Edward Nottingham

Edward Willis Nottingham, Jr. (born 1948) is a former United States federal judge in the United States District Court for the District of Colorado having served in that office from November 24, 1989 until his resignation on October 21, 2008.

Early life, education, and career

Born in Denver, Colorado,^[1] Nottingham was raised in Eagle County, Colorado.^[2] He received a bachelor's degree from Cornell University in 1969, and a J.D. from the University of Colorado School of Law in 1972.^[2] Prior to his appointment as a judge, Nottingham was a local coordinator for Bush's 1988 presidential campaign. From 1972 to 1973 he was a law clerk in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado for Chief U.S. District Judge Alfred A. Arraj. ^[3] Before becoming a judge, he spent a decade and a half in private practice in Grand Junction, Colorado, interrupted by a two-year stint as an Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Colorado from 1976 to 1978.^[1][2]

Federal judicial service

Nottingham was nominated to the court by President George H. W. Bush on October 20, 1989,^[4] to a new seat created by 98 Stat. 333.^[1] After a brief delay brought on by Senate efforts to block some Bush appointees, Nottingham was confirmed on by the United States Senate on November 21, 1989, and received his commission on November 27, 1989.^[1][5]

During his nineteen-year tenure, Nottingham oversaw a number of high-profile cases, such as a copyright infringement case involving Michael Jackson,^[6] a ruling invalidating a law creating a federal "no-call list" for telemarketers^[7] which was ultimately overturned,^[8] and that of former Qwest CEO Joe Nacchio for insider trading.^[9] Although Nottingham's talent as a jurist was never in serious dispute, the consistency of his work and his judicial temperament were matters of widespread concern. On the one hand, the Denver Post reported that Nottingham had a reputation for judicial efficiency, and as "one of the best legal minds on the bench," .^[10] He received both notoriety and admiration for dressing down witnesses ^[11] and demanding professionalism from attorneys .^[12]

Inquiry and resignation

Nottingham drew controversy over two incidents in 2007-2008, when it was revealed in his divorce case that the judge "spent $3,000 on strippers in one night"^[13]

AP reported that the Diamond Cabaret manager Justin Frankell said the judge had visited the strip club on other occasions. They reported that 9 News reported that Nottingham said he could not remember the details of spending the $3,000 at the Diamond Cabaret on 9/05/05 because he had been drinking. The transcript also said Nottingham had paid $150 to use an Internet dating site, Ipayfriendfinder.com. His ex-wife reported that she learned of the dating service calls when she mistakenly opened a bill, and immediately confronted her husband in his chambers. "When I asked about the dating service, he turned around in his chambers, and he hit his computer and he told me all about the dating service; it was a porn site." ^[14]

On a separate occasion, Nottingham argued with a woman in a wheelchair because she said he illegally parked in a handicapped spot. Nottingham allegedly threatened to call the U.S. Marshals to deal with the handicapped woman.^[15]

The Associated Press reported that Nottingham was "under review by an appeals court over a complaint citing news media reports that he allegedly viewed adult Web sites on his government computer in his chambers".^[13]

Following these reports U.S. Senator Ken Salazar of Colorado called for the impeachment of Judge Nottingham, stating that no one should be above the law. Salazar's position was echoed by John Andrews, a Republican former President of the Colorado Senate.^[16]

The Tenth Circuit launched an inquiry of multiple complaints of misconduct. These included an affidavit from a prostitute that Judge Nottingham asked her to lie to investigators about their relationship.^[17] Associated Press reported that Tenth Circuit released a document stating that the prostitute had made an allegation that Nottingham asked her to lie to investigators and that Tenth Circuit Chief Judge Henry filed a complaint against Nottingham on Oct. 1. Judge Henry's complaint alleged that Nottingham had been a client of prostitution businesses, used his court-owned cell phone to call prostitutes, and lied during the investigation. Associated Press quoted Denver’s KUSA-TV reporting of allegations that Nottingham solicited prostitutes and asked one of them to lie about being a client. The station, again citing anonymous sources, also had reported that Nottingham’s name had turned up on a client list of a prostitution ring being investigated by the IRS.^[18][19]

Two former prostitutes told 9Wants to Know that Nottingham was a client of another escort agency called Bada Bing of Denver in 2003 and 2004. One of the women claims Nottingham drove her to his home in the Hilltop area in March. She says he made them both undress to make sure they weren't wearing wire. Then she says he told her to make up stories and lie to federal investigators about the true nature of their relationship. The woman did lie to an investigator and later filed a complaint with the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals.^[20] The former prostitute says she had sex with Nottingham for $250 to $300 an hour once a week from February 2003 through November 2004 at the former escort agency Bada Bing of Denver. The former prostitute says Nottingham helped her fabricate a story about how they knew each other so she would not tell investigators that he paid her for sex. The FBI has contacted the former prostitute and is looking into the allegations. Nottingham was previously investigated for allegedly appearing on a list of clients from another prostitution business, Denver Players.^[21]

A search warrant was served to Microsoft for email addresses used for prostitution in connection with the escort service Denver Players or Denver Sugar. 9Wants to Know has reported Federal Judge Edward Nottingham had ties to the escort service which catered to prominent clients including judges, lawyers, businessmen, athletes and politicians. Nottingham's full name and personal cell phone number appeared on a list of clients from a Denver prostitution business.^[22]

Nottingham resigned on October 21, 2008 without resolution of the complaints.^[2][9]

Private Law Practice

After leaving the bench, Nottingham opened a private law practice in Colorado.^[23]

References