Peter Jo Messitte

Peter Jo Messitte (born 1941) is a Senior United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Maryland.

Education and career

Born in Washington, D.C., Messitte received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Amherst College in 1963 and a Juris Doctor from the University of Chicago Law School in 1966. He was a Peace Corps volunteer in São Paulo, Brazil, from 1966 to 1968. He was in private practice in Washington, D.C., from 1969 to 1971. He was in private practice in Chevy Chase, Maryland, from 1971 to 1985. He was an Associate judge, Circuit Court, Montgomery County, Maryland, from 1985 to 1993.

Federal judicial service

On August 6, 1993, Messitte was nominated by President Bill Clinton to a seat on the United States District Court for the District of Maryland vacated by Joseph C. Howard, Sr. Messitte was confirmed by the United States Senate on October 18, 1993, and received his commission on October 20, 1993. He assumed senior status on September 1, 2008.

Notable rulings

On July 15, 2014, in a procedural order for a lawsuit against the Washington, D.C., football team, Judge Messitte banned the use of the word "Redskins" in his courtroom and in court documents.^[1] The judge did not explain the reason for his order, but it was assumed to be due to the Washington Redskins name controversy.

On July 25, 2018, Judge Messitte denied President Trump's motion to dismiss a lawsuit brought by Maryland and the District of Columbia for his alleged violation of the emoluments clauses of the U.S. Constitution.^[2]

References

Sources

• FJC Bio