U.S. District Judge John D. Bates was appointed United States District Judge in Washington D.C. in December 2001. He graduated from Wesleyan University in 1968 and received a J.D. from the University of Maryland School of Law in 1976. From 1968 to 1971, he served in the United States Army, including a tour in Vietnam. U.S. DISTRICT COURT

A demonstrator dressed as a detainee stages a protest outside the Supreme Court in Washington, Dec. 5, 2007, as the court was hearing arguments about the rights of prisoners being detained at the U.S. Navy base at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. AP