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United States v. Woodley

United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

751 F.2d 1008 (1985)

Facts

In 1980, President Carter conferred a commission on Walter Heen to fill a judicial vacancy in the United States District Court for the District of Hawai’i while the United States Senate was in recess. The commission was issued pursuant to the Recess Appointment Clause of Article II of the United States Constitution. Judge Heen took his oath and began presiding over cases in federal court. Janet Woodley (defendant) was tried before Judge Heen for narcotics-related charges. Judge Heen denied Woodley’s motion to suppress evidence, and Woodley was subsequently found guilty of the charges. Woodley appealed the denial of her motion to suppress and argued that the Recess Appointment Clause does not give the president the power to temporarily appoint judicial officers because Article III of the Constitution forbids interim judicial appointments.

Rule of Law

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Issue

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Holding and Reasoning (Beezer, J.)

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Dissent (Norris, J.)

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