Education
She graduated from Barnard College in 1954 and Yale Law School in 1957, and worked in the Office of Solicitor for the United States Department of Labor.
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Anna Taylor
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In 1979, she was appointed to the federal bench by President Jimmy Carter, becoming the first black woman judge appointed to the Eastern District of Michigan. She became Chief Judge in 1997, and took senior status in 1998. In 2006, Judge Taylor was the first federal judge to rule on the legal and constitutional issues of the National Security Agency warrantless surveillance controversy.
Her ruling,, held that the domestic wiretapping conducted by the National Security Agency without court approval violates the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Acting and is unconstitutional.
She granted a permanent injunction to halt lieutenant The ruling, whose effect was stayed pending appellate proceedings, sparked a vigorous political and legal controversy.
She declined to rule on the legality of the alleged National Security Agency call database, on state-secrets grounds. The quality and comprehensiveness of her opinion have been criticized by some legal experts.
The conservative watchdog organization Judicial Watch has alleged that Taylor may have had a conflict of interest in the case, because, according to Judicial Watch she is or was secretary and trustee for the Community Foundation for Southeastern Michigan (CFSEM), a group that made a $45,000 grant over two years to the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan, the plaintiff in in whose favor Taylor ruled.
Taylor"s ruling was subsequently overturned by the United States. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. By a 2-1 vote, the appellate court held that the plaintiffs lacked standing, and vacated the portion of Taylor"s ruling concerning warrantless wiretaps.
