First Circuit / Appointed 2013 / Senior status since 2024
William Joseph Kayatta Jr.
Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
Appointed by President Barack Obama in 2013 and confirmed by the Senate 88–12, William Joseph Kayatta Jr. is a Judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. He earned a law degree from Harvard Law School in 1979. Sources ↓
- Born
- 1953 · age 73
- Appointed by
- Barack Obama, 2013
- Confirmed
- 88–12
- Education
- Amherst College 1976 · Harvard Law School 1979
- Succeeded
- Kermit Victor Lipez
- Succeeded by
- Joshua Dale Dunlap
Federal judicial service
| Year | Court | Appointed by | Vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | First Circuit succeeded Kermit Victor Lipez | Obama (D) | 88–12 |
Party letters show the appointing president’s party, not the judge’s own.
Confirmation vote
Nomination Confirmed 88–12 on February 13, 2013 · 113th Congress, Roll Call 20. Each senator links to their judicial-voting record.
Voted to confirm · 88
53 D, 33 R, 2 I
- Lamar Alexander(R-TN)
- Kelly Ayotte(R-NH)
- Tammy Baldwin(D-WI)
- John Barrasso(R-WY)
- Max Baucus(D-MT)
- Mark Begich(D-AK)
- Michael Bennet(D-CO)
- Richard Blumenthal(D-CT)
- Barbara Boxer(D-CA)
- Sherrod Brown(D-OH)
- Richard Burr(R-NC)
- Maria Cantwell(D-WA)
- Ben Cardin(D-MD)
- Thomas Carper(D-DE)
- Bob Casey(D-PA)
- Saxby Chambliss(R-GA)
- Dan Coats(R-IN)
- Thad Cochran(R-MS)
- Susan Collins(R-ME)
- Christopher Coons(D-DE)
- Bob Corker(R-TN)
- John Cornyn(R-TX)
- William "Mo" Cowan(D-MA)
- Mike Crapo(R-ID)
- Ted Cruz(R-TX)
- Joe Donnelly(D-IN)
- Richard Durbin(D-IL)
- Michael Enzi(R-WY)
- Dianne Feinstein(D-CA)
- Deb Fischer(R-NE)
- Jeff Flake(R-AZ)
- Al Franken(D-MN)
- Kirsten Gillibrand(D-NY)
- Lindsey Graham(R-SC)
- Chuck Grassley(R-IA)
- Kay Hagan(D-NC)
- Tom Harkin(D-IA)
- Orrin Hatch(R-UT)
- Martin Heinrich(D-NM)
- Heidi Heitkamp(D-ND)
- Dean Heller(R-NV)
- Mazie Hirono(D-HI)
- John Hoeven(R-ND)
- Johnny Isakson(R-GA)
- Mike Johanns(R-NE)
- Tim Johnson(D-SD)
- Ron Johnson(R-WI)
- Timothy Kaine(D-VA)
- Angus King(I-ME)
- Mark Kirk(R-IL)
- Amy Klobuchar(D-MN)
- Mary Landrieu(D-LA)
- Frank Lautenberg(D-NJ)
- Patrick Leahy(D-VT)
- Mike Lee(R-UT)
- Carl Levin(D-MI)
- Joe Manchin(D-WV)
- John McCain(R-AZ)
- Claire McCaskill(D-MO)
- Robert Menendez(D-NJ)
- Jeff Merkley(D-OR)
- Barbara Mikulski(D-MD)
- Jerry Moran(R-KS)
- Lisa Murkowski(R-AK)
- Christopher Murphy(D-CT)
- Patty Murray(D-WA)
- Bill Nelson(D-FL)
- Rob Portman(R-OH)
- Mark Pryor(D-AR)
- Jack Reed(D-RI)
- Harry Reid(D-NV)
- Pat Roberts(R-KS)
- Jay Rockefeller(D-WV)
- Bernie Sanders(I-VT)
- Brian Schatz(D-HI)
- Charles Schumer(D-NY)
- Jeanne Shaheen(D-NH)
- Debbie Stabenow(D-MI)
- Jon Tester(D-MT)
- John Thune(R-SD)
- Pat Toomey(R-PA)
- Mark Udall(D-CO)
- Tom Udall(D-NM)
- Mark Warner(D-VA)
- Elizabeth Warren(D-MA)
- Sheldon Whitehouse(D-RI)
- Roger Wicker(R-MS)
- Ron Wyden(D-OR)
Voted against · 12
12 R
- Roy Blunt(R-MO)
- John Boozman(R-AR)
- Tom Coburn(R-OK)
- Jim Inhofe(R-OK)
- Mitch McConnell(R-KY)
- Rand Paul(R-KY)
- James Risch(R-ID)
- Marco Rubio(R-FL)
- Timothy Scott(R-SC)
- Jeff Sessions(R-AL)
- Richard Shelby(R-AL)
- David Vitter(R-LA)
Education
| Amherst College | B.A. | 1976 |
| Harvard Law School | J.D. | 1979 |
Questions & answers
- Who appointed William Joseph Kayatta Jr.?
- President Barack Obama appointed William Joseph Kayatta Jr. to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit in 2013.
- Was William Joseph Kayatta Jr. appointed by a Democrat or a Republican?
- William Joseph Kayatta Jr. was appointed by President Barack Obama, a Democrat. JudicialFinder records the appointing president's party, not a judge's own politics.
- What was William Joseph Kayatta Jr.'s confirmation vote?
- The Senate confirmed William Joseph Kayatta Jr. 88–12 on February 13, 2013.
- Which court is William Joseph Kayatta Jr. on?
- William Joseph Kayatta Jr. 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
- Portrait: United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit (Public domain), via Wikimedia Commons
- Confirmation roll-call (Senate.gov, 2013)
How we source & reconcile data → Data & Sources
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13 years on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. Data as of 2026-08-10. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).