John Deacon Bates is a Senior United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. The name on the commission is distinctive in that office. The court’s official biography, the Federal Judicial Center directory, and Senate nomination PN906 (107th Congress) identify the same person. This page is identity only. The episodes live in the posts.
Identity
About John D. Bates
Titles and dates come from the District of Columbia court bio, the Federal Judicial Center, and the Senate roll-call. Emphasis is the compiler’s. Identity confidence: high. The official judiciary portrait is used on this identity page and as the homepage lead.
Documented roles
- Training. B.A., Wesleyan University, 1968; J.D., University of Maryland School of Law, 1976. Clerk to Judge Roszel C. Thomsen, U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, 1976–1977. FJC; DCD bio.
- 1968–1971. U.S. Army first lieutenant, including a tour in Vietnam. Same sources.
- 1977–1980; 1998–2001. Private practice, Washington, D.C. (Steptoe & Johnson; later Miller & Chevalier). DCD bio; FJC.
- 1980–1997. Assistant United States Attorney, District of Columbia; Chief, Civil Division, 1987–1997. FJC; DCD bio.
- 1995–mid-1997. Deputy Independent Counsel, Whitewater investigation (detail). DCD bio; FJC.
- December 11, 2001. Senate confirmation, 97–0, PN906, 107th Congress. Senate vote 361.
- December 14, 2001. Commissioned United States District Judge, District of Columbia. Nominated by George W. Bush. FJC.
- February 22, 2006–February 21, 2013. Judge, Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court; Presiding Judge from May 19, 2009. Appointed to FISC by Chief Justice Roberts. FISC judges list.
- July 1, 2013–January 1, 2015. Director, Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. DCD bio; 2014 House statement.
- October 12, 2014–present (as of 2026-08-26). Senior Judge, D.D.C. FJC.
- 2015–2020; 2020–2025. Chair, Advisory Committee on Civil Rules; then Chair, Committee on Rules of Practice and Procedure. DCD bio; Devitt notice.
What this site is not
It is not a finding that Judge Bates committed a crime. FISC service ended in February 2013. The four Carter Page FISA applications were 2016–2017. Do not write that he signed them. A 2019 podcast remark is a statement, not an Inspector General finding. An APA vacatur of a DACA rescission is not a conviction. A TRO denial in a DOGE case is not a finding that DOGE broke a statute. A preliminary injunction under the Presidential Records Act is not a final judgment and not a Supreme Court holding.
It is not a White House product. It is not lawsuit-proof. Read the posts.