Joseph A. Greenaway Jr.

Joseph Anthony Greenaway Jr. is a British-American lawyer who served as a United States circuit judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit from 2010 to 2023. Born in 1957, he was appointed to the federal appellate bench by President Barack Obama, a Democrat, and confirmed by the Senate in February 2010. His appointment filled a vacancy that had existed since Justice Samuel Alito's elevation to the United States Supreme Court in 2006. Prior to his service on the Third Circuit, Greenaway served as a United States district judge for the District of New Jersey from 1996 to 2010, having been appointed by President Bill Clinton. Following his retirement from the federal bench in 2023, he joined the law firm Arnold & Porter as a partner.

Early life and legal career

Greenaway was born on November 16, 1957, in London, England, to parents of West Indian heritage. His father worked as a carpenter and his mother as a nurse. When he was two years old, his family immigrated to the United States, where he would eventually pursue his education and legal career. He grew up in New York and attended the Bronx High School of Science, a selective public high school known for its rigorous academic program. During his time there, he participated in athletics as a member of the varsity baseball team, graduating in 1974.

Greenaway continued his education at Columbia University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1978. He then attended Harvard Law School, one of the nation's most prestigious law schools, receiving his Juris Doctor in 1981. Following law school, he began his legal career in private practice in New York City, working from 1981 until 1985. During this period, from 1982 to 1983, he also served as a law clerk to Judge Vincent Lyons Broderick of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, gaining valuable experience in the federal judiciary that would inform his later career.

In 1985, Greenaway transitioned to public service, joining the United States Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey as an Assistant United States Attorney. He served in this prosecutorial role until 1989, when he was promoted to chief of narcotics for the District of New Jersey, a position that placed him at the forefront of federal drug enforcement efforts during a period of significant attention to narcotics prosecution. After his tenure as a federal prosecutor, Greenaway moved to the corporate sector in 1990, accepting a position as in-house counsel for Johnson & Johnson, the multinational pharmaceutical and consumer goods corporation, in New Brunswick, New Jersey. He remained with the company until 1996, gaining experience in corporate legal matters.

Throughout his career, Greenaway has maintained a commitment to legal education. From 2002 to 2006, he served as an adjunct professor at Rutgers School of Law in Newark, New Jersey. He has also taught as an adjunct professor at Cardozo School of Law, where his courses have included trial practice and a seminar on the Supreme Court. Additionally, he has served as an adjunct at Columbia University, his undergraduate alma mater, teaching a seminar on the Supreme Court. Since 2018, he has held the position of lecturer on law at Harvard Law School, his law school alma mater, continuing his involvement in legal education even while serving on the federal bench.

Federal appellate service

Greenaway's federal judicial career began at the district court level. President Bill Clinton nominated him on November 27, 1995, to serve on the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, filling a seat that had been vacated by Judge John F. Gerry. The Senate confirmed his nomination by voice vote on July 16, 1996, and he received his commission on July 26, 1996. He served as a district judge for nearly fourteen years, presiding over trials and other proceedings in the federal trial court for New Jersey.

On June 19, 2009, President Barack Obama nominated Greenaway to the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, one of thirteen federal appellate courts that hear appeals from district courts within their geographic jurisdiction. The Third Circuit hears appeals from federal district courts in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, and the Virgin Islands. The seat to which Greenaway was nominated had been vacant since January 31, 2006, when Judge Samuel Alito was elevated to the Supreme Court of the United States, creating a vacancy that had remained unfilled for more than three years. The lengthy vacancy meant that the Third Circuit had been operating with reduced capacity for a significant period.

The Senate confirmed Greenaway's nomination on February 9, 2010, and he received his commission on February 12, 2010. His service as a district judge terminated on February 24, 2010, upon his elevation to the appellate court. As a circuit judge, Greenaway heard appeals in panels with other judges, reviewing decisions from the district courts within the Third Circuit's jurisdiction and addressing questions of federal law. He served on the Third Circuit for over thirteen years, participating in the resolution of numerous appeals across a wide range of legal issues.

During his tenure on the Third Circuit, Greenaway was reportedly mentioned as a possible candidate for nomination to the United States Supreme Court by President Obama, though no such nomination materialized. He retired from the federal bench on June 15, 2023, concluding his federal judicial service after more than a quarter-century on the federal courts. In September 2023, several months after his retirement, he joined Arnold & Porter, a major international law firm, as a partner, returning to private practice after his years of public service.

Jurisprudence and legacy

Greenaway's career reflects a diverse range of legal experience across multiple sectors of the profession. His background encompasses private practice, federal prosecution, corporate counsel work, district court trial experience, and appellate judging, providing him with a comprehensive perspective on the American legal system. His service on both the trial and appellate levels of the federal judiciary gave him experience with different aspects of federal judicial work, from presiding over trials and managing cases at the district court level to reviewing legal questions and writing appellate opinions at the circuit court level.

His path to the federal bench was notable in several respects. As someone born abroad who immigrated to the United States as a young child, his story reflects the opportunities available in the American legal profession to those from immigrant backgrounds. His parents' working-class occupations—his father as a carpenter and his mother as a nurse—also distinguish his background from some other federal judges. His education at highly selective institutions, including the Bronx High School of Science, Columbia University, and Harvard Law School, positioned him for a career at the highest levels of the legal profession.

Throughout his career, Greenaway has maintained connections to legal education and to Columbia University in particular. In addition to his teaching roles at multiple law schools, he currently serves as a trustee of Columbia University, contributing to the governance of his undergraduate alma mater. He is married to Valerie Purdie Greenaway, a professor at Columbia University, further strengthening his ties to the institution.

Greenaway's service on the Third Circuit contributed to the court's work during a period spanning from the Obama administration through the Trump administration and into the Biden administration, a time of significant legal and political change in the United States. His retirement in 2023 and subsequent move to private practice represents a career transition that some federal judges make after years of public service, bringing their judicial experience to bear in advising clients and handling complex litigation in the private sector.