John Garrett Penn

Who was John Garrett Penn?

John Garrett Penn was a United States federal judge.

Born in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Penn attended the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University. He received an A.B. from the University of Massachusetts in 1954. He received an LL.B. from Boston University in 1957. He was in the United States Army, JAG Corps from 1958 to 1961. He was a Tax Division, General Litigation Section, U.S. Department of Justice from 1961 to 1970. He was a Trial attorney from 1961 to 1965. He was a Reviewer from 1965 to 1968. He was an Assistant chief from 1968 to 1970. He was a judge on the District of Columbia Court of General Sessions from 1970 to 1971. He was a judge on the Superior Court of the District of Columbia from 1971 to 1979.

Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, Penn was nominated by President Jimmy Carter on January 19, 1979, to a seat vacated by Joseph C. Waddy. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on March 21, 1979, and received his commission on March 23, 1979. He served as chief judge from 1992-1997. He assumed senior status on March 31, 1998.