Federal judiciary · U.S. Courts of Appeals
Judges of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit is one of the thirteen U.S. Courts of Appeals — the intermediate appellate courts of the federal judiciary that sit between the district courts and the Supreme Court of the United States. This page lists every judge of the court The Candidate tracks: those in regular active service, shown first; those who have taken senior status; and former judges whose circuit service has ended. A senior judge is not retired — having met the age-and-service threshold set by statute, a senior judge continues to hear cases on a reduced caseload while opening a seat for a new appointment, so each senior judge below is still a sitting Article III judge. Former judges include those who left the court by elevation to the Supreme Court, resignation, retirement, or death — their circuit service ended, even when the same person continues to serve elsewhere (a sitting Justice's former circuit page never says "Former Justice"). Circuit judges are nominated by the President and confirmed by the United States Senate, and under Article III of the Constitution they hold office during good behavior — in practice, for life, until they resign, are impeached, elevated, or die in office. Unlike senators and representatives, a circuit judge represents no state and belongs to no party while serving; each profile records the President who appointed the judge, the seat they fill, their confirmation and commission dates, and their full span of service, but never assigns the judge a party of their own. Each row links to a sourced page covering the judge's biography, appointment and service record, and the external authority records — the Federal Judicial Center Biographical Directory, Wikipedia, and Wikidata — that back every fact. The full machine-readable roster is published as a versioned JSON dataset for downstream researchers and language models.
- In active service
- 14
- Senior status
- 4
- Currently serving
- 18
- Former judges
- 38
- Court
- www.ca4.uscourts.gov
In active service14
- James Harvie Wilkinson IIIActiveActive service · 1984–presentAppointed by Ronald Reagan
- Paul Victor NiemeyerActiveActive service · 1990–presentAppointed by George H W Bush
- Robert Bruce KingActiveActive service · 1998–presentAppointed by Bill Clinton
- Roger L. GregoryActiveActive service · 2001–presentAppointed by Bill Clinton
- G. Steven AgeeActiveActive service · 2008–presentAppointed by George W Bush
- Albert DiazActiveActive service · 2010–presentAppointed by Barack Obama
- James Andrew Wynn Jr.ActiveActive service · 2010–presentAppointed by Barack Obama
- Stephanie Dawn ThackerActiveActive service · 2012–presentAppointed by Barack Obama
- Pamela Ann HarrisActiveActive service · 2014–presentAppointed by Barack Obama
- Julius Ness RichardsonActiveActive service · 2018–presentAppointed by Donald Trump
- Allison Jones RushingActiveActive service · 2019–presentAppointed by Donald Trump
- Toby Jay HeytensActiveActive service · 2021–presentAppointed by Joe Biden
- DeAndrea Gist BenjaminActiveActive service · 2023–presentAppointed by Joe Biden
- Nicole Gina BernerActiveActive service · 2024–presentAppointed by Joe Biden
Senior status4
- Diana Jane Gribbon MotzSeniorSenior status · 1994–presentAppointed by Bill Clinton
- William Byrd Traxler Jr.SeniorSenior status · 1998–presentAppointed by Bill Clinton
- Barbara Milano KeenanSeniorSenior status · 2010–presentAppointed by Barack Obama
- Henry Franklin FloydSeniorSenior status · 2011–presentAppointed by Barack Obama
Former judges38
- Andre Maurice DavisActive service · 2009–2017Appointed by Barack Obama
- Allyson Kay DuncanActive service · 2003–2019Appointed by George W Bush
- Dennis W. SheddActive service · 2002–2022Appointed by George W Bush
- M. Blane MichaelActive service · 1993–2011Appointed by Bill Clinton
- Karen J. WilliamsActive service · 1992–2013Appointed by George H W Bush
- Clyde H. HamiltonActive service · 1991–2020Appointed by George H W Bush
- J. Michael LuttigActive service · 1991–2006Appointed by George H W Bush
- William Walter WilkinsActive service · 1986–2008Appointed by Ronald Reagan
- Emory Marlin SneedenActive service · 1984–1986Appointed by Ronald Reagan
- Robert Foster ChapmanActive service · 1981–2018Appointed by Ronald Reagan
- Samuel James Ervin IIIActive service · 1980–1999Appointed by Jimmy Carter
- Francis Dominic Murnaghan Jr.Active service · 1979–2000Appointed by Jimmy Carter
- James Marshall SprouseActive service · 1979–1995Appointed by Jimmy Carter
- James Dickson Phillips Jr.Active service · 1978–2017Appointed by Jimmy Carter
- Kenneth Keller HallActive service · 1976–1999Appointed by Gerald Ford
- Hiram Emory Widener Jr.Active service · 1972–2007Appointed by Richard Nixon
- Donald Stuart RussellActive service · 1971–1998Appointed by Richard Nixon
- John A. Field Jr.Active service · 1971–1995Appointed by Richard Nixon
- John Decker Butzner Jr.Active service · 1967–2006Appointed by Lyndon B Johnson
- Harrison Lee WinterActive service · 1966–1990Appointed by Lyndon B Johnson
- James Braxton Craven Jr.Active service · 1966–1977Appointed by Lyndon B Johnson
- Albert Vickers BryanActive service · 1961–1984Appointed by John F Kennedy
- J. Spencer BellActive service · 1961–1967Appointed by John F Kennedy
- Herbert Stephenson BoremanActive service · 1959–1982Appointed by Dwight D Eisenhower
- Clement Furman Haynsworth Jr.Active service · 1957–1989Appointed by Dwight D Eisenhower
- Simon E. SobeloffActive service · 1956–1973Appointed by Dwight D Eisenhower
- Armistead Mason DobieActive service · 1940–1962Appointed by Franklin D Roosevelt
- Morris Ames SoperActive service · 1932–1963Appointed by Herbert Hoover
- Elliott NorthcottActive service · 1927–1946Appointed by Calvin Coolidge
- John Johnston ParkerActive service · 1925–1958Appointed by Calvin Coolidge
- John Carter RoseActive service · 1922–1927Appointed by Warren G Harding
- Edmund Waddill Jr.Active service · 1921–1931Appointed by Warren G Harding
- Charles Albert WoodsActive service · 1913–1925Appointed by Woodrow Wilson
- Martin Augustine KnappActive service · 1910–1923Appointed by None Reassignment
- Jeter Connelly PritchardActive service · 1904–1921Appointed by Theodore Roosevelt
- Charles Henry SimontonActive service · 1893–1904Appointed by Grover Cleveland
- Nathan GoffActive service · 1892–1913Appointed by Benjamin Harrison
- Hugh Lennox BondActive service · 1891–1893Appointed by None Assignment
Related on The Candidate
- Federal judiciaryHow the Article III judiciary fits into the federal government.Open
- Supreme Court justicesThe court above the circuits — every sitting and former Justice.Open
- U.S. presidentsThe appointing authority — every president who has named a federal judge.Open
- Federal officesBrowse the federal offices and office holders The Candidate tracks.Open