Robert L. Pitman

Robert Lee Pitman (born 1962) He received a Bachelor of Science degree from Abilene Christian University, where he was student body president. Pitman then obtained a Juris Doctor from the University of Texas School of Law.

Career

Following his judicial clerkship, Pitman began his career at the international law firm of Fulbright & Jaworski in Houston. In 2001, Pitman briefly served as interim United States attorney for the Western District of Texas. In 2009, Republican Senators John Cornyn and Kay Bailey Hutchison sent Pitman's name to Democratic President Barack Obama as one of two candidates for United States attorney for the Western District of Texas. The recommendation of Pitman, who is openly gay, was publicly opposed by a social conservative group in Texas. He was formally nominated the following day. Citing his credentials and experience, and expressing a desire to fill the position with the most qualified candidate, he was supported by Texas' two United States Senators, both Republicans. With their support, the United States Senate confirmed Pitman to be the chief federal law enforcement officer in the Western District of Texas on September 26, 2011. He took office on October 3, 2011. He left office on December 19, 2014, upon receiving his judicial commission. He received a hearing before the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary for September 9, 2014. On November 20, 2014, his nomination was reported out of committee by voice vote. On Saturday, December 13, 2014, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid filed a motion to invoke cloture on the nomination. On December 16, 2014, Reid withdrew his cloture motion on Pitman's nomination, and the Senate proceeded to vote to confirm Pitman by a voice vote. He received his judicial commission on December 19, 2014. Two days later the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit reversed Pitman's suspension order, permitting the law to be enforced again.

On December 1, 2021, Pitman struck down a Texas law which attempted to censor social media platforms, in the case, NetChoice, LLC. v. Paxton.

On March 30, 2023, Pitman ordered the return of books containing LGBTQ content to shelves after they were removed from public libraries, saying "...the First Amendment prohibits the removal of books from libraries based on either viewpoint or content discrimination" On August 30, 2024, he enjoined a section of the SCOPE Act because they were preempted by Section 230 and violated the First Amendment in the case Computer and Communications Industry Association et al v. Paxton. The section of the SCOPE Act that was blocked required the monitoring and filtering of content that promoted suicide, self-harm, eating disorders, substance abuse, stalking, bullying, or harassment, grooming, trafficking, child pornography, or other sexual exploitation or abuse. He stated it was from clear that Texas had a compelling interest in some of the categories of content Texas was looking to filter with the law. He also stated that the laws use of the word's promotion, grooming, harassment or substance abuse were vague and that Pro-LGBTQ content could be seen as promotion of grooming, he however would let the rest of the law take effect as their wasn't enough evidence that the rest of the law violated the Constitution or was preempted by federal law.

Personal life

Pitman is a sixth-generation Texan and lives in Austin. He is an avid outdoorsman and horseman. Pitman was the first openly gay United States attorney in Texas. He was one of four openly LGBT U.S. Attorneys, alongside Jenny Durkan of the Western District of Washington, Laura Duffy of the Southern District of California and Anne Tompkins of the Western District of North Carolina. Upon receiving his judicial commission, Pitman became the first openly gay judge to sit on the federal bench within the Fifth Circuit of the federal court system, which covers Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi.