United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit

Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Use American English Template:Infobox U.S. federal court The United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (in case citations, D.C. Cir.) is one of the thirteen United States Courts of Appeals. It has the smallest geographical jurisdiction of any of the U.S. courts of appeals, and it covers only the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.Template:Efn It meets at the E. Barrett Prettyman United States Courthouse in Washington, DC.

The D.C. Circuit is often considered to be second only to the U.S. Supreme Court in status and prestige, and it is sometimes unofficially termed "the second highest court in the land," although it is officially no higher than the other twelve Courts of Appeals. Because its jurisdiction covers the District of Columbia, it tends to be the main federal appellate court for issues of U.S. administrative law and constitutional law. Four of the nine current Supreme Court justices were previously judges on the D.C. Circuit: Chief Justice John Roberts and associate justices Clarence Thomas, Brett Kavanaugh, and Ketanji Brown Jackson. Past justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Antonin Scalia, Warren E. Burger, Fred M. Vinson, and Wiley Blount Rutledge also served on the D.C. Circuit before their appointments to the Supreme Court.

Because the D.C. Circuit does not represent any U.S. states, confirming D.C. Circuit nominees can be procedurally and practically easier than confirming nominees to other circuits, because home-state senators have historically been able to hold up confirmation through the blue slip process.

Current composition of the court

since January 16, 2024Template:Dated maintenance category (articles):

#	Title	Judge	Duty station	Born	Term of service			Appointed by
					Active	Chief	Senior
58	Chief Judge	Sri Srinivasan	Washington, D.C.	1967	2013–present	2020–present	—
49	Circuit Judge	Karen L. Henderson	Washington, D.C.	1944	1990–present	—	—
59	Circuit Judge	Patricia Millett	Washington, D.C.	1963	2013–present	—	—
60	Circuit Judge	Cornelia Pillard	Washington, D.C.	1961	2013–present	—	—
61	Circuit Judge	Robert L. Wilkins	Washington, D.C.	1963	2014–present	—	—
62	Circuit Judge		Washington, D.C.	1964	2017–present	—	—
63	Circuit Judge		Washington, D.C.	1973	2019–present	—	—
64	Circuit Judge		Washington, D.C.	1982	2020–present	—	—
66	Circuit Judge	J. Michelle Childs	Washington, D.C.	1966	2022–present	—	—
67	Circuit Judge	Florence Y. Pan	Washington, D.C.	1966	2022–present	—	—
68	Circuit Judge	Brad Garcia	Washington, D.C.	1986	2023–present	—	—
38	Senior Circuit Judge	Harry T. Edwards	Washington, D.C.	1940	1980–2005	1994–2001	2005–present
46	Senior Circuit Judge	Douglas H. Ginsburg	Washington, D.C.	1946	1986–2011	2001–2008	2011–present
47	Senior Circuit Judge	David B. Sentelle	inactive	1943	1987–2013	2008–2013	2013–present
50	Senior Circuit Judge	A. Raymond Randolph	Washington, D.C.	1943	1990–2008	—	2008–present
51	Senior Circuit Judge	Judith W. Rogers	Washington, D.C.	1939	1994–2022	—	2022–present

List of former judges

#	Judge	State	Born–died	Active service	Chief Judge	Senior status	Appointed by	Reason for termination
1		MD	1826–1906	1893–1905	1893–1905	—		retirement
2		DC	1834–1909	1893–1905	—	—		retirement
3		TX	1847–1917	1893–1917	1905–1917	—	(associate); T. Roosevelt (chief)Template:Efn	retirement
4		NY	1850–1920	1905–1906	—	—		resignation
5		MD	1846–1907	1905–1907	—	—		death
6		VT	1867–1939	1906Template:Efn–1937	—	1937–1939		death
7		WY	1860–1937	1907Template:Efn–1937	—	—		death
8		NE	1859–1924	1917–1924	1917–1924	—		death
9		OH	1857–1948	1924–1937	1924–1937	1937–1948		death
10		DC	1872–1935	1931–1935	—	—		death
11		VA	1873–1957	1931–1948	1937–1948	1948–1957	(associate); F. Roosevelt (chief)Template:Efn	death
12		UT	1886–1955	1935–1955	1948–1955	—	(associate); Truman (chief)Template:Efn	death
13		CA	1888–1973	1937–1945	—	—		resignation
14		DC	1888–1970	1937–1963	1955–1958	1963–1970		death
15		KY	1890–1953	1938–1943	—	—		resignation
16		KY	1894–1949	1939–1943	—	—		elevation to Supreme Court
17		WY	1891–1969	1943–1945	—	—		resignation
18		MO	1890–1954	1945–1954	—	—		death
19		DC	1891–1971	1945–1962	1958–1960	1962–1971		death
20		KY	1892–1976	1945–1964	1960–1962	1964–1976		death
21		DC	1882–1953	1948–1953	—	—		death
22		IL	1909–1993	1949Template:Efn–1979	1962–1978	1979–1993		death
23		GA	1892–1979	1949Template:Efn–1967	—	1967–1979		death
24		OH	1908–1971	1949Template:Efn–1965	—	1965–1971		death
25		CT	1899–1990	1953Template:Efn–1969	—	1969–1990		death
26		DC	1891–1975	1954Template:Efn–1965	—	1965–1975		death
27		MN	1907–1995	1956–1969	—	—		elevation to Supreme Court
28		LA	1911–1988	1962–1986	1978–1981	1986–1988		death
29		IL	1911–1987	1963–1981	1981	1981–1987		death
30		DC	1906–1985	1965–1985	—	—		death
31		DC	1915–1979	1965–1979	—	—		death
32		VA	1916–1998	1966–1989	1981–1986	1989–1998		death
33		MN	1906–1995	1969–1983	—	1983–1995		death
34		DC	1907–1985	1969–1982	—	1982–1985		death
35		TX	1918–2009	1970–1984	—	1984–1985		retirement
36		DC	1928–2019	1979–1999	1986–1991	—		retirement
37		IL	1926–2016	1979–1994	1991–1994	—		retirement
39		NY	1933–2020	1980–1993	—	—		elevation to Supreme Court
40		CT	1927–2012	1982–1988	—	—		resignation
41		IL	1936–2016	1982–1986	—	—		elevation to Supreme Court
42		VA	1946–2022	1983–1989	—	—		resignation
43		PA	1935–2022	1985–2000	—	2000–2022		death
44		NY	1923–2023	1985–1996	—	1996–2023		death
45		CO	1936–2020	1986–2001	—	2001–2020		death
48		GA	1948–present	1990–1991	—	—		elevation to Supreme Court
52		DC	1942–present	1994–2022	—	2022–2024		retirement
53		IL	1952–present	1997–2021	2013–2020	—		retirement
54		MD	1955–present	2003–2005	—	—		elevation to Supreme Court
55		CA	1949–present	2005–2017	—	—		retirement
56		UT	1954–present	2005–2020	—	—		retirement
57		MD	1965–present	2006–2018	—	—		elevation to Supreme Court
65		DC	1970–present	2021–2022	—	—		elevation to Supreme Court

Chiefs

Chief
as Chief Justice
Alvey	1893–1905
Shepard	1905–1917
Smyth	1917–1924
Martin	1924–1937
Groner	1937–1948
Stephens	1948
as Chief Judge
Stephens	1948–1955
Edgerton	1955–1958
Prettyman	1958–1960
W. Miller	1960–1962
Bazelon	1962–1978
Wright	1978–1981
McGowan	1981
Robinson	1981–1986
Wald	1986–1991
Mikva	1991–1994
Edwards	1994–2001
D. Ginsburg	2001–2008
Sentelle	2008–2013
Garland	2013–2020
Srinivasan	2020–present

When Congress established this court in 1893 as the Court of Appeals of the District of Columbia, it had a chief justice, and the other judges were called associate justices, which was similar to the structure of the Supreme Court. The chief justiceship was a separate seat: the president would appoint the chief justice, and that person would stay chief justice until he left the court.

On June 25, 1948, 62 Stat. 869 and 62 Stat. 985 became law. These acts made the chief justice a chief judge. In 1954, another law, 68 Stat. 1245, clarified what was implicit in those laws: that the chief judgeship was not a mere renaming of the position but a change in its status that made it the same as the chief judge of other inferior courts.

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.

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.

Succession of seats

The court has eleven seats for active judges after the elimination of Seat 8 under the Court Security Improvement Act of 2007. The seat that was originally the chief justiceship is numbered as Seat 1; the other seats are numbered in order of their creation. If seats were established simultaneously, they are numbered in the order in which they were filled. Judges who retire into senior status remain on the bench but leave their seat vacant. That seat is filled by the next circuit judge appointed by the president.

Seat 1
Established February 9, 1893 as Chief Justice by 27 Stat. 434
Alvey	1893–1905
Shepard	1905–1917
Smyth	1917–1924
Martin	1924–1937
Groner	1937–1948
Stephens	1948
Seat abolished June 25, 1948 pursuant to 62 Stat. 869, 62 Stat. 985, and 68 Stat. 1245

Seat 2
Established February 9, 1893 as Associate Justice by 27 Stat. 434
Morris	1893–1905
McComas	1905–1907
Van Orsdel	1907–1937
J. Miller	1937–1945
Prettyman	1945–1948
Redesignated June 25, 1948 as Circuit Judge by 62 Stat. 869, 985
Prettyman	1948–1962
Wright	1962–1986
D. Ginsburg	1986–2011
Pillard	2013–present

Seat 3
Established February 9, 1893 as Associate Justice by 27 Stat. 434
Shepard	1893–1905
Duell	1905–1906
C. Robb	1906–1937
Vinson	1938–1943
W. Miller	1945–1948
Redesignated June 25, 1948 as Circuit Judge by 62 Stat. 869, 985
W. Miller	1948–1964
Leventhal	1965–1979
R.B. Ginsburg	1980–1993
Tatel	1994–2022
Childs	2022–present

Seat 4
Established June 19, 1930 as Associate Justice by 46 Stat. 785
Hitz	1931–1935
Stephens	1935–1948
Redesignated June 25, 1948 as Circuit Judge by 62 Stat. 869, 985
Proctor	1948–1953
Danaher	1953–1969
R. Robb	1969–1982
Scalia	1982–1986
Sentelle	1987–2013
Wilkins	2014–present

Seat 5
Established June 19, 1930 as Associate Justice by 46 Stat. 785
Groner	1931–1937
Edgerton	1937–1948
Redesignated June 25, 1948 as Circuit Judge by 62 Stat. 869, 985
Edgerton	1948–1963
McGowan	1963–1981
Bork	1982–1988
Thomas	1990–1991
Rogers	1994–2022
Garcia	2023–present

Seat 6
Established May 31, 1938 as Associate Justice by 52 Stat. 584
Rutledge	1939–1943
Arnold	1943–1945
Clark	1945–1948
Redesignated June 25, 1948 as Circuit Judge by 62 Stat. 869, 985
Clark	1948–1954
Bastian	1954–1965
Tamm	1965–1985
Buckley	1985–1996
Roberts	2003–2005
Millett	2013–present

Seat 7
Established June 25, 1948 pursuant to 62 Stat. 869, 62 Stat. 985, and 68 Stat. 1245
Stephens	1948–1955
Burger	1956–1969
Wilkey	1970–1984
Williams	1986–2001
Brown	2005–2017
Katsas	2017–present

Seat 8
Established August 3, 1949 by 63 Stat. 493
Bazelon	1949–1979
Edwards	1980–2005
Seat eliminated January 7, 2008 by 121 Stat. 2543

Seat 9
Established August 3, 1949 by 63 Stat. 493
Fahy	1949–1967
MacKinnon	1969–1983
Starr	1983–1989
Henderson	1990–present

Seat 10
Established August 3, 1949 by 63 Stat. 493
Washington	1949–1965
Robinson	1966–1989
Randolph	1990–2008
Srinivasan	2013–present

Seat 11
Established October 20, 1978 by 92 Stat. 1629
Wald	1979–1999
Griffith	2005–2020
Walker	2020–present

Seat 12
Established October 20, 1978 by 92 Stat. 1629
Mikva	1979–1994
Garland	1997–2021
Jackson	2021–2022
Pan	2022–present

Seat 13
Established July 10, 1984 by 98 Stat. 333
Silberman	1985–2000
Kavanaugh	2006–2018
Rao	2019–present

See also

• Judicial appointment history for United States federal courts#DC Circuit
• List of current United States circuit judges

References

• • Source for the duty station for Judge Williams
• • Source for the duty station for Judges Silberman and Buckley
  • Data is current to 2002
• • Source for the state, lifetime, term of active judgeship, term of chief judgeship, term of senior judgeship, appointer, termination reason, and seat information

External links

• United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
• Recent opinions from FindLaw
• What Makes the DC Circuit so Different? A Historical View - Article by Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr.