Current United States federal appellate court
The United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit (in case citations, 6th Cir.) is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts:
The court is composed of sixteen judges and is based at the Potter Stewart U.S. Courthouse in Cincinnati, Ohio. It is one of 13 United States courts of appeals.
William Howard Taft, the only person ever to serve as both President and Chief Justice of the United States, once served on the Sixth Circuit. Four other judges of the Sixth Circuit have been elevated to serve on the Supreme Court.
Current composition of the Court
As of January 17, 2022[update]:
#
|
Title
|
Judge
|
Duty station
|
Born
|
Term of service
|
Appointed by
|
Active
|
Chief
|
Senior
|
62
|
Chief Judge
|
Jeffrey Sutton
|
Columbus, OH
|
1960
|
2003–present
|
2021–present
|
—
|
G.W. Bush
|
56
|
Circuit Judge
|
Karen Nelson Moore
|
Cleveland, OH
|
1948
|
1995–present
|
—
|
—
|
Clinton
|
57
|
Circuit Judge
|
R. Guy Cole Jr.
|
Columbus, OH
|
1951
|
1995–present
|
2014–2021
|
—
|
Clinton
|
58
|
Circuit Judge
|
Eric L. Clay
|
Detroit, MI
|
1948
|
1997–present
|
—
|
—
|
Clinton
|
60
|
Circuit Judge
|
Julia Smith Gibbons
|
Memphis, TN
|
1950
|
2002–present
|
—
|
—
|
G.W. Bush
|
65
|
Circuit Judge
|
Richard Allen Griffin
|
Traverse City, MI
|
1952
|
2005–present
|
—
|
—
|
G.W. Bush
|
67
|
Circuit Judge
|
Raymond Kethledge
|
Ann Arbor, MI
|
1966
|
2008–present
|
—
|
—
|
G.W. Bush
|
68
|
Circuit Judge
|
Helene White
|
Detroit, MI
|
1954
|
2008–present
|
—
|
—
|
G.W. Bush
|
69
|
Circuit Judge
|
Jane Branstetter Stranch
|
Nashville, TN
|
1953
|
2010–present
|
—
|
—
|
Obama
|
70
|
Circuit Judge
|
Bernice B. Donald
|
Memphis, TN
|
1951
|
2011–present
|
—
|
—
|
Obama
|
71
|
Circuit Judge
|
Amul Thapar
|
Covington, KY
|
1969
|
2017–present
|
—
|
—
|
Trump
|
72
|
Circuit Judge
|
John K. Bush
|
Louisville, KY
|
1964
|
2017–present
|
—
|
—
|
Trump
|
73
|
Circuit Judge
|
Joan Larsen
|
Ann Arbor, MI
|
1968
|
2017–present
|
—
|
—
|
Trump
|
74
|
Circuit Judge
|
John Nalbandian
|
Cincinnati, OH
|
1969
|
2018–present
|
—
|
—
|
Trump
|
75
|
Circuit Judge
|
Chad Readler
|
Columbus, OH
|
1972
|
2019–present
|
—
|
—
|
Trump
|
76
|
Circuit Judge
|
Eric E. Murphy
|
Columbus, OH
|
1979
|
2019–present
|
—
|
—
|
Trump
|
47
|
Senior Circuit Judge
|
Ralph B. Guy Jr.
|
Ann Arbor, MI
|
1929
|
1985–1994
|
—
|
1994–present
|
Reagan
|
49
|
Senior Circuit Judge
|
James L. Ryan
|
inactive
|
1932
|
1985–2000
|
—
|
2000–present
|
Reagan
|
50
|
Senior Circuit Judge
|
Danny Julian Boggs
|
Louisville, KY
|
1944
|
1986–2017
|
2003–2009
|
2017–present
|
Reagan
|
51
|
Senior Circuit Judge
|
Alan Eugene Norris
|
Columbus, OH
|
1935
|
1986–2001
|
—
|
2001–present
|
Reagan
|
52
|
Senior Circuit Judge
|
Richard Fred Suhrheinrich
|
Lansing, MI
|
1936
|
1990–2001
|
—
|
2001–present
|
G.H.W. Bush
|
53
|
Senior Circuit Judge
|
Eugene Edward Siler Jr.
|
London, KY
|
1936
|
1991–2001
|
—
|
2001–present
|
G.H.W. Bush
|
54
|
Senior Circuit Judge
|
Alice M. Batchelder
|
Medina, OH
|
1944
|
1991–2019
|
2009–2014
|
2019–present
|
G.H.W. Bush
|
55
|
Senior Circuit Judge
|
Martha Craig Daughtrey
|
Nashville, TN
|
1942
|
1993–2009
|
—
|
2009–present
|
Clinton
|
59
|
Senior Circuit Judge
|
Ronald Lee Gilman
|
Memphis, TN
|
1942
|
1997–2010
|
—
|
2010–present
|
Clinton
|
61
|
Senior Circuit Judge
|
John M. Rogers
|
Lexington, KY
|
1948
|
2002–2018
|
—
|
2018–present
|
G.W. Bush
|
63
|
Senior Circuit Judge
|
Deborah L. Cook
|
inactive
|
1952
|
2003–2019
|
—
|
2019–present
|
G.W. Bush
|
64
|
Senior Circuit Judge
|
David McKeague
|
Lansing, MI
|
1946
|
2005–2017
|
—
|
2017–present
|
G.W. Bush
|
Chief judges
Chief judges have administrative responsibilities with respect to their circuits, and preside over any panel on which they serve unless the circuit justice (i.e., the Supreme Court justice responsible for the circuit) is also on the panel. Unlike the Supreme Court, where one justice is specifically nominated to be chief, the office of chief judge rotates among the circuit judges. To be chief, a judge must have been in active service on the court for at least one year, be under the age of 65, and have not previously served as chief judge. A vacancy is filled by the judge highest in seniority among the group of qualified judges. The chief judge serves for a term of seven years or until age 70, whichever occurs first. The age restrictions are waived if no members of the court would otherwise be qualified for the position.
When the office was created in 1948, the chief judge was the longest-serving judge who had not elected to retire on what has since 1958 been known as senior status or declined to serve as chief judge. After August 6, 1959, judges could not become or remain chief after turning 70 years old. The current rules have been in operation since October 1, 1982.
Succession of seats
The court has 16 seats for active judges, numbered in the order in which they were initially filled. Judges who assume senior status enter a kind of retirement in which they remain on the bench, while vacating their seats, thus allowing the U.S. President to appoint new judges to fill their seats.
|
|
Seat 7
|
Established on March 18, 1966 by 80 Stat. 75
|
Peck |
OH |
1966–1978
|
Jones |
OH |
1979–1995
|
Cole, Jr. |
OH |
1995–present
|
|
Seat 8
|
Established on March 18, 1966 by 80 Stat. 75
|
McCree |
MI |
1966–1977
|
Keith |
MI |
1977–1995
|
Griffin |
MI |
2005–present
|
|
|
Seat 10
|
Established on October 20, 1978 by 92 Stat. 1629
|
Kennedy |
MI |
1979–1999
|
Neilson |
MI |
2005–2006
|
White |
MI |
2008–present
|
|
Seat 11
|
Established on October 20, 1978 by 92 Stat. 1629
|
B. Martin, Jr. |
KY |
1979–2013
|
Thapar |
KY |
2017–present
|
|
Seat 12
|
Established on July 10, 1984 by 98 Stat. 333
|
Milburn |
TN |
1984–1996
|
Gilman |
TN |
1997–2010
|
Donald |
TN |
2011–present
|
|
Seat 13
|
Established on July 10, 1984 by 98 Stat. 333
|
Guy, Jr. |
MI |
1985–1994
|
Clay |
MI |
1997–present
|
|
Seat 14
|
Established on July 10, 1984 by 98 Stat. 333
|
Nelson |
OH |
1985–1999
|
Sutton |
OH |
2003–present
|
|
Seat 15
|
Established on July 10, 1984 by 98 Stat. 333
|
Boggs |
KY |
1986–2017
|
Bush |
KY |
2017–present
|
|
Seat 16
|
Established on December 1, 1990 by 104 Stat. 5089
|
Daughtrey |
TN |
1993–2009
|
Stranch |
TN |
2010–present
|
|