---
born: 1918-01-05
category: PROMIS Scandal
created: 2026-05-01
died: 1993-06-25
location: Washington, D.C.
summary: Thomas A. Flannery was U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia from 1967
  to 1970 who, in 1969, directed the commissioning of the computer-based case management
  system that became PROMIS, and subsequently served as a U.S. District Court Judge
  for the District of Columbia from 1970 until his death in 1993, including as Chief
  Judge from 1977.
tags:
- Person
- PROMIS
- INSLAW
- Lawyer
- Judge
updated: 2026-05-01
---

Thomas A. Flannery was born January 5, 1918, in Washington, D.C. He served as U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia from 1967 to March 1970, appointed under President [Lyndon B. Johnson](/people/lyndon-b-johnson/). In that capacity, he directed the formation of the team that designed the [Prosecutor's Management Information System (PROMIS)](/programs/promis/) -- the case management software that became the center of the [INSLAW affair](/events/promis-software-scandal/) a decade later.[^1]

### Role in PROMIS Development

In 1969, Flannery commissioned a team from [Peat, Marwick, Mitchell & Co](/organizations/peat-marwick-mitchell-co/) to design a computer-based case management system for the [DC U.S. Attorney's Office](/organizations/us-attorneys-office/), funded by a $60,000 grant (70-DF-047) from the [Office of Crime Analysis of the District of Columbia](/organizations/office-of-crime-analysis-of-the-district-of-columbia/) administered through the [Law Enforcement Assistance Administration](/organizations/leaa/). The team was co-directed by [Joan E. Jacoby](/people/joan-e-jacoby/) (Director of the Office of Crime Analysis) and [Charles R. Work](/people/charles-r-work/) (Deputy Chief of the Superior Court Division of the U.S. Attorney's Office), with [Bill Hamilton](/people/bill-hamilton/) serving as project manager. The system - named the Prosecutor's Management Information System - was deployed on January 1, 1971.[^1]

### Judicial Career

President [Richard Nixon](/people/richard-nixon/) nominated Flannery to the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia in July 1970. He was confirmed by the Senate and began judicial service in December 1970. He served as Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia from 1977 until approximately 1987, and continued as a senior judge thereafter. He died June 25, 1993.[^2]

[^1]: U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on the Judiciary. *The INSLAW Affair: Investigative Report.* House Report 102-857, 102nd Congress, 2nd Session, September 10, 1992.
[^2]: Federal Judicial Center. "Thomas A. Flannery." History of the Federal Judiciary. fjc.gov.