Senior District Judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
Bates was appointed U.S. district judge for the District of Columbia in 2001 and served as presiding judge of the U.S. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance (FISA) Court from 2009 to 2013 after an appointment by U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts. Bates has also served as chair of the Judicial Conference’s advisory committee on civil rules since 2015 and previously served as assistant U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia.