Judge Roy W. McLeese III was appointed to the
District of Columbia Court of Appeals in 2012
by President Barack Obama.
McLeese graduated from New Trier East High School
in 1977. He was a member of the Debate Club
and the Math Club, and played for one season on
the JV water polo team.
McLeese received his B.A. cum laude in 1981 from
Harvard College and his J.D. cum laude in 1985 from the New York University
School of Law, where he was editor-in-chief of the Law Review.
After graduating from law school, McLeese served as a law clerk to then-Judge
Antonin Scalia on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of
Columbia Circuit. He then clerked for Justice Scalia on the Supreme Court of the
United States. In 1987, McLeese joined the United States Attorney’s Office for
the District of Columbia. After rotating through various sections of that office,
he became Deputy Chief of the Appellate Division in 1990. From 1997 through
1999, McLeese served as an Assistant to the Solicitor General of the United States,
briefing and arguing cases in the Supreme Court. After returning to the United
States Attorney’s Office, he became Chief of the Appellate Division in 2005.
In 2010, McLeese served for five months as Acting Deputy Solicitor General of
the United States, supervising the criminal litigation of the United States in the
Supreme Court. He then returned to the United States Attorney’s Office, where
he again served as Chief of the Appellate Division until he was appointed to the
D.C. Court of Appeals.
While working in the Department of Justice, McLeese twice received the Attorney
General’s Distinguished Service Award. He also received the John Marshall Award
for Outstanding Legal Achievement for Handling of Appeals.
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