Judge Richard G. Stearns has served as a judge in the District of Massachusetts since 1993. Prior to his service as a Federal judge he served on the Superior Court of Massachusetts and as U.S. Attorney for D. Mass.
His court bio can be found here: http://www.mad.uscourts.gov/boston/stearns.htm.
A slightly more detailed bio can be found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Gaylore_Stearns.
Judicial Philosophy
Judge Stearns is an engaged judge and one who is willing to alter long-standing procedures if they are no longer appropriate. As an example, he no longer holds sidebars during trials after jurors reported that they were distracting. He is also willing to try unorthodox methods to assist his understanding of a case. In one biotech patent case he hired a court expert not under Fed. R. Evid. 706, but rather as a law clerk, to shield the expert from depositions and focus his attention on educating the court.
Intellectual Property Cases
Judge Stearns is a knowledgeable judge on intellectual property issues. He is regular attendee at bench-bar events for IP organizations and has hosted specific events, including seminars on the local patent rules. He sat by designation with the Federal Circuit in September 2008.
Judge Stearns prefers to hold Markman hearings early in the case, but has been known to wait until the completion of discovery. He requires attorneys to rank claim terms in order of importance.
