Chad Andrew Readler

Chad Andrew Readler (born 1972) is an American jurist who serves as a circuit judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Appointed by President Donald J. Trump in 2019, he has been an active member of the federal appellate bench since receiving his commission in March of that year. Prior to joining the judiciary, Readler held senior positions within the Department of Justice’s Civil Division and spent two decades in private practice at Jones Day, where he became a partner. He also maintains an academic presence as an adjunct professor teaching seminars on presidential powers at both the University of Michigan Law School and The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law.

Early life and legal career

Readler earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan in 1994. After completing one year at the Ohio State University Moritz College of Law, he transferred to the University of Michigan Law School, where he contributed as an editor to the university’s Journal of Law Reform. He graduated cum laude with a Juris Doctor in 1997. Following law school, Readler clerked for Judge Alan Eugene Norris of the Sixth Circuit from 1997 to 1998, gaining early exposure to appellate practice.

In 1998 Readler entered private practice at Jones Day’s Columbus, Ohio office. Over a nineteen‑year period he advanced within the firm, attaining partnership in 2007 and focusing on the Issues and Appeals practice group. His litigation portfolio included representation of corporate clients such as R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company in challenges to local advertising restrictions, arguments before the United States Supreme Court in *McQuiggin v. Perkins* on behalf of a pro bono client asserting actual innocence, and various pro bono matters involving capital defendants before appellate courts including the Tenth Circuit, the Sixth Circuit, and the Supreme Court of Ohio. His public‑service activities extended internationally; he traveled to Nairobi with Lawyers Without Borders to train Kenyan lawyers in prosecuting domestic violence cases. Recognizing his contributions, the German Marshall Fund awarded him an American Marshall Memorial Fellowship.

Readler’s career shifted to government service in January 2017 when he became Acting United States Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division of the Department of Justice. In that capacity he oversaw the department’s largest litigating division and personally briefed and argued numerous cases on behalf of the United States in federal courts nationwide. Among the high‑profile matters he handled was the administration’s effort to add a citizenship question to the 2020 Census, an initiative later scrutinized by the Supreme Court for its stated justification.

Federal appellate service

President Donald J. Trump announced his intent to nominate Readler to the Sixth Circuit on June 7, 2018, and formally submitted the nomination to the Senate on June 18, 2018 to fill the vacancy created by Judge Deborah L. Cook’s pending senior status. The nomination generated mixed reactions from Ohio’s senators: Senator Sherrod Brown indicated he would not return a blue slip, while Senator Rob Portman expressed support. A hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee took place on October 10, 2018; during that session Democratic members raised concerns about Readler’s prior involvement in litigation aimed at dismantling provisions of the Affordable Care Act.

The nomination was returned to the President under Senate Rule XXXI, Paragraph 6 on January 3, 2019 and subsequently renominated on January 23, 2019. The Judiciary Committee reported the nomination out of committee by a 12–10 vote on February 7, 2019. The full Senate invoked cloture on March 5, 2019 with a 53‑45 vote and confirmed Readler on March 6, 2019 by a margin of 52‑47. He received his judicial commission the following day, March 7, 2019, and has served as an active circuit judge since that time.

Jurisprudence and legacy

Since joining the Sixth Circuit, Judge Readler has participated in panels addressing a range of federal legal issues. In *United States v. Wooden* (945 F.3d 498, 6th Cir. 2019), he authored the majority opinion interpreting the Armed Career Criminal Act’s “occasions” clause to apply when qualifying offenses occur at separate moments in time. The Supreme Court later granted certiorari and reversed the Sixth Circuit’s holding, clarifying that multiple convictions arising from a single episode count only once under the statute.

Readler also authored a noted dissent in *Davenport v. MacLaren* (975 F.3d 537, 6th Cir. 2020), wherein the panel vacated a first‑degree murder conviction. In his dissent he emphasized that both the Supreme Court’s decision in *Brecht v. Abrahamson* and the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act’s independent standards must be satisfied before habeas relief is appropriate. The Sixth Circuit ultimately voted 8 to 7 against rehearing the case en banc, and the United States Supreme Court later granted certiorari, citing Readler’s dissent in its analysis of the lower court’s error.

Beyond his judicial opinions, Judge Readler contributes to legal education through a Presidential Powers Seminar offered jointly at the University of Michigan Law School and Ohio State’s Moritz College of Law. His professional affiliations include membership in the Federalist Society, an organization focused on conservative and libertarian approaches to law.

Judge Readler’s career reflects a trajectory that spans private practice, federal government service, academia, and the appellate judiciary. While his tenure on the Sixth Circuit is still ongoing, his participation in significant statutory interpretations and his engagement with legal scholarship suggest a continued influence on the development of federal jurisprudence within the circuit.