United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
Template:Short description Template:Infobox U.S. federal court
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit (in case citations, 4th Cir.) is a federal court located in Richmond, Virginia, with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts:
- District of Maryland
- Eastern District of North Carolina
- Middle District of North Carolina
- Western District of North Carolina
- District of South Carolina
- Eastern District of Virginia
- Western District of Virginia
- Northern District of West Virginia
- Southern District of West Virginia
The court is based at the Lewis F. Powell Jr. United States Courthouse in Richmond, Virginia. With 15 authorized judgeships, it is the 4th largest circuit among the 13 United States Courts of Appeals.
Current composition of the court
| # | Title | Judge | Duty station | Born | Term of service | Appointed by | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Active | Chief | Senior | ||||||
| 48 | Chief Judge | Albert Diaz | Charlotte, NC | 1960 | 2010–present | 2023–present | — | Template:Sort |
| 30 | Circuit Judge | J. Harvie Wilkinson III | Charlottesville, VA | 1944 | 1984–present | 1996–2003 | — | Template:Sort |
| 33 | Circuit Judge | Paul V. Niemeyer | Baltimore, MD | 1941 | 1990–present | — | — | Template:Sort |
| 40 | Circuit Judge | Robert Bruce King | Charleston, WV | 1940 | 1998–present | — | — | Template:Sort |
| 41 | Circuit Judge | Roger Gregory | Richmond, VA | 1953 | 2000–present | 2016–2023 | — | Template:SortTemplate:Efn |
| 44 | Circuit Judge | G. Steven Agee | Salem, VA | 1952 | 2008–present | — | — | Template:Sort |
| 47 | Circuit Judge | James Andrew Wynn | Raleigh, NC | 1954 | 2010–present | — | — | Template:Sort |
| 50 | Circuit Judge | Stephanie Thacker | Charleston, WV | 1965 | 2012–present | — | — | Template:Sort |
| 51 | Circuit Judge | Pamela Harris | Bethesda, MD | 1962 | 2014–present | — | — | Template:Sort |
| 52 | Circuit Judge | Julius N. Richardson | Columbia, SC | 1976 | 2018–present | — | — | Template:Sort |
| 53 | Circuit Judge | A. Marvin Quattlebaum Jr. | Greenville, SC | 1964 | 2018–present | — | — | Template:Sort |
| 54 | Circuit Judge | Allison Jones Rushing | Asheville, NC | 1982 | 2019–present | — | — | Template:Sort |
| 55 | Circuit Judge | Toby J. Heytens | Alexandria, VA | 1975 | 2021–present | — | — | Template:Sort |
| 56 | Circuit Judge | DeAndrea G. Benjamin | Columbia, SC | 1972 | 2023–present | — | — | Template:Sort |
| 57 | Circuit Judge | Nicole Berner | Baltimore, MD | 1965 | 2024–present | — | — | Biden |
| 38 | Senior Circuit Judge | Diana Gribbon Motz | inactive | 1943 | 1994–2022 | — | 2022–present | Template:Sort |
| 39 | Senior Circuit Judge | William Byrd Traxler Jr. | Greenville, SC | 1948 | 1998–2018 | 2009–2016 | 2018–present | Template:Sort |
| 46 | Senior Circuit Judge | Barbara Milano Keenan | Alexandria, VA | 1950 | 2010–2021 | — | 2021–present | Template:Sort |
| 49 | Senior Circuit Judge | Henry F. Floyd | Spartanburg, SC | 1947 | 2011–2021 | — | 2021–present | Template:Sort |
Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
List of former judges
| # | Judge | State | Born–died | Active service | Chief Judge | Senior status | Appointed by | Reason for termination |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Template:Sortname | MD | 1828–1893 | 1891–1893 | — | — | Template:Sortname / Operation of law[3] | death |
| 2 | Template:Sortname | WV | 1843–1920 | 1892–1913 | — | — | Template:Sortname | resignation |
| 3 | Template:Sortname | SC | 1829–1904 | 1893–1904 | — | — | Template:Sortname | death |
| 4 | Template:Sortname | NC | 1857–1921 | 1904–1921 | — | — | Template:Sortname | death |
| 5 | Template:Sortname | NY | 1843–1923 | 1916–1923 | — | — | [4] | death |
| 6 | Template:Sortname | SC | 1852–1925 | 1913–1925 | — | — | Template:Sortname | death |
| 7 | Template:Sortname | VA | 1855–1931 | 1921–1931 | — | — | Template:Sortname | death |
| 8 | Template:Sortname | MD | 1861–1927 | 1922–1927 | — | — | Template:Sortname | death |
| 9 | Template:Sortname | NC | 1885–1958 | 1925–1958 | 1948–1958 | — | Template:Sortname | death |
| 10 | Template:Sortname | WV | 1869–1946 | 1927–1939 | — | 1939–1946 | Template:Sortname | death |
| 11 | Template:Sortname[5] | MD | 1873–1963 | 1931–1955 | — | 1955–1963 | Template:Sortname | death |
| 12 | Template:Sortname[5] | VA | 1881–1962 | 1939–1956 | — | 1956–1962 | Template:Sortname | death |
| 13 | Template:Sortname | MD | 1894–1973 | 1956–1970 | 1958–1964 | 1970–1973 | Template:Sortname | death |
| 14 | Template:Sortname | SC | 1912–1989 | 1957–1981 | 1964–1981 | 1981–1989 | Template:Sortname | death |
| 15 | Template:Sortname | WV | 1897–1982 | 1959–1971 | — | 1971–1982 | Template:Sortname | death |
| 16 | Template:Sortname | VA | 1899–1984 | 1961–1972 | — | 1972–1984 | Template:Sortname | death |
| 17 | Template:Sortname | NC | 1906–1967 | 1961–1967 | — | — | Template:Sortname | death |
| 18 | Template:Sortname | MD | 1921–1990 | 1966–1990 | 1981–1989 | 1990 | Template:Sortname | death |
| 19 | Template:Sortname | NC | 1918–1977 | 1966–1977 | — | — | Template:Sortname | death |
| 20 | Template:Sortname | VA | 1917–2006 | 1967–1982 | — | 1982–2006 | Template:Sortname | death |
| 21 | Template:Sortname | SC | 1906–1998 | 1971–1998 | — | — | Template:Sortname | death |
| 22 | Template:Sortname | WV | 1910–1995 | 1971–1976 | — | 1976–1995 | Template:Sortname | death |
| 23 | Template:Sortname | VA | 1923–2007 | 1972–2007 | — | 2007 | Template:Sortname | death |
| 24 | Template:Sortname | WV | 1918–1999 | 1976–1998 | — | 1998–1999 | Template:Sortname | death |
| 25 | Template:Sortname | NC | 1922–2017 | 1978–1994 | — | 1994–2017 | Template:Sortname | death |
| 26 | Template:Sortname | MD | 1920–2000 | 1979–2000 | — | — | Template:Sortname | death |
| 27 | Template:Sortname | WV | 1923–2004 | 1979–1992 | — | 1992–1995 | Template:Sortname | retirement |
| 28 | Template:Sortname | NC | 1926–1999 | 1980–1999 | 1989–1996 | — | Template:Sortname | death |
| 29 | Template:Sortname | SC | 1926–2018 | 1981–1991 | — | 1991–2018 | Template:Sortname | death |
| 31 | Template:Sortname | NC | 1927–1987 | 1984–1986 | — | — | Template:Sortname | resignation |
| 32 | Template:Sortname | SC | 1942–present | 1986–2007 | 2003–2007 | 2007–2008 | Template:Sortname | retirement |
| 34 | Template:Sortname | SC | 1934–2020 | 1991–1999 | — | 1999–2020 | Template:Sortname | death |
| 35 | Template:Sortname | VA | 1954–present | 1991–2006 | — | — | Template:Sortname | resignation |
| 36 | Template:Sortname | SC | 1951–2013 | 1992–2009 | 2007–2009 | 2009–2013 | Template:Sortname | death |
| 37 | Template:Sortname | WV | 1943–2011 | 1993–2011 | — | — | Template:Sortname | death |
| 42 | Template:Sortname | SC | 1953–present | 2002–2018 | — | 2018–2022 | Template:Sortname | retirement |
| 43 | Template:Sortname | NC | 1951–present | 2003–2019 | — | 2019 | Template:Sortname | retirement |
| 45 | Template:Sortname | MD | 1949–present | 2009–2014 | — | 2014–2017 | Template:Sortname | retirement |
Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
Chief judges
| Chief Judge | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Parker | 1948–1958 | ||
| Sobeloff | 1958–1964 | ||
| Haynsworth | 1964–1981 | ||
| Winter | 1981–1989 | ||
| Ervin III | 1989–1996 | ||
| Wilkinson III | 1996–2003 | ||
| Wilkins | 2003–2007 | ||
| Williams | 2007–2009 | ||
| Traxler, Jr. | 2009–2016 | ||
| Gregory | 2016–2023 | ||
| Diaz | 2023–present | ||
Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
Chief judges have administrative responsibilities with respect to their circuits, and preside over any panel on which they serve, unless the circuit justice (the Supreme Court justice responsible for the circuit) is also on the panel. Unlike the Supreme Court, where one justice is specifically nominated to be chief, the office of chief judge rotates among the circuit judges.
To be chief, a judge must have been in active service on the court for at least one year, be under the age of 65, and have not previously served as chief judge. A vacancy is filled by the judge highest in seniority among the group of qualified judges, with seniority determined first by commission date, then by age. The chief judge serves for a term of seven years, or until age 70, whichever occurs first. If no judge qualifies to be chief, the youngest judge over the age of 65 who has served on the court for at least one year shall act as chief until another judge qualifies. If no judge has served on the court for more than a year, the most senior judge shall act as chief. Judges can forfeit or resign their chief judgeship or acting chief judgeship while retaining their active status as a circuit judge.[6]
When the office was created in 1948, the chief judge was the longest-serving judge who had not elected to retire, on what has since 1958 been known as senior status, or declined to serve as chief judge. After August 6, 1959, judges could not become or remain chief after turning 70 years old. The current rules have been in operation since October 1, 1982.[7]
Succession of seats
The court has fifteen seats for active judges, numbered in the order in which they were initially filled. Judges who assume senior status enter a kind of retirement in which they remain on the bench but vacate their seats, thus allowing the U.S. President to appoint new judges to fill their seats.
<templatestyles src="Col-begin/styles.css"/>
|
|
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
<templatestyles src="Col-begin/styles.css"/>
|
|
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
<templatestyles src="Col-begin/styles.css"/>
|
|
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
<templatestyles src="Col-begin/styles.css"/>
|
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Practice in the 4th Circuit
From 2000 to 2008, the Court had the highest rate of non-publication (92%) on the Federal Circuit.[8]
The Chief Justice is always assigned to the Fourth Circuit as the circuit justice, due to Richmond's close proximity to Washington, D.C.Template:EfnScript error: No such module "Unsubst".
The Fourth Circuit is considered an extremely collegial court. By tradition, the judges of the Fourth Circuit come down from the bench following each oral argument to greet the lawyers.[9][10]
Case law
- United States v. Snider, 502 F.2d 645 (1972)
See also
- Judicial appointment history for the Fourth Circuit
- List of current United States circuit judges
- Same-sex marriage in the Fourth Circuit
Notes
References
External links
Template:United States courts of appeals judges Template:United States 4th Circuit district judges Template:United States 4th Circuit senior district judges Script error: No such module "Navbox". Template:Authority control Template:Coord
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Bond was appointed as a circuit judge for the Fourth Circuit in 1870 by Ulysses S. Grant. The Judiciary Act of 1891 reassigned his seat to what is now the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.
- ↑ Knapp did not have a permanent seat on this court. Instead, he was appointed to the ill-fated United States Commerce Court in 1910 by William Howard Taft. Aside from their duties on the Commerce Court, the judges of the Commerce Court also acted as at-large appellate judges, able to be assigned by the Chief Justice of the United States to whichever circuit most needed help. Knapp was assigned to the Second Circuit upon his commission and then to the Fourth Circuit in 1916.
- ↑ a b Recess appointment, confirmed by the United States Senate at a later date.
- ↑ 28 U.S.C. Template:Trim/Template:Trim § Template:Trim
- ↑ 62 Stat. 871, 72 Stat. 497, 96 Stat. 51
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- Pages with script errors
- Pages with broken file links
- United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
- Organizations based in Richmond, Virginia
- Baltimore
- Charleston, West Virginia
- Alexandria, Virginia
- Government of Raleigh, North Carolina
- Government of Richmond, Virginia
- 1891 establishments in the United States
- Courts and tribunals established in 1891