A U.S. court of appeals / Established 1893

U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit

Washington, D.C. · 11 active judgeships · Nationwide jurisdiction.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit hears appeals from the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and reviews the actions of many federal agencies. Because so much of its docket concerns the federal government, it is often regarded as the second-most influential court in the country and a frequent stepping-stone to the Supreme Court.

68
Judges in history
16
Currently serving
11
Active judgeships
37 / 31
Appointed D / R
Current judges
Former judges
JudgeAppointed byYears
Ketanji Brown JacksonBiden (D)2021–2022
Brett M. KavanaughBush (R)2006–2018
Janice Rogers BrownBush (R)2005–2017
Thomas Beall GriffithBush (R)2005–2020
John Glover Roberts Jr.Bush (R)2003–2005
Merrick B. GarlandClinton (D)1997–2021
David S. TatelClinton (D)1994–2024
Clarence ThomasBush (R)1990–1991
Stephen Fain WilliamsReagan (R)1986–2020
James Lane BuckleyReagan (R)1985–2023
Laurence Hirsch SilbermanReagan (R)1985–2022
Kenneth Winston StarrReagan (R)1983–1989
Robert Heron BorkReagan (R)1982–1988
Antonin ScaliaReagan (R)1982–1986
Ruth Bader GinsburgCarter (D)1980–1993
Abner Joseph MikvaCarter (D)1979–1994
Patricia McGowan WaldCarter (D)1979–1999
Malcolm Richard WilkeyNixon (R)1970–1985
George Edward MacKinnonNixon (R)1969–1995
Roger RobbNixon (R)1969–1985
Spottswood William Robinson IIIJohnson (D)1966–1998
Harold LeventhalJohnson (D)1965–1979
Edward Allen TammJohnson (D)1965–1985
Carl E. McGowanKennedy (D)1963–1987
James Skelly WrightKennedy (D)1962–1988
Warren Earl BurgerEisenhower (R)1956–1969
Walter Maximillian BastianEisenhower (R)1954–1975
John Anthony DanaherEisenhower (R)1954–1990
David L. BazelonTruman (D)1950–1993
Charles FahyTruman (D)1950–1979
George Thomas WashingtonTruman (D)1950–1971
James McPherson ProctorTruman (D)1948–1953
Bennett Champ ClarkTruman (D)1945–1954
Wilbur Kingsbury MillerTruman (D)1945–1976
Elijah Barrett PrettymanTruman (D)1945–1971
Thurman Wesley ArnoldRoosevelt (D)1943–1945
Wiley Blount RutledgeRoosevelt (D)1939–1943
Henry White EdgertonRoosevelt (D)1937–1970
Justin MillerRoosevelt (D)1937–1945
Frederick Moore VinsonRoosevelt (D)1937–1943
Harold Montelle StephensRoosevelt (D)1935–1955
Duncan Lawrence GronerHoover (R)1931–1957
William HitzHoover (R)1931–1935
George Ewing MartinCoolidge (R)1924–1948
Constantine Joseph SmythWilson (D)1917–1924
Josiah Alexander Van OrsdelRoosevelt (R)1907–1937
Charles Henry RobbRoosevelt (R)1906–1939
Charles Holland DuellRoosevelt (R)1905–1906
Louis Emory McComasRoosevelt (R)1905–1907
Richard Henry AlveyCleveland (D)1893–1905
Martin Ferdinand MorrisCleveland (D)1893–1905
Seth ShepardCleveland (D)1893–1917
District courts in the D.C. Circuit

The federal trial courts whose appeals this circuit reviews.

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 1893.

Source: FJC Biographical Directory. Data last verified 2026-06-28. Verify against the primary source before relying.