse team. He graduated from West Point in 1962 and was commissioned in the U.S. Army. He served two tours of duty in Vietnam in the 1960s and was awarded the Silver star, two Bronze stars, the Purple Heart and other decorations.
Howard was graduated from Wake Forest University Law School in 1970. His legal career included serving as a federal prosecutor, deputy special counsel for former President Richard Nixon during Watergate, and general law practice in Greenville. He was appointed to the "lifetime" federal judgeship for the Eastern District of North Carolina by former President Ronald Regan in 1988.
Howard's mother, Thelma Lee Howard, resides in Kinston as does his brother, Kinston businessman Dwight Howard.
Judge Howard is assisted in his judicial duties by Kinston native and resident Stacey Stanley Wiggins. She is Howard's senior law clerk.
"I am honored and proud to continue to serve my country in this new and additional judicial position," Howard said. "Both of our children live and work in the Washington, D.C., area ... and perhaps I will get to see more of them."
Howard's daughter Shannon was executive assistant to U.S. Senator Lauch Faircloth during his term in the Senate and is director of governmental affairs for the cellular telephone industry.
His son Josh, an attorney, has been associate counsel in the office of the Independent Counsel (Whitewater), federal prosecutor in Charlotte for four years, and is an attorney in the Office of Legal Policy at the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C.
Good judge, excellent choice for this special court.
ping
Many Reagan appointees have turned out to be gems.
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