James Lane Buckley (born March 9, 1923) is an American politician and jurist who currently serves as a senior judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Buckley served in the United States Senate as a member of the Conservative Party of New York State in the Republican caucus from 1971 to 1977, and in multiple positions within the Reagan administration. He was also the Republican nominee in the 1980 Connecticut Senate race, but was defeated by Democrat Chris Dodd. In 1970, Buckley was elected to the U.S. Senate as the nominee of the Conservative Party of New York; he won 39 percent of the vote and served from 1971 until 1977. During the first Reagan administration, Buckley served as Undersecretary of State for International Security Affairs. He was also President of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty from 1982 to 1985. Buckley was nominated by President Ronald Reagan to a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on October 16, 1985. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on December 17, 1985 and received commission on December 17, 1985. Buckley assumed senior status on August 31, 1996. He is one of the few people in modern times to have served in the executive, legislative and judicial branches of the Federal government. Early life, education, and early career James Lane Buckley was born on March 9, 1923, in New York City, New York, to Aloise Steiner and William Frank Buckley Sr., the fourth of ten children to the couple. He is the older brother of the late conservative writer William F. Buckley Jr. and the uncle of Christopher Taylor Buckley. He is also the uncle of Brent Bozell III and political consultant William F. B. O'Reilly. His mother, from New Orleans, was of Swiss-German, German, and Irish descent, while his paternal grandparents, from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, were of Irish ancestry. Buckley attended Millbrook School, and in 1943 earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Yale University, where he was a member of Skull and Bones. He enlisted in the United States Navy in 1942, and during World War II he participated in the battles of Leyte, Lingayen Gulf, and Okinawa. Buckley was discharged with the rank of Lieutenant (junior grade). in 1946. After receiving his Bachelor of Laws from Yale Law School in 1949, he was