Kara Stoll confirmed by Senate as newest Judge on the Federal Circuit

Newly confirmed CAFC Judge Kara Stoll

Former Finnegan, Henderson partner Kara Stoll has been unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate for a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. The vote, a resounding 95-0, was first reported by Dennis Crouch at Patently O. Upon being sworn in Stoll will take the vacant spot created by the retirement of Judge Randall Rader.

Stoll’s nomination was pending before the Senate for a relatively short time considering the log jam of other nominees to the federal courts. Politico recently reported that Stoll’s nomination is the only judicial nomination the Senate is likely to take up any time soon. Further, according to Politico, Stoll’s confirmation makes history because she is the first minority woman to serve on the Federal Circuit.

It was only April 25, 2015, when Stoll was unanimously approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee in an Executive Business Meeting of the Full Committee held in the Dirksen Senate Office Building. Stoll had been nominated to serve on the Federal Circuit by President Barack Obama on November 12, 2014, which means that her nomination was pending for slightly less than eight months.

Prior to becoming the newest Federal Circuit Judge, Stoll focused her practice on patent litigation appeals before the Federal Circuit, the court on which she has been nominated to serve. Stoll represented clients in more than 35 appeals, covering a wide range of technologies and legal issues. In addition to her experience representing clients before the Federal Circuit, she has also represented clients in appeals to the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

Stoll is a “patent person” through and through, and she will be an excellent addition to the Federal Circuit. In addition to her wealth of appellate and litigation experience at Finnegan, she spent six years at the USPTO, serving first as a patent examiner in the area of computers and display technologies, then as a law clerk with Solicitors Office and a law clerk the Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences, which was the predecessor to the PTAB. After leaving the USPTO Stoll also clerked for Judge Alvin Schall of the Federal Circuit.

Stoll’s technical training is as an electrical engineer, with a degree from Michigan State University. Her law degree is from Georgetown University.

Kara Stoll is the sister-in-law of Robert Stoll, a partner at Drinker Biddle and former Commissioner for Patents at the USPTO.

Gene Quinn Gene Quinn is a patent attorney and a leading commentator on patent law and innovation policy. Mr. Quinn has twice been named one of the top 50 most influential people [...see more]

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5 comments so far.

Night Writer
July 9, 2015 08:02 am
I think any real patent reform would have to remove the Obama appointees from the Federal Circuit.
Night Writer
July 9, 2015 07:50 am
Curious:
>at is the role of Congress.

Of course it is their role too, but the Fed. Cir. is supposed to be tasked with patent law. They are the ones that are in the best position to articulate problems with the Royal 9’s jurisprudence.

>>You cannot argue that Kappos
I agree Kappos was good and the biotech guy would have been good.

I basically agree with you that Obama is just doing what others tell him and that he doesn’t understand any of this. But, he did raise it to the level where he made his speech about the patent trolls being one the biggest problems in the U.S. I think Obama is a lot like Clinton and finance. I don’t think Clinton understood what it would mean to deregulate the banks and just went along with the big money interests. (I can tell you at the time that people that understand finance and didn’t have horse in the race were horrified and predicted disaster.)

Here, I think it is similar that Obama does not have the education, experience, or time to figure out these issues.

I do think you need to re-think the role of the Fed. Cir. The problem is that Obama has stacked the court. Think about it. The special purpose court for patents and only 1 out of 7 nominees that has real patent experience. Unbelievable.
Curious
July 9, 2015 07:39 am
Better than a sharp stick to the eye, but let’s be realistic. Obama nominated the minimal necessary to appease all the critics in the Rader replacement.
I think you overestimate Obama’s interest in patents (or patent policy). Personally, I don’t think he has much opinion one way or another. I suspect that he is being given names from those below him who have been influenced by the likes of Google.

she is not the intellect or personality to challenge Google or the SCOTUS
That is the role of Congress.

You cannot argue that Kappos was a bad first appointment. Also, the second choice (the biotech guy whose name escapes me and who got shot down) wasn’t a bad choice either.
Night Writer
July 8, 2015 10:22 pm
Better than a sharp stick to the eye, but let’s be realistic. Obama nominated the minimal necessary to appease all the critics in the Rader replacement. Obama’s record is abysmal. Is it 7 appointments with only 2 having a science background for the court that must deal with science.

And Stall is acceptable, and I would take her over any of the other Obama appointments, but she is not the intellect or personality to challenge Google or the SCOTUS.
Curious
July 8, 2015 07:00 pm
I am cautiously optimistic here. One could not ask for better credentials. Moreover, I have to expect she both understands the issues and won’t be prone to being bamboozled by counsel. Finally, I would hope that she values our patent system and won’t activity attempt to undermine it.

Time will tell …