Norman Kenneth Moon (born November 4, 1936)[1] is an American judge. After engaging in the practice of law, Moon served as a trial court judge in Virginia and on the Court of Appeals of Virginia before being appointed as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia in 1997. He took senior status in 2010.
Education and career
Born in Lynchburg, Virginia, Moon received his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Virginia in 1959 and his Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1962. He was in private practice in Lynchburg from 1962 to 1974. He was a judge on the Twenty-fourth Judicial Circuit of Virginia from 1974 to 1985, serving as Chief Judge from 1983 to 1984. He was a judge on the Court of Appeals of Virginia from 1985 to 1997, serving as Chief Judge from 1993 to 1997. He received a LL.M. from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1988.[2]
Federal judicial service
On October 8, 1997, Moon was nominated by President Bill Clinton to a seat on the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia vacated by Jackson L. Kiser. Moon was confirmed by the United States Senate on November 7, 1997, and received his commission on November 12, 1997. He took senior status on July 1, 2010.[2]
- In May 2019, Moon rejected constitutional challenges to the Anti-Riot Act by accused Rise Above Movement rioters and accepted their conditional guilty pleas for criminal offenses at the 2017 Unite the Right rally.[3] In August 2020, Moon's judgment was affirmed by the unanimous United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.[4]
- In 2022 he dismissed the lawsuit brought by former Charlottesville police chief Rashall Brackney alleging racism had forced her out of her position.[5]
- In 2023 he properly applied the law reducing the $24 million punitive damages settlement against Unite the Right demonstrators to $350,000. The law requires that jurors not be told of the $350,000 maximum, but that any amount demanded over that be reduced to $350,000.[6]
- In 2023 he dismissed the lawsuit brought by Jason Kessler following the Unite The Right rally in Charlottesville.[7]
References
- ^ Confirmation Hearings on Federal Appointments: Hearings Before the Committee on the Judiciary, United States Senate, One Hundred Fifth Congress, First Session, on Confirmation of Appointees to the Federal Judiciary. 1998. p. 811.
- ^ a b Moon, Norman K., Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, Federal Judicial Center.
- ^ United States v. Daley, 378 F.Supp. 3d 539 (W.D. Va. 2019).
- ^ Note, Recent Case: Fourth Circuit Finds the Anti-Riot Act Partially Unconstitutional, 134 Harv. L. Rev. 2614 (2021).
- ^ "Judge Moon throws out former Charlottesville Police Chief's suit against the city". Information Charlottesville. 2023-01-24. Retrieved 2023-04-26.
- ^ "Judge slashes millions owed by hate groups for 2017 Charlottesville rally". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2023-04-26.
- ^ "Judge dismisses Kessler's civil rights lawsuit against the city". www.cbs19news.com. Retrieved 2023-04-26.
External links
- Norman K. Moon at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.