Pamela Ann Harris

Pamela Ann Harris (born 1962) serves as an active circuit judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, a position she has held since her confirmation in 2014 following nomination by President Barack Obama. Prior to joining the federal judiciary, Judge Harris built a career that combined private practice, extensive service within the Department of Justice, and academic appointments at several leading law schools. Her professional background includes clerkships at both the appellate and Supreme Court levels, work on appellate litigation, and leadership roles in institutions dedicated to Supreme Court advocacy and education.

Early life and legal career

Born in 1962, Harris grew up in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area and completed her secondary education at Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda, Maryland. She pursued undergraduate studies at Yale College, graduating summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1985. Continuing at Yale for her legal training, she earned a Juris Doctor from Yale Law School in 1990.

Following law school, Harris entered the federal judiciary as a clerk for Judge Harry T. Edwards of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, serving from 1990 to 1991. She then spent a brief period in private practice as an associate at Shea & Gardner (now Goodwin Procter LLP) in Washington, D.C., before securing a prestigious clerkship with Justice John Paul Stevens of the United States Supreme Court, which she completed from 1992 to 1993.

Harris’s early professional experience shifted toward government service when she joined the Office of Legal Counsel within the Department of Justice as an attorney‑advisor from 1993 until 1996. In that role she contributed to the department’s legal analyses and provided counsel on a range of federal issues.

In 1996, Harris transitioned to academia, accepting an associate professorship at the University of Pennsylvania Law School. During her tenure there, which lasted until 1999, she was recognized for teaching excellence with the Harvey Levin Memorial Teaching Award. Concurrently, she held the position of Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Office of Legal Policy at the Department of Justice, where she helped shape policy initiatives and legal strategies.

Returning to private practice in 1999, Harris joined O'Melveny & Myers LLP as counsel, focusing on appellate and Supreme Court litigation. Her expertise in high‑level appellate work led to her promotion to partner in 2005. While at O'Melveny & Myers, she also engaged with legal education programs: beginning in 2007, she co‑directed Harvard Law School’s Supreme Court and Appellate Practice Clinic and served as a visiting professor at Georgetown University Law Center.

In 2009, Harris was appointed Executive Director of the Supreme Court Institute at Georgetown, an organization that provides assistance to attorneys appearing before the nation’s highest court. She held this executive role until 2010, after which she returned briefly to the Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Policy. In 2012, she resumed her affiliation with Georgetown University Law Center as a visiting professor, a position she maintained up to her judicial appointment.

Federal appellate service

President Barack Obama nominated Harris on May 8 2014 to fill the vacancy on the Fourth Circuit created when Judge Andre M. Davis assumed senior status earlier that year. The nomination targeted the seat identified by the commission number CA40903. Harris’s confirmation process proceeded through a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing held on June 24 2014. The committee reported her nomination favorably with a vote of ten to eight.

Subsequent procedural steps in the Senate included the filing of a cloture motion by Majority Leader Harry Reid on July 22 2014, followed by a cloture vote on July 24 that passed 54–41. The full Senate confirmed Harris on July 28 2014 by a margin of 50–43. She received her judicial commission the following day and has served as an active judge on the Fourth Circuit since that time.

During her tenure on the appellate bench, Judge Harris has participated in panels addressing a broad spectrum of federal legal issues. Notably, in 2024 she joined Judge Toby Heytens in a majority opinion deciding West Virginia v. B.P.J., a case concerning the enforceability of a state anti‑transgender sports ban against a minor. The decision held that West Virginia could not apply its ban to a thirteen‑year‑old girl, reflecting the court’s analysis of statutory and constitutional considerations relevant to the dispute.

Jurisprudence and legacy

Judge Harris’s judicial work reflects the depth of experience she accumulated across multiple sectors of the legal profession. Her background in appellate advocacy, both as counsel in private practice and as a Supreme Court Institute executive, informs her approach to complex legal questions before the Fourth Circuit. The opinions she authors often demonstrate careful statutory interpretation and an awareness of precedent from higher courts.

Beyond her courtroom contributions, Harris’s legacy includes significant influence on legal education and policy formation. Her early academic appointments at the University of Pennsylvania and Georgetown have left a record of mentorship to law students, highlighted by the teaching award she earned at Penn. The Supreme Court Institute leadership role underscored her commitment to improving the quality of advocacy before the nation’s highest court, providing resources and strategic guidance to litigants.

Her service within the Department of Justice—first in the Office of Legal Counsel and later as Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Office of Legal Policy—placed her at the intersection of legal analysis and executive policymaking. These experiences contributed to a nuanced understanding of how federal agencies interpret and implement statutes, an insight that continues to shape her judicial reasoning.

Judge Harris’s appointment by a Democratic president is noted for its procedural context rather than partisan implication; she serves as a non‑partisan arbiter of the law. Her personal life includes marriage to Austin Schlick, who has held senior positions in federal regulatory agencies, including Executive Director of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and former general counsel of the Federal Communications Commission.

Overall, Judge Pamela Ann Harris’s career trajectory—from distinguished academic achievements at Yale through high‑level clerkships, government service, private practice, and academia—culminates in her ongoing role on the Fourth Circuit. Her contributions to appellate jurisprudence, legal education, and institutional support for Supreme Court advocacy collectively define a professional legacy grounded in extensive legal expertise and public service.