Biographies of Administrative Law Judges

Administrative Law Judge Peter M. Davenport
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Judge Peter M. Davenport has been a judge since May of 1994 when he was appointed as an Administrative Law Judge for the Department of Health and Human Services for the Paducah, Kentucky Office of Hearings and Appeals. In 1995, following the establishment of Social Security Administration as an independent agency, he transferred to that agency and remained in Paducah, Kentucky until May of 1996 when he moved to the Lexington, Kentucky Office of Hearings and Appeals. Prior to becoming a judge, he served over eleven years as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky and spent ten years in the private practice of law in Lexington, Kentucky. Judge Davenport joined the United States Department of Agriculture as a Judge in January of 2005. In June of 2007, he was recalled to active duty as a Colonel in the United States Army and served until June of the following year in successive positions as Team Leader for the Rule of Law and Agriculture Teams and before leaving country served as the Deputy Team Leader for Agriculture, Infrastructure and Economic Development with the Provincial Reconstruction Team in Anbar Province, Iraq. He was named the Acting Chief Judge in January of 2010 and selected as the Chief Judge in June 2010. His undergraduate and law degrees are from the University of Kentucky and he has an LLM degree in Taxation from the National Law Center, George Washington University, Washington, D.C. He is past President of the Federal Administrative Law Judges Conference.

Administrative Law Judge Jill S. Clifton
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Judge Jill S. Clifton joined OALJ on February 26, 2001. She became an ALJ in 1990, serving 6 years with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Departmental Appeals Board, and before that, 5 years with the Social Security Administration's Office of Hearings and Appeals. Her experience also includes private law practice in western Colorado, serving 9 years as a U.S. Magistrate Judge, primarily in Grand Junction and in Denver, and 4 years as a prosecutor. Judge Clifton received her BA from the University of Florida and JD from the University of Denver College of Law.

Administrative Law Judge Janice K. Bullard
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Judge Janice K. Bullard was appointed as an Administrative Law Judge for the Social Security Administration in October, 2001. After serving one year in that position, she transferred to the U.S. Department of Labor where she worked for over eight years as an ALJ in DOL's Cherry Hill, N.J. District Office. Judge Bullard joined USDA's OALJ in January 2011. Her legal experience includes serving as attorney advisor for NASA's Office of Inspector General, NASA's OGC, IRS, and SSA. She also held the position of Special Assistant U.S. Attorney in the District of New Jersey, specializing in representing USDA in federal court. Judge Bullard began her legal career as a county prosecutor in Pennsylvania. She received her J.D. from Temple University and B.S. from St. Joseph's University.