UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT

The 'United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit' is a federal court located in Richmond, Virginia with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts:

★ District of Maryland

★ Eastern District of North Carolina

★ Middle District of North Carolina

★ Western District of North Carolina

★ District of South Carolina

★ Eastern District of Virginia

★ Western District of Virginia

★ Northern District of West Virginia

★ Southern District of West Virginia
The court is based at the 'Lewis F. Powell, Jr. U.S. Courthouse' in Richmond, Virginia. With fifteen authorized judgeships (currently there are 10 active judges, three senior judges who continue to hear cases part-time, and two retired judges who no longer hear case) it is midsized among the thirteen United States courts of appeals.

Contents

Current composition of the court

Pending nominations

List of former judges

Chief judges

Succession of seats

Trivia

See also

Notes

References

External links

Navigation

Current composition of the court

As of July 17, 2007, the judges on the court are:
^(a) Recess appointment by Bill Clinton, re-appointed by George W. Bush and confirmed by the Senate at a later date.

Pending nominations

★ On July 17, 2007, President George W. Bush nominated Robert J. Conrad, Jr., of North Carolina to Seat 7 vacated by James Dickson Phillips, Jr..

★ On September 6. 2007, President Bush nominated E. Duncan Getchell of Virginia to Seat 4 vacated by H. Emory Widener, Jr.

★ On September 6, 2007, President Bush nominated Steve A. Matthews of South Carolina to Seat 11 vacated by William Wilkins.

List of former judges

Chief judges

Succession of seats

Trivia

★ The Fourth Circuit has never seen one of its judges promoted to the Supreme Court of the United States. Judges Wilkinson and Luttig were long considered to be front-runners for a justiceship if a vacancy arose during the George W. Bush presidential administration, but Bush did not appoint either of them to the two vacancies that arose in 2005. Luttig has since resigned from the bench.

★ Since the days of John Marshall, the Chief Justice of the United States has been the Circuit Justice for the Fourth Circuit.

★ The Fourth Circuit's Courthouse in Richmond, Virginia housed the treasury of the Confederacy during the American Civil War, and Jefferson Davis's office was located in the building. After the war, Davis was arraigned in the building, although he was never tried.

★ The Fourth is widely regarded as the most ideologically conservative court in the federal appellate system. It is also the most efficient circuit, taking an average of just over seven months to resolve each appeal.

★ The Fourth Circuit is considered an extremely collegial court. By tradition, the Judges of the Fourth Circuit come down from the bench following each oral argument to greet the lawyers.

See also

★ Federal judicial appointment history#Fourth Circuit

Notes

References

★ Fourth Circuit Judges

★
★ source for the phone numbers for the duty stations

★
★ indicates which senior judges are inactive

★ Google Phone Book

★
★ ties duty station phone numbers to duty stations (incomplete coverage)

★ Obituaries: John Decker Butzner Jr.

★
★ source for Butzner's death

★ Standard Search

★
★ source for the duty stations (incomplete coverage)

★ U. S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit

★
★ source for the state, lifetime, term of active judgeship, term of chief judgeship, term of senior judgeship, appointer, termination reason, and seat information

External links

★ United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit

★ Recent opinions from Findlaw

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