United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit

The United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts:

The court is based at the Potter Stewart U.S. Courthouse in Cincinnati, Ohio. It is one of thirteen United States courts of appeals.

Current composition of the court

As of Susan Bieke Neilson's death on January 25, 2006, the judges on the court are:

#	Title	Judge	Duty station	Born	Term of service			Appointed by
#	Title	Judge	Duty station	Born	Active	Chief	Senior	Appointed by
49	Chief Judge	Danny Julian Boggs	Louisville, KY	1944	1986–present	2003–present	—	Reagan
40	Circuit Judge	Boyce F. Martin, Jr.	Louisville, KY	1935	1979–present	1996–2003	—	Carter
53	Circuit Judge	Alice M. Batchelder	Medina, OH	1944	1991–present	—	—	G.H.W. Bush
54	Circuit Judge	Martha Craig Daughtrey	Nashville, TN	1942	1993–present	—	—	Clinton
55	Circuit Judge	Karen Nelson Moore	Cleveland, OH	1948	1995–present	—	—	Clinton
56	Circuit Judge	R. Guy Cole, Jr.	Columbus, OH	1951	1995–present	—	—	Clinton
57	Circuit Judge	Eric L. Clay	Detroit, MI	1948	1997–present	—	—	Clinton
58	Circuit Judge	Ronald Lee Gilman	Memphis, TN	1942	1997–present	—	—	Clinton
59	Circuit Judge	Julia Smith Gibbons	Memphis, TN	1950	2002–present	—	—	G.W. Bush
60	Circuit Judge	John M. Rogers	Lexington, KY	1948	2002–present	—	—	G.W. Bush
61	Circuit Judge	Jeffrey S. Sutton	Columbus, OH	1960	2003–present	—	—	G.W. Bush
62	Circuit Judge	Deborah L. Cook	Akron, OH	1952	2003–present	—	—	G.W. Bush
63	Circuit Judge	David W. McKeague	Lansing, MI	1946	2005–present	—	—	G.W. Bush
64	Circuit Judge	Richard Allen Griffin	Traverse City, MI	1952	2005–present	—	—	G.W. Bush
—	Circuit Judge	(vacant - seat 5)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)
—	Circuit Judge	(vacant - seat 10)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)
34	Senior Circuit Judge	Pierce Lively	(inactive)^(a)	1921	1972–1989	1983–1988	1989–present	Nixon
35	Senior Circuit Judge	Albert Joseph Engel	(inactive)^(a)	1924	1973–1989	1988–1989	1989–present	Nixon
36	Senior Circuit Judge	Damon J. Keith	Detroit, MI	1922	1977–1995	(none)	1995–present	Carter
37	Senior Circuit Judge	Gilbert Stroud Merritt, Jr.	Nashville, TN	1936	1977–2001	1989–1996	2001–present	Carter
39	Senior Circuit Judge	Cornelia Groefsema Kennedy	Detroit, MI	1923	1979–1999	(none)	1999–present	Carter
44	Senior Circuit Judge	Harry Walker Wellford	(inactive)^(a)	1924	1982–1991	(none)	1991–present	Reagan
45	Senior Circuit Judge	Herbert Theodore Milburn	(inactive)^(a)	1931	1984–1996	(none)	1996–present	Reagan
46	Senior Circuit Judge	Ralph B. Guy, Jr.	Ann Arbor, MI	1929	1985–1994	(none)	1994–present	Reagan
47	Senior Circuit Judge	David Aldrich Nelson	Cincinnati, OH	1932	1985–1999	(none)	1999–present	Reagan
48	Senior Circuit Judge	James Leo Ryan	Detroit, MI	1932	1985–2000	(none)	2000–present	Reagan
50	Senior Circuit Judge	Alan Eugene Norris	Columbus, OH	1935	1986–2001	(none)	2001–present	Reagan
51	Senior Circuit Judge	Richard Fred Suhrheinrich	Lansing, MI	1936	1990–2001	(none)	2001–present	G.H.W. Bush
52	Senior Circuit Judge	Eugene Edward Siler, Jr.	London, KY	1936	1991–2001	(none)	2001–present	G.H.W. Bush

^(a) These judges are still technically on the court, even though the court's own website doesn't list them as members.

Pending nominations

There are currently no nominations pending to Circuit vacancies.

List of former judges

#	Judge	State	Born–died	Active service	Chief Judge	Senior status	Appointed by	Reason for termination
1	Howell Edmunds Jackson	TN	1832–1895	1891–1893	(none)	(none)	^(a)	elevation to the Supreme Court
2	William Howard Taft		1857–1930	1892–1900	(none)	(none)	B. Harrison	resignation
3	Horace Harmon Lurton	TN	1844–1914	1893–1909	(none)	(none)	Cleveland	elevation to the Supreme Court
4	William R. Day	OH	1849–1923	1899–1903	(none)	(none)	McKinley	elevation to the Supreme Court
5	Henry Franklin Severens	MI	1835–1923	1900–1911	(none)	(none)	McKinley	resignation
6	John Kelvey Richards		1856–1909	1903–1909	(none)	(none)	T. Roosevelt	death
7	John Wesley Warrington	OH	1844–1921	1909–1919	(none)	1919–1921	Taft	death
8	Loyal Edwin Knappen	MI	1854–1930	1910–1924	(none)	1924–1930	Taft	death
9	Arthur Carter Denison	MI	1861–1942	1911–1931	(none)	(none)	Taft	resignation
10	Maurice H. Donahue	OH	1864–1928	1919–1928	(none)	(none)	Wilson	death
11	Charles Harwood Moorman	KY	1876–1938	1925–1938	(none)	(none)	Coolidge	death
12	Xenophon Hicks	TN	1872–1952	1928–1952	1948–1952	1952–1952	Coolidge	death
13	Smith Hickenlooper	OH	1880–1933	1928–1933	(none)	(none)	Coolidge	death
—	Julian William Mack		1866–1943	1929–1930	(none)	(none)	^(b)	reassigned to the 2nd Circuit
14	Charles Casper Simons	MI	1876–1964	1932–1959	1952–1958	1959–1964	Hoover	death
15	Florence Ellinwood Allen	OH	1884–1966	1934–1959	1958–1959	1959–1966	F. Roosevelt	death
16	Elwood Hamilton	KY	1883–1945	1938–1945	(none)	(none)	F. Roosevelt	death
17	Herschel Whitfield Arant	OH	1887–1941	1939–1941	(none)	(none)	F. Roosevelt	death
18	John Donelson Martin, Sr.	TN	1883–1962	1940–1962	1959–1959	(none)	F. Roosevelt	death
19	Thomas Francis McAllister	MI	1896–1976	1941–1963	1959–1961	1963–1976	F. Roosevelt	death
20	Shackelford Miller, Jr.	KY	1892–1965	1945–1965	1961–1962	1965–1965	Truman	death
21	Potter Stewart	OH	1915–1985	1954–1958	(none)	(none)	Eisenhower	elevation to the Supreme Court
22	Lester LeFevre Cecil	OH	1893–1983	1959–1965	1962–1963	1965–1982	Eisenhower	death
23	Paul Charles Weick	OH	1899–1997	1959–1981	1963–1969	1981–1997	Eisenhower	death
24	Clifford Patrick O'Sullivan	MI	1897–1975	1960–1969	(none)	1969–1975	Eisenhower	death
25	Harry Phillips	TN	1909–1985	1963–1979	1969–1979	1979–1985	Kennedy	death
26	George Clifton Edwards, Jr.	MI	1914–1995	1963–1985	1979–1983	1985–1995	Kennedy	death
27	Anthony J. Celebrezze		1910–1998	1965–1980	(none)	1980–1998	L. Johnson	death
28	John Weld Peck II	OH	1913–1993	1966–1978	(none)	1978–1993	L. Johnson	death
29	Wade Hampton McCree, Jr.	MI	1920–1987	1966–1977	(none)	(none)	L. Johnson	resignation
30	Bert T. Combs	KY	1911–1991	1967–1970	(none)	(none)	L. Johnson	resignation
31	Henry Luesing Brooks	KY	1905–1971	1969–1971	(none)	(none)	Nixon	death
32	William Ernest Miller	TN	1908–1976	1970–1976	(none)	(none)	Nixon	death
33	W. Wallace Kent	MI	1916–1973	1970–1973	(none)	(none)	Nixon	death
38	Bailey Brown	TN	1917–2004	1979–1982	(none)	1982–1997	Carter	retirement
41	Nathaniel Raphael Jones		1926–present	1979–1995	(none)	1995–2002	Carter	retiremeent
42	Leroy John Contie, Jr.	OH	1920–2001	1982–1986	(none)	1986–2001	Reagan	death
43	Robert B. Krupansky	OH	1921–2004	1982–1991	(none)	1991–2004	Reagan	death
65	Susan Bieke Neilson	MI	1956–2006	2005–2006	(none)	(none)	G.W. Bush	death

^(a) Jackson was appointed to as a circuit judge for the Sixth Circuit in 1886 by Grover Cleveland. The Judiciary Act of 1891 reassigned his seat to what is now the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.

^(b) Mack did not have a permanent seat on this court. Instead, he was appointed to the ill-fated United States Commerce Court in 1911 by William Howard Taft. Aside from their duties on the Commerce Court, the judges of the Commerce Court also acted as at-large appellate judges, able to be assigned by the Chief Justice of the United States to whichever circuit most needed help. Mack was assigned to the Seventh Circuit immediately prior to his assignment to the Sixth Circuit.

Chief judges

Chief Judge
Hicks	1948–1952
Simons	1952–1958
Allen	1958–1959
Martin	1959–1959
McAllister	1959–1961
S. Miller	1961–1962
Cecil	1962–1963
Weick	1963–1969
Phillips	1969–1979
Edwards	1979–1983
Lively	1983–1988
Engel	1988–1989
Merritt	1989–1996
Martin	1996–2003
Boggs	2003–present

Chief judges have administrative responsibilities with respect to their circuits, and preside over any panel on which they serve, unless the circuit justice (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, with seniority determined first by commission date, then by age. The chief judge serves for a term of seven years, or until age 70, whichever occurs first. If no judge qualifies to be chief, the youngest judge over the age of 65 who has served on the court for at least one year shall act as chief until another judge qualifies. If no judge has served on the court for more than a year, the most senior judge shall act as chief. Judges can forfeit or resign their chief judgeship or acting chief judgeship while retaining their active status as a circuit judge.^[1]

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.^[2]

Succession of seats

The court has sixteen seats for active judges, numbered in order of their creation. If seats were established simultaneously, they are numbered in the order in which they were filled. Judges who retire into senior status remain on the bench but leave their seat vacant. That seat is filled by the next circuit judge appointed by the President.

Template:Start U.S. judge succession 2 Template:U.S. judge succession 2 note Template:U.S. judge succession 2 row Template:U.S. judge succession 2 row Template:U.S. judge succession 2 row Template:U.S. judge succession 2 row Template:U.S. judge succession 2 row Template:U.S. judge succession 2 row Template:U.S. judge succession 2 row Template:U.S. judge succession 2 row Template:End U.S. judge succession 2

Template:Start U.S. judge succession 2 Template:U.S. judge succession 2 note Template:U.S. judge succession 2 row Template:U.S. judge succession 2 row Template:U.S. judge succession 2 row Template:U.S. judge succession 2 row Template:U.S. judge succession 2 row Template:U.S. judge succession 2 row Template:U.S. judge succession 2 row Template:U.S. judge succession 2 row Template:U.S. judge succession 2 row Template:End U.S. judge succession 2

Template:Start U.S. judge succession 2 Template:U.S. judge succession 2 note Template:U.S. judge succession 2 row Template:U.S. judge succession 2 row Template:U.S. judge succession 2 row Template:U.S. judge succession 2 row Template:U.S. judge succession 2 row Template:U.S. judge succession 2 row Template:U.S. judge succession 2 row Template:End U.S. judge succession 2

Template:Start U.S. judge succession 2 Template:U.S. judge succession 2 note Template:U.S. judge succession 2 row Template:U.S. judge succession 2 row Template:U.S. judge succession 2 row Template:U.S. judge succession 2 row Template:U.S. judge succession 2 row Template:End U.S. judge succession 2

Template:Start U.S. judge succession 2 Template:U.S. judge succession 2 note Template:U.S. judge succession 2 row Template:U.S. judge succession 2 row Template:U.S. judge succession 2 row Template:U.S. judge succession 2 row Template:U.S. judge succession 2 row Template:U.S. judge succession 2 row Template:End U.S. judge succession 2

Template:Start U.S. judge succession 2 Template:U.S. judge succession 2 note Template:U.S. judge succession 2 row Template:U.S. judge succession 2 row Template:U.S. judge succession 2 row Template:End U.S. judge succession 2

Template:Start U.S. judge succession 2 Template:U.S. judge succession 2 note Template:U.S. judge succession 2 row Template:End U.S. judge succession 2

Template:Start U.S. judge succession 2 Template:U.S. judge succession 2 note Template:U.S. judge succession 2 row Template:U.S. judge succession 2 row Template:End U.S. judge succession 2