United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit

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Current United States federal appellate court

The United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit (in case citations, 6th Cir.) is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts:

The court is composed of sixteen judges and is based at the Potter Stewart U.S. Courthouse in Cincinnati, Ohio. It is one of 13 United States courts of appeals.

William Howard Taft, the only person ever to serve as both President and Chief Justice of the United States, once served on the Sixth Circuit. Four other judges of the Sixth Circuit have been elevated to serve on the Supreme Court.

Current composition of the Court[edit]

As of June 14, 2022:

# Title Judge Duty station Born Term of service Appointed by
Active Chief Senior
62 Chief Judge Jeffrey Sutton Columbus, OH 1960 2003–present 2021–present — G.W. Bush
56 Circuit Judge Karen Nelson Moore Cleveland, OH 1948 1995–present — — Clinton
57 Circuit Judge R. Guy Cole Jr. Columbus, OH 1951 1995–present 2014–2021 — Clinton
58 Circuit Judge Eric L. Clay Detroit, MI 1948 1997–present — — Clinton
60 Circuit Judge Julia Smith Gibbons Memphis, TN 1950 2002–present — — G.W. Bush
65 Circuit Judge Richard Allen Griffin Traverse City, MI 1952 2005–present — — G.W. Bush
67 Circuit Judge Raymond Kethledge Ann Arbor, MI 1966 2008–present — — G.W. Bush
69 Circuit Judge Jane Branstetter Stranch Nashville, TN 1953 2010–present — — Obama
70 Circuit Judge Bernice B. Donald Memphis, TN 1951 2011–present — — Obama
71 Circuit Judge Amul Thapar Covington, KY 1969 2017–present — — Trump
72 Circuit Judge John K. Bush Louisville, KY 1964 2017–present — — Trump
73 Circuit Judge Joan Larsen Ann Arbor, MI 1968 2017–present — — Trump
74 Circuit Judge John Nalbandian Cincinnati, OH 1969 2018–present — — Trump
75 Circuit Judge Chad Readler Columbus, OH 1972 2019–present — — Trump
76 Circuit Judge Eric E. Murphy Columbus, OH 1979 2019–present — — Trump
77 Circuit Judge Stephanie D. Davis Detroit, MI 1967 2022–present — — Biden
47 Senior Circuit Judge Ralph B. Guy Jr. Ann Arbor, MI 1929 1985–1994 — 1994–present Reagan
49 Senior Circuit Judge James L. Ryan inactive 1932 1985–2000 — 2000–present Reagan
50 Senior Circuit Judge Danny Julian Boggs Louisville, KY 1944 1986–2017 2003–2009 2017–present Reagan
51 Senior Circuit Judge Alan Eugene Norris Columbus, OH 1935 1986–2001 — 2001–present Reagan
52 Senior Circuit Judge Richard Fred Suhrheinrich Lansing, MI 1936 1990–2001 — 2001–present G.H.W. Bush
53 Senior Circuit Judge Eugene Edward Siler Jr. London, KY 1936 1991–2001 — 2001–present G.H.W. Bush
54 Senior Circuit Judge Alice M. Batchelder Medina, OH 1944 1991–2019 2009–2014 2019–present G.H.W. Bush
55 Senior Circuit Judge Martha Craig Daughtrey Nashville, TN 1942 1993–2009 — 2009–present Clinton
59 Senior Circuit Judge Ronald Lee Gilman Memphis, TN 1942 1997–2010 — 2010–present Clinton
61 Senior Circuit Judge John M. Rogers Lexington, KY 1948 2002–2018 — 2018–present G.W. Bush
63 Senior Circuit Judge Deborah L. Cook inactive 1952 2003–2019 — 2019–present G.W. Bush
64 Senior Circuit Judge David McKeague Lansing, MI 1946 2005–2017 — 2017–present G.W. Bush
68 Senior Circuit Judge Helene White Detroit, MI 1954 2008–2022 — 2022–present G.W. Bush

Vacancies and pending nominations[edit]

List of former judges[edit]

Chief judges[edit]

Chief judges have administrative responsibilities with respect to their circuits, and preside over any panel on which they serve unless the circuit justice (i.e., 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. The chief judge serves for a term of seven years or until age 70, whichever occurs first. The age restrictions are waived if no members of the court would otherwise be qualified for the position.

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[edit]

The court has 16 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, while vacating their seats, thus allowing the U.S. President to appoint new judges to fill their seats.

See also[edit]

  1. ^ “Future Judicial Vacancies”. United States Courts.
  2. ^ Jackson was appointed to as a circuit judge for the Sixth Circuit in 1886 by Grover Cleveland. The Judiciary Act of 1891 reassigned his seat to what is now the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
  3. ^ Mack did not have a permanent seat on this court. Instead, he was appointed to the ill-fated United States Commerce Court in 1911 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. Mack was assigned to the Seventh Circuit immediately prior to his assignment to the Sixth Circuit.
  4. ^ Edwards was nominated for a seat on the Sixth Circuit by President Kennedy, but he was confirmed after Kennedy’s assassination and was appointed to the Sixth Circuit by (i.e., received his commission from) President Johnson.

References[edit]

External links[edit]