Manion received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Notre Dame in 1964. His father, Clarence Manion, was dean of Notre Dame Law School and president of the Manion Forum, a conservative radio and television program. His mother, Virginia O'Brien Manion, was a well-known owner and trainer of Arabian horses. At Notre Dame, Manion was a three-time champion in the Bengal Bouts, a boxing tournament begun by legendary football coach Knute Rockne. Following graduation, Manion served in the Army during the Vietnam War. He was appointed the Director of Industrial Development for the IndianaDepartment of Commerce in 1968. While serving in this position, Manion attended night school at Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law, receiving his Juris Doctor in 1973. After a brief stint in the state attorney general's office, Manion entered the private practice of law, where he remained until his confirmation as a federal judge. He also served as an Indiana state senator from 1978–82.
Federal judicial service
On February 21, 1986, President Ronald Reagan nominated Manion to the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, to a seat vacated by Judge Wilbur Frank Pell, Jr. In a radio address to the nation, President Reagan stated, "I know to be a person who has the ability and determination to become the kind of judge the American people want in the federal courts; one who believes in the rule of law, who reveres the Constitution, and whose sense of fairness and justice is above reproach." The ABA rated Manion "qualified/unqualified." The nomination was controversial, but Manion was confirmed on June 26, 1986, and received his commission on July 24, 1986. Manion assumed senior status on December 18, 2007, but continues to hear cases regularly.
Manion is married to Ann Murphy Manion, a member of the second class of women to gain entrance to the University of Notre Dame, graduating magna cum laude in 1977. The couple has four children. Manion's younger brother, Christopher Manion, was a Republican member of the Foreign Relations Committee staff, who had been chosen by Senator Helms. Before this he served as assistant to the director of Rockford College in Illinois. In the 1990s, Christopher Manion was director of legislation at the American Council for Health Care Reform, which opposed President Clinton's health reform plans.
