U.S. Court of Customs and Patent Appeals
Washington, D.C. · A specialized federal court.
The U.S. Court of Customs and Patent Appeals heard appeals in customs and patent matters from 1929 until 1982, when it merged into the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Its judges were nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate. This page lists every judge to serve on the court.
Party letters here are the appointing president’s, never a judge’s own: D Democratic, R Republican, N pre-modern-party era (Federalist, Whig, and other early parties); “–” means no recorded party. Counts cover the court’s entire history.
Current judges
No currently serving judges on record.
Seats over time
Each band is one judgeship, from the court’s founding to today. A segment’s width is the holder’s tenure; its color is the appointing president’s party. Gaps are vacancies.
Former judges
| Judge | Appointed by | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Helen Wilson Nies | Carter (D) | 1980–1982 |
| Jack Richard Miller | Nixon (R) | 1973–1982 |
| Howard Thomas Markey · Chief | Nixon (R) | 1972–1982 |
| Donald Edward Lane | Nixon (R) | 1969–1979 |
| Phillip Benjamin Baldwin | L.B. Johnson (D) | 1968–1982 |
| James Lindsay Almond Jr. | Kennedy (D) | 1963–1982 |
| Arthur Mumford Smith | Eisenhower (R) | 1959–1968 |
| Isaac Jack Martin | Eisenhower (R) | 1958–1966 |
| Giles Sutherland Rich | Eisenhower (R) | 1956–1982 |
| William Purrington Cole | Truman (D) | 1952–1957 |
| Francis Eugene Worley · Chief | Truman (D) | 1950–1974 |
| Noble Jacob Johnson · Chief | Truman (D) | 1948–1968 |
| Ambrose O'Connell | F.D. Roosevelt (D) | 1944–1962 |
| Finis James Garrett · Chief | F.D. Roosevelt (D) | 1937–1955 |
| Joseph Raymond Jackson | F.D. Roosevelt (D) | 1937–1969 |
| Irvine Luther Lenroot | Hoover (R) | 1929–1944 |
How a judge gets here. Each judge is nominated by a president and confirmed by the U.S. Senate, then holds a numbered seat, for life, until they take senior status, or until they leave the bench. Open any judge to see who appointed them, how the Senate voted, and whom they succeeded, a chain that runs back to 1929. Read more on how federal judges are appointed.
Source: FJC Biographical Directory. Data as of 2026-08-10 (FJC). Verify against the primary source before relying.