Sandra Lea Lynch
Appointed by President William J. Clinton in 1995 and confirmed by voice vote, Sandra Lea Lynch is a Judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. She earned a law degree from Boston University School of Law in 1971. Opinions & record ↓ Sources ↓
- Born
- 1946 · age 80
- Appointed by
- William J. Clinton, 1995
- Confirmed
- by voice vote
- Chief judge
- First Circuit, 2008 to 2015
- Education
- Wellesley College 1968 · Boston Law 1971
- Succeeded
- Stephen Gerald Breyer
- Succeeded by
- Julie Rikelman
Federal judicial service
| Year | Court | Appointed by | Vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | First Circuit succeeded Stephen Gerald Breyer chief judge 2008 to 2015 | Clinton (D) | Voice vote |
Party letters show the appointing president’s party, not the judge’s own. A voice vote means the chamber approved aloud. No senator-by-senator tally is recorded.
Confirmation vote
Voice vote
The Senate approved this confirmation aloud, with no senator-by-senator tally recorded. Recorded roll-call votes begin in 1989.
Education
| Wellesley College | A.B. | 1968 |
| Boston University School of Law | J.D. | 1971 |
Before the bench
Professional career before and outside the federal bench, as recorded by the Federal Judicial Center.
| Law clerk, Hon. Raymond Pettine, U.S. District Court, District of Rhode Island | 1971-1973 |
| Assistant attorney general, Commonwealth of Massachusetts | 1973-1974 |
| Instructor, Boston University Law School | 1973-1974 |
| General counsel, Massachusetts Department of Education | 1974-1978 |
| Private practice, Boston, Massachusetts | 1978-1995 |
| Special counsel, Judicial Conduct Commission of Massachusetts | 1990-1992 |
| Member, Judicial Conference of the United States | 2008-2015 |
Judicial Record
In our data, Lynch authored 58 published opinions for the court (2007–2010). Most cited: Maldonado v. Fontanes (559 citations).
Published, precedential opinions from the CourtListener corpus. Counts and rankings are objective and recomputable: how we count. We describe the record, not the judge.
Selected opinions
| Year | Case | Citation | Cited |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Maldonado v. Fontanes | 568 F.3d 263 | 559 |
| 2008 | Phillips v. Prairie Eye Center | 530 F.3d 22 | 256 |
| 2008 | United States v. Borrero-Acevedo | 533 F.3d 11 | 235 |
| 2008 | Prescott v. Higgins | 538 F.3d 32 | 203 |
| 2009 | United States Ex Rel. Gagne v. City of Worcester | 565 F.3d 40 | 189 |
| 2008 | Estate of Bennett v. Wainwright | 548 F.3d 155 | 159 |
| 2008 | United States v. DeCologero | 530 F.3d 36 | 145 |
| 2010 | Carreras v. Sajo, Garcia & Partners | 596 F.3d 25 | 126 |
| 2008 | AGA Fishing Group Ltd. v. Brown & Brown, Inc. | 533 F.3d 20 | 111 |
| 2008 | Perez-Sanchez v. Public Building Authority | 531 F.3d 104 | 105 |
| 2008 | Thomas v. Rhode Island | 542 F.3d 944 | 102 |
| 2009 | Jennings v. Jones | 587 F.3d 430 | 90 |
| 2008 | Shah v. Mukasey | 533 F.3d 25 | 64 |
| 2008 | Rodriguez-Rivera v. FEDERICO TRILLA REGIONAL HOSP. | 532 F.3d 28 | 64 |
| 2008 | City of Bangor v. Citizens Communications Co. | 532 F.3d 70 | 60 |
Showing the 15 most-cited of 58 authored opinions in our data. “Cited” is inbound citations across the CourtListener corpus. Case links open the ruling’s full text (CourtListener) or its page here; read the methodology and verify against the primary source.
Questions & answers
- Who appointed Sandra Lea Lynch?
- President William J. Clinton appointed Sandra Lea Lynch to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit in 1995.
- Was Sandra Lea Lynch appointed by a Democrat or a Republican?
- Sandra Lea Lynch was appointed by President William J. Clinton, a Democrat. JudicialFinder records the appointing president's party, not a judge's own politics.
- What was Sandra Lea Lynch's confirmation vote?
- Sandra Lea Lynch was confirmed by voice vote on March 17, 1995. No senator-by-senator tally was recorded.
- Which court is Sandra Lea Lynch on?
- Sandra Lea Lynch is a Judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.
Sources
Each fact on this page traces to a primary public record.
- FJC Biographical Directory
- Wikidata
- CourtListener bulk data (Free Law Project): authored opinions & citation counts
How we source & reconcile data → Data & Sources
See something wrong? Report an error. Fixes are logged in the corrections log.
31 years on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. Data as of 2026-09-28. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).