It is a very great pleasure to be able to use the first post on this new blog to congratulate former Chief US Magistrate Judge Paul Grimm on his confirmation by the Senate as a District Judge.
I had heard of Judge Grimm by reputation when, some years ago, IQPC asked me to choose two judges to speak at a London conference. “Ask Grimm and Facciola” I said, conscious as I did so that this was the equivalent of asking for Domingo and Pavarotti to come round for a singsong in the pub. They both came, and I have had the privilege of appearing on platforms with them ever since.
Paul Grimm’s appointment as a district judge has been long awaited by those of us who respect and admire him, partly because of the value he will bring to the job but also because he deserves it as a consistent and fierce promoter of the “just, speedy and inexpensive” requirement in Rule 1 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, and as a tireless educator.
An article by Craig Ball explains that Judge Grimm was lecturing at a university school of law even as the vote was being taken. Those of us who come from a jurisdiction where judges are appointed rather than elected may also be interested in the record of the vote (my thanks to Mary Mack of ZyLAB for drawing my attention to this).
