Wilkins Sworn In As U.S. Appeals Court Judge
WASHINGTON (AP) -- A judge who was the plaintiff in a landmark Maryland racial-profiling case has been sworn in as a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
Friday's investiture ceremony for Judge Robert Wilkins was attended by Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Elena Kagan. The D.C. Circuit hears some of the nation's highest-profile cases and is considered a stepping stone to the Supreme Court.
Wilkins, who is black, filed a lawsuit against the Maryland State Police in 1993 that led to sweeping changes in the way the agency conducts traffic stops.
Wilkins was a U.S. District judge in Washington before he was nominated to the appeals court by President Barack Obama and confirmed by the Senate.
(Copyright 2013 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)