First Circuit Court of Appeals Judges
Boston · 6 active judgeships · Hears appeals from the federal courts in Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Puerto Rico.
U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit is one of the thirteen U.S. courts of appeals, the intermediate appellate tier of the federal judiciary. It hears appeals from the federal district courts within the First Circuit, which covers Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Puerto Rico. Its decisions bind those courts unless reviewed by the Supreme Court of the United States.
1st Circuit judges by appointing president
Of 6 active judges: 1 appointed by Republican presidents, 5 by Democratic.
| Judge | Appointed by | Party |
|---|---|---|
| David Jeremiah Barron | Obama | Democratic |
| Gustavo Antonio Gelpí Jr. | Biden | Democratic |
| Lara Elizabeth Montecalvo | Biden | Democratic |
| Julie Rikelman | Biden | Democratic |
| Seth Robert Aframe | Biden | Democratic |
| Joshua Dale Dunlap | Trump | Republican |
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.
Judges in active service
Senior judges
Still members of the court: senior judges have stepped back from a full docket but continue to hear cases.
- Levin H. Campbell
- Sandra L. Lynch
- Kermit V. Lipez
- Jeffrey R. Howard
- Ojetta R. Thompson
- William J. Kayatta Jr.
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.
Levin Hicks Campbell (current) · David Jeremiah Barron (current) · Jeffrey R. Howard (current) · Seth Robert Aframe (current) · Kermit Victor Lipez (current) · William Joseph Kayatta Jr. (current) · Joshua Dale Dunlap (current) · Sandra Lea Lynch (current) · Julie Rikelman (current) · Gustavo Antonio Gelpí Jr. (current) · Ojetta Rogeriee Thompson (current) · Lara Elizabeth Montecalvo (current) · Frank Morey Coffin · Bruce Marshall Selya · George Hutchins Bingham · Juan R. Torruella
Former judges
District courts in the First Circuit
The federal trial courts whose appeals this circuit reviews.
Practicing before this court
The rules that govern a case here (the First Circuit’s local rules, standing orders, and each judge’s own procedures) live on the court’s official site. Direct links:
Links to the court’s own site, verified 2026-07-05. Rules change. Confirm against the court’s current posting before filing.
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 1891. 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.