The Librarian of Congress appointed Judge Suzanne Barnett to a six-year term as chief judge of the Copyright Royalty Board (CRB) upon the retirement of her predecessor in May 2012. Congress established the CRB in the Copyright Royalty and Distribution Reform Act of 2004; Judge Barnett is the second chief judge.

Before coming to the CRB, Judge Barnett was elected for, and served, four terms (almost 16 years) in King County, Washington, on the general jurisdiction trial court bench in Seattle and other locations in the county. During her tenure, she took rotations in all departments of the court: civil, criminal, juvenile, family, and mental health. She served one term as the chief civil judge, one term as chief asbestos judge, and contributed to court operations through committee participation and leadership, including as a member of the King County Law Library Board and as a Trustee in the state Superior Court Judges’ Association. Judge Barnett presided over both jury and non-jury trials and heard cases on appeal from the limited jurisdiction courts and administrative agencies in King County.

Judge Barnett began her legal career in private law practice. For 16 years, commercial litigation comprised the bulk of her legal work, with a focus on creditors’ rights and business reorganization. Her private practice began at Lane Powell in Seattle. She was recruited by the Houston office of Weil, Gotshal & Manges, where she worked for over three years. Upon her return to Seattle, Judge Barnett co-founded a law firm, Barnett MacLean, and continued with that firm until her election to the bench.

A native of Virginia, Judge Barnett received her bachelor’s degree from the College of William and Mary in Virginia in 1971 and her law degree from Washington and Lee University in 1981. She was on the editorial board of the Washington and Lee Law Review.

The Librarian of Congress appointed Judge Jesse Feder as Copyright Royalty Judge (copyright) in 2013 to fill a vacancy and complete the six-year term of his predecessor. The Librarian reappointed him to a six-year term in 2014.

Judge Feder is a recognized copyright law expert, having served in various capacities in the U.S. Copyright Office before becoming the Director of International Trade and Intellectual Property at BSA/The Software Alliance. During his two decades in Washington, DC, Judge Feder has participated in setting the U.S. government’s domestic and international copyright policy.

Judge Feder is a published author with more than 25 years’ experience dealing with technology issues. Prior to his public service, Judge Feder gained experience in private practice, particularly related to international copyright issues.

Judge Feder brings to the CRB a wealth of talent and relevant experience.

Judge Feder received his bachelor’s degree from Yale University and his law degree from Columbia University School of Law, where he served as Managing Editor of the Columbia Law Review. He has served as an adjunct professor of law at Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Michigan and John Marshall Law School in Illinois.

The Librarian of Congress appointed Judge David Strickler as Copyright Royalty Judge (economics) in 2013 to fill a vacancy and complete the six-year term of his predecessor. The Librarian reappointed him to a six-year term in 2016.

Judge Strickler received his M.A. in economics from Columbia University in New York City in 1977, where he was a University Fellow. He earned his undergraduate degree, also in economics, in 1976, from New York University, where he was a Regents Scholar (and a member of the baseball team). Judge Strickler received his J.D. (cum laude) from the University of Miami School of Law in 1980, where he was a member of the Law Review. In law school, Judge Strickler was also a Law & Economics Fellow.

After law school, he spent several years as a federal litigator with the Department of Energy and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Thereafter, he was a commercial litigator in private practice in New Jersey for almost three decades.

Judge Strickler teaches microeconomics and macroeconomics at the college level. At present, he is adjunct professor of economics at Kean University in New Jersey and previously he was adjunct economics professor at Brookdale College, also in New Jersey.

In the interdisciplinary area of copyrights, economics, and law, Judge Strickler is a member of the Society for Economic Research on Copyright Issues (SERCI). He had the privilege of serving as a featured speaker at SERCI’s 2015 Annual Congress in Glasgow, Scotland, and he has been an anonymous article referee for the organization’s journal, the Review of Economic Research on Copyright Issues (RERCI). In December 2015, RERCI published an article by Judge Strickler entitled: Royalty Rate Setting for Sound Recordings by the United States Copyright Royalty Board: The Judicial Need for Independent Scholarly Economic Analysis.