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T. S. Ellis III was born in the United States, in the state of Virginia.
Answer: False
Explanation: The source material indicates that T. S. Ellis III was born in Bogotá, Colombia, not in Virginia, United States.
T. S. Ellis III obtained his law degree from Yale Law School.
Answer: False
Explanation: T. S. Ellis III earned his Juris Doctor degree from Harvard Law School, not Yale Law School.
Before becoming a judge, T. S. Ellis III served as a naval aviator in the U.S. Navy.
Answer: True
Explanation: Prior to his judicial career, T. S. Ellis III served as a naval aviator in the U.S. Navy from 1961 to 1967.
What was T. S. Ellis III's educational background?
Answer: BS from Princeton, JD from Harvard, Diploma from Oxford
Explanation: T. S. Ellis III earned a Bachelor of Science from Princeton University, a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School, and a Diploma in Law from Oxford University.
During which years did T. S. Ellis III serve as a naval aviator in the U.S. Navy?
Answer: 1961-1967
Explanation: T. S. Ellis III served as a naval aviator in the U.S. Navy from 1961 to 1967.
T. S. Ellis III practiced law at Hunton & Williams for over two decades before his judgeship.
Answer: False
Explanation: T. S. Ellis III practiced law at Hunton & Williams from 1970 until 1987, a period of 17 years, which is less than two decades.
President Ronald Reagan nominated T. S. Ellis III to the federal bench in 1987.
Answer: True
Explanation: President Ronald Reagan nominated T. S. Ellis III to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia on July 1, 1987.
T. S. Ellis III received his commission for the federal bench before his Senate confirmation.
Answer: False
Explanation: T. S. Ellis III received his Senate confirmation on August 5, 1987, and his commission on August 6, 1987, indicating confirmation preceded the commission.
Judge Ellis took senior status on the federal bench in 2007.
Answer: True
Explanation: Judge Ellis transitioned to senior status on April 1, 2007, allowing him to reduce his caseload while continuing to serve.
Mark Steven Davis was T. S. Ellis III's predecessor on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.
Answer: False
Explanation: Mark Steven Davis succeeded T. S. Ellis III on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia; Robert R. Merhige Jr. was the predecessor.
Who appointed T. S. Ellis III to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia?
Answer: President Ronald Reagan
Explanation: T. S. Ellis III was appointed to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia by President Ronald Reagan.
Which law firm did T. S. Ellis III work for before becoming a judge?
Answer: Hunton & Williams
Explanation: Before his appointment as a federal judge, T. S. Ellis III practiced law at the firm Hunton & Williams.
When did T. S. Ellis III officially receive his commission as a federal judge?
Answer: August 6, 1987
Explanation: T. S. Ellis III officially received his commission as a federal judge on August 6, 1987.
What is the significance of 'senior status' for a federal judge like T. S. Ellis III?
Answer: It allows judges to reduce their caseload while still hearing cases.
Explanation: Taking senior status allows federal judges to reduce their caseload while continuing to hear cases, providing valuable experience and support to the court.
What was the nature of T. S. Ellis III's work at Hunton & Williams?
Answer: Commercial litigation
Explanation: T. S. Ellis III's work at Hunton & Williams primarily involved commercial litigation.
Who was the judge previously holding the seat T. S. Ellis III was appointed to?
Answer: Robert R. Merhige Jr.
Explanation: The judge previously holding the seat to which T. S. Ellis III was appointed was Robert R. Merhige Jr.
In the John Walker Lindh case, Judge Ellis sentenced Lindh to life imprisonment.
Answer: False
Explanation: In the John Walker Lindh case, Judge Ellis sentenced Lindh to 20 years imprisonment, not life.
Lawrence Franklin was convicted of passing national defense information to a Russian diplomat.
Answer: False
Explanation: Lawrence Franklin was convicted of passing national defense information to an Israeli diplomat and the pro-Israel lobby group AIPAC, not a Russian diplomat.
Judge Ellis later reduced Lawrence Franklin's prison sentence significantly.
Answer: True
Explanation: In 2009, Judge Ellis modified Lawrence Franklin's sentence, reducing it to 10 months served in a halfway house, along with community service.
Judge Ellis dismissed Khalid El-Masri's lawsuit against the CIA because the allegations were unfounded.
Answer: False
Explanation: Judge Ellis dismissed Khalid El-Masri's lawsuit not because the allegations were unfounded, but due to the grave risk a public trial would pose to national security.
Paul Manafort faced charges including tax evasion and bank fraud in the Virginia federal court case overseen by Judge Ellis.
Answer: True
Explanation: Paul Manafort faced charges including 18 counts of tax evasion and bank fraud in the Virginia federal court case overseen by Judge Ellis.
The government alleged that Paul Manafort laundered approximately $3 million through offshore accounts.
Answer: False
Explanation: The government alleged that Paul Manafort laundered over $30 million through offshore accounts, not approximately $3 million.
Judge Ellis initially expressed skepticism about the prosecutors' motives in the Manafort case, suggesting they aimed to pressure Manafort.
Answer: True
Explanation: During hearings, Judge Ellis expressed skepticism regarding the prosecutors' motives, suggesting their actions might be intended to pressure Paul Manafort into cooperation.
Judge Ellis ultimately ruled that the Mueller investigation exceeded its legal authority.
Answer: False
Explanation: Contrary to this statement, Judge Ellis ultimately ruled that the Mueller investigation had acted within its legal authority.
Judge Ellis's courtroom conduct during the Manafort trial was widely praised as conventional and unbiased.
Answer: False
Explanation: Judge Ellis's courtroom conduct during the Manafort trial was described by some observers as 'decidedly unusual,' with suggestions of potential bias, rather than being widely praised as conventional and unbiased.
Judge Ellis apologized during the Manafort trial for a comment suggesting he might have made a mistake.
Answer: True
Explanation: Judge Ellis did apologize during the Manafort trial, acknowledging a potential mistake by stating, 'It appears I may well have been wrong. But like any human... I sometimes make mistakes.'
The jury found Paul Manafort guilty on all 18 charges he faced in the Virginia trial.
Answer: False
Explanation: The jury found Paul Manafort guilty on eight of the 18 charges, with a mistrial declared on the remaining ten.
Judge Ellis sentenced Paul Manafort to 47 months in prison for the Virginia charges.
Answer: True
Explanation: On March 7, 2019, Judge Ellis sentenced Paul Manafort to 47 months in federal prison for the Virginia charges.
Judge Ellis presided over the espionage case of Kevin Mallory.
Answer: True
Explanation: Judge Ellis presided over the espionage case involving Kevin Mallory, who was convicted of acting on behalf of the Chinese government.
Kevin Mallory received a 10-year prison sentence for espionage on behalf of China.
Answer: False
Explanation: Kevin Mallory received a 20-year prison sentence for espionage on behalf of China, not 10 years.
In the sentencing of John Walker Lindh, what specific law did Judge Ellis apply in addition to the prison sentence?
Answer: The Son of Sam law
Explanation: In addition to the prison sentence for John Walker Lindh, Judge Ellis applied the 'Son of Sam law,' which prohibits profiting from accounts of crimes.
Lawrence Franklin was convicted for transmitting sensitive information to which entity?
Answer: An Israeli diplomat and AIPAC
Explanation: Lawrence Franklin was convicted for transmitting sensitive information to an Israeli diplomat and the pro-Israel lobby group AIPAC.
What was Judge Ellis's ruling regarding Khalid El-Masri's lawsuit against the CIA?
Answer: He dismissed the case citing national security risks to a public trial.
Explanation: Judge Ellis dismissed Khalid El-Masri's lawsuit against the CIA, citing the grave risk that a public trial would pose to national security.
Which of the following was NOT among the charges Paul Manafort faced in the Virginia federal court case overseen by Judge Ellis?
Answer: Conspiracy to obstruct justice
Explanation: Charges faced by Paul Manafort in the Virginia federal court case overseen by Judge Ellis included tax evasion and bank fraud. Conspiracy to obstruct justice was not among these specific Virginia charges.
What did Judge Ellis suggest about the prosecutors' intentions during the Manafort case hearings?
Answer: That they were primarily seeking to pressure Manafort to cooperate.
Explanation: During hearings, Judge Ellis suggested that the prosecutors' intentions might have been primarily to pressure Paul Manafort into cooperating with the special counsel's investigation.
How many charges was Paul Manafort found guilty of by the jury in the Virginia trial?
Answer: 8 charges
Explanation: The jury found Paul Manafort guilty on eight of the 18 charges presented in the Virginia trial.
What was the total sentence Paul Manafort received across both the Virginia and D.C. cases mentioned?
Answer: 90 months
Explanation: Across both the Virginia and D.C. cases, Paul Manafort received a total sentence of 90 months (7 years and 6 months) in federal prison.
Why did Judge Ellis express concern about the prosecutors during the Manafort trial's jury selection?
Answer: They were perceived as potentially biased due to their interactions with Manafort's former associate.
Explanation: Judge Ellis expressed concern regarding the prosecutors' interactions with Manafort's former associate, which led to perceptions of potential bias during the trial.
For what crime was Kevin Mallory sentenced to 20 years in prison by Judge Ellis?
Answer: Espionage on behalf of China
Explanation: Kevin Mallory was sentenced to 20 years in prison by Judge Ellis for committing espionage on behalf of the Chinese government.
The 'silent witness rule' was used for the first time in a court case presided over by Judge Ellis.
Answer: True
Explanation: The case United States v. Rosen, presided over by Judge Ellis, was a pioneering instance where the 'silent witness rule' was permitted in court for the first time.
Critics of the 'silent witness rule' expressed concerns about potential violations of the First Amendment.
Answer: False
Explanation: Critics raised concerns regarding potential violations of the Fifth Amendment's due process clause and the Sixth Amendment's Confrontation Clause, rather than the First Amendment.
The 'See also' section mentions the Classified Information Procedures Act.
Answer: True
Explanation: The 'See also' section of the source material does indeed list the Classified Information Procedures Act (CIPA) among related legal concepts.
What legal principle did Judge Ellis address in the case involving Steve Rosen and Keith Weissman?
Answer: The prosecution of non-government individuals under the Espionage Act
Explanation: Judge Ellis addressed the principle of prosecuting non-government individuals under the Espionage Act in the case involving Steve Rosen and Keith Weissman.
T. S. Ellis III's first marriage ended in divorce in 1993.
Answer: True
Explanation: T. S. Ellis III's first marriage, to Martha Reed, concluded with a divorce in 1993.
T. S. Ellis III remarried Rebecca Garrou in the same year he divorced Martha Reed.
Answer: False
Explanation: T. S. Ellis III divorced Martha Reed in 1993 and remarried Rebecca Garrou in 1995, two years later.
T. S. Ellis III died in 2025 from complications related to COVID-19.
Answer: True
Explanation: T. S. Ellis III passed away on July 30, 2025, due to complications arising from COVID-19.
T. S. Ellis III was 75 years old at the time of his death.
Answer: False
Explanation: T. S. Ellis III was 85 years old at the time of his death on July 30, 2025, not 75.
What was the total duration of T. S. Ellis III's marriage to Martha Reed?
Answer: Approximately 29 years (1964-1993)
Explanation: T. S. Ellis III's marriage to Martha Reed lasted approximately 29 years, from 1964 until their divorce in 1993.
When did T. S. Ellis III pass away?
Answer: July 30, 2025
Explanation: T. S. Ellis III passed away on July 30, 2025.
What was the cause of death for T. S. Ellis III?
Answer: Complications from COVID-19
Explanation: The cause of death for T. S. Ellis III was complications related to COVID-19.
What was the approximate age of T. S. Ellis III when he died?
Answer: 85 years old
Explanation: T. S. Ellis III was approximately 85 years old at the time of his death.