U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit
About the Court
United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
Current United States federal appellate court
"DC Circuit" redirects here. For direct current circuits, see Direct current §Circuits.
Not to be confused with District of Columbia Court of Appeals.
| United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit |
|---|
| (D.C. Cir.) |
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| Location |
| Appealsfrom |
| Established |
| Judges |
| CircuitJustice |
| ChiefJudge |
| cadc.uscourts.gov |
The United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (in case citations, D.C. Cir.) is one of the thirteen United States Courts of Appeals. It has the smallest geographical jurisdiction of any of the U.S. courts of appeals, and it covers only the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.[a] It meets at the E. Barrett Prettyman United States Courthouse in Washington, DC.
The D.C. Circuit is often considered to be second only to the U.S. Supreme Court in status and prestige. It is sometimes unofficially termed "the second highest court in the land", even though it is officially no higher than the other twelve courts of appeals.[2] Because its jurisdiction covers the District of Columbia, it tends to be the main federal appellate court for issues of U.S. administrative law and constitutional law.[2] Four of the nine current Supreme Court justices were previously judges on the D.C. Circuit: Chief Justice John Roberts and associate justices Clarence Thomas, Brett Kavanaugh, and Ketanji Brown Jackson. Past justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Antonin Scalia, Warren E. Burger, Fred M. Vinson, and Wiley Blount Rutledge also served on the D.C. Circuit before their appointments to the Supreme Court.
Because the D.C. Circuit does not represent any U.S. states, confirming D.C. Circuit nominees can be procedurally and practically easier than confirming nominees to other circuits, because home-state senators have historically been able to hold up confirmation through the blue slip process.
History
List of former judges
| # | Judge | State | Born–died | Active service | Chief Judge | Senior status | Appointed by | Reason for termination |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Richard Henry Alvey | MD | 1826–1906 | 1893–1905 | 1893–1905 | — | Cleveland | retirement |
| 2 | Martin Ferdinand Morris | DC | 1834–1909 | 1893–1905 | — | — | Cleveland | retirement |
| 3 | Seth Shepard | TX | 1847–1917 | 1893–1917 | 1905–1917 | — | Cleveland (associate); T. Roosevelt (chief)[b] |
retirement |
| 4 | Charles Holland Duell | NY | 1850–1920 | 1905–1906 | — | — | T. Roosevelt | resignation |
| 5 | Louis E. McComas | MD | 1846–1907 | 1905–1907 | — | — | T. Roosevelt | death |
| 6 | Charles Henry Robb | VT | 1867–1939 | 1906[c]–1937 | — | 1937–1939 | T. Roosevelt | death |
| 7 | Josiah Van Orsdel | WY | 1860–1937 | 1907[c]–1937 | — | — | T. Roosevelt | death |
| 8 | Constantine Joseph Smyth | NE | 1859–1924 | 1917–1924 | 1917–1924 | — | Wilson | death |
| 9 | George Ewing Martin | OH | 1857–1948 | 1924–1937 | 1924–1937 | 1937–1948 | Coolidge | death |
| 10 | William Hitz | DC | 1872–1935 | 1931–1935 | — | — | Hoover | death |
| 11 | Duncan Lawrence Groner | VA | 1873–1957 | 1931–1948 | 1937–1948 | 1948–1957 | Hoover (associate); F. Roosevelt (chief)[b] |
death |
| 12 | Harold Montelle Stephens | UT | 1886–1955 | 1935–1955 | 1948–1955 | — | F. Roosevelt (associate); Truman (chief)[b] |
death |
| 13 | [Justin Miller](https |
…
Judges
Current composition of the court
As of January16,2024[update]:
| # | Title | Judge | Duty station | Born | Term of service | Appointed by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Active | Chief | Senior | ||||
| 58 | Chief Judge | Sri Srinivasan | Washington, D.C. | 1967 | 2013–present | 2020–present |
| 49 | Circuit Judge | Karen L. Henderson | Washington, D.C. | 1944 | 1990–present | — |
| 59 | Circuit Judge | Patricia Millett | Washington, D.C. | 1963 | 2013–present | — |
| 60 | Circuit Judge | Cornelia Pillard | Washington, D.C. | 1961 | 2013–present | — |
| 61 | Circuit Judge | Robert L. Wilkins | Washington, D.C. | 1963 | 2014–present | — |
| 62 | Circuit Judge | Gregory G. Katsas | Washington, D.C. | 1964 | 2017–present | — |
| 63 | Circuit Judge | Neomi Rao | Washington, D.C. | 1973 | 2019–present | — |
| 64 | Circuit Judge | Justin R. Walker | Washington, D.C. | 1982 | 2020–present | — |
| 66 | Circuit Judge | J. Michelle Childs | Washington, D.C. | 1966 | 2022–present | — |
| 67 | Circuit Judge | Florence Y. Pan | Washington, D.C. | 1966 | 2022–present | — |
| 68 | Circuit Judge | Brad Garcia | Washington, D.C. | 1986 | 2023–present | — |
| 38 | Senior Judge | Harry T. Edwards | Washington, D.C. | 1940 | 1980–2005 | 1994–2001 |
| 46 | Senior Judge | Douglas H. Ginsburg | Washington, D.C. | 1946 | 1986–2011 | 2001–2008 |
| 47 | Senior Judge | David B. Sentelle | inactive | 1943 | 1987–2013 | 2008–2013 |
| 50 | Senior Judge | A. Raymond Randolph | Washington, D.C. | 1943 | 1990–2008 | — |
…
Court overview, history, and judge data sourced from Wikipedia (CC-BY-SA 3.0).
Notable Opinions (5)
625 F.3d 766 (D.C. Cir. 2010)
Held that prolonged warrantless GPS tracking of a vehicle constitutes a search under the Fourth Amendment. Later affirmed by the Supreme Court in United States v. Jones (2012), which established that physical trespass to install a GPS device is a search. Foundational digital privacy decision.
758 F.3d 390 (D.C. Cir. 2014)
Initially held that the Affordable Care Act does not authorize tax subsidies for insurance purchased on federally established exchanges, only state-established exchanges. The panel decision was later vacated when the en banc court agreed to rehear the case, and the issue was ultimately resolved by the Supreme Court in King v. Burwell.
696 F.3d 7 (D.C. Cir. 2012)
Vacated EPA's Cross-State Air Pollution Rule (Transport Rule), finding the agency exceeded its authority under the Clean Air Act by requiring upwind states to reduce emissions beyond their own contributions to downwind air quality violations. Later reversed by the Supreme Court in EPA v. EME Homer City Generation.
985 F.3d 1032 (D.C. Cir. 2021)
Upheld a district court order requiring the Army Corps of Engineers to prepare a full environmental impact statement for the Dakota Access Pipeline's crossing under Lake Oahe. The court found that the Corps had failed to adequately consider the pipeline's potential environmental justice impacts on the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe.
725 F.3d 197 (D.C. Cir. 2013)
Held that the President has exclusive authority to recognize foreign sovereigns and their territorial bounds, invalidating a congressional statute requiring the State Department to record 'Israel' as the birthplace of U.S. citizens born in Jerusalem upon request. Later affirmed by the Supreme Court in Zivotofsky v. Kerry.
Jurisdiction
The D.C. Circuit covers the following jurisdiction:
Court Information
- Seat
- Washington, D.C.
- Authorized Judgeships
- 11
- Circuit Number
- D.C.
