Judge William A. Moorman
Judge William A. Moorman was confirmed by the Senate and appointed a Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims by the President of the United States on November 20, 2004. His appointment continues a career of public service begun in September 1971.
Born in Chicago, Illinois, Judge Moorman attended the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and Economics in 1967. He earned his Juris Doctorate from the University of Illinois College of Law in 1970 and was designated a Distinguished Graduate in 2000. He was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the United States Air Force through the Reserve Officers Training Corps in June 1970.
On active duty, Judge Moorman rose to the grade of Major General, last serving as the Judge Advocate General of the United States Air Force, the Air Force's highest ranking uniformed lawyer. In that position he directed an active and Reserve force of more than 2,500 uniformed and civilian attorneys. He was serving in that position at the Pentagon on September 11, 2001, when terrorists attacked the United States. During his career, he was the first Staff Judge Advocate of the new joint-service U.S. Strategic Command and was the Staff Judge Advocate of the air component for Operation Just Cause in Panama and the Bosnian operations in Europe. He was the only Judge Advocate ever to serve as the senior officer aboard Looking Glass, the nation's airborne nuclear forces command post. Judge Moorman's military decorations include the Superior Service Medal with oak leaf cluster, the Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster, the Joint Meritorious Service Medal, and the Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters. He retired from the Air Force in April 2002, after 31 years of service.
In July 2002, Judge Moorman joined the Department of Veterans Affairs and was named Assistant to the Secretary for Regulation Policy and Management. In this position he was a senior advisor to the Secretary with principal responsibility for regulatory reform, leading the Department's effort to overhaul its compensation and pension regulations.
In 2004, he was appointed by the President as Acting Assistant Secretary for Management for the Department of Veterans Affairs. In that position, he was responsible for managing VA's $70 billion budget and all financial, budgetary, acquisition, real property, and logistics operations. He served as the Chief Financial Officer, Chief Environmental Officer, and Chief Acquisition Officer for VA during this period. He resigned that position in order to accept his appointment as an Appellate Judge on this Court.
Judge Moorman and his wife, Bobbie, reside in Arlington, Virginia. They have a grown daughter and two grandchildren.