[1] He received a Bachelor of Arts degree, summa cum laude, in 1977 from Pomona College in Claremont, California.

From 1982 to 1983, he clerked for Judge Robert Bork of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

From 1984 to 1986, Taranto worked at the law firm of Onek, Klein & Farr in Washington, D.C. From 1986 to 1989 he spent three years as an assistant to the Solicitor General.

Since 2009, he has served as a member of the appellate rules advisory committee for the United States Judicial Conference.

[2] President Obama withdrew the previous nominee for this position, Edward C. DuMont, after his nomination languished in the Senate for eighteen months without action.