Rya W. Zobel

Rya Weickert Zobel (born December 18, 1931) is a Senior United States District Court Judge on the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts.

Life and career

Born in Zwickau, Germany, Zobel received an A.B. from Radcliffe College in 1953 and an LL.B. from Harvard Law School in 1956. She was a law clerk to George C. Sweeney, Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts from 1956 to 1966. She was in private practice in Boston, Massachusetts from 1967 to 1979.

On January 25, 1979, Zobel was nominated by President Jimmy Carter to a new seat on the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts created by 92 Stat. 1629. She was confirmed by the United States Senate on March 21, 1979, and received her commission on March 23, 1979. Among her judicial duties, she was director of the Federal Judicial Center from 1995 to 1999. She assumed senior status on April 1, 2014.