Court of Appeals
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
Hears appeals from the district courts within its circuit. Cases are normally decided by panels of three judges, and its rulings bind every district court in that circuit. For nearly all litigants this is the last court that will hear the case.
The bench
Who sits on this court?
Judges in active service, when they were confirmed, and who nominated each.
| Judge | Since | Nominated by | Seat |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Clifford Wallace Senior | 1972 | Richard M. Nixon | CA90904 |
| Mary Murphy Schroeder Senior | 1979 | Jimmy Carter | CA91501 |
| Dorothy Wright Nelson Senior | 1979 | Jimmy Carter | CA92301 |
| William Cameron Canby Jr. Senior | 1980 | Jimmy Carter | CA91402 |
| Diarmuid Fionntain O'Scannlain Senior | 1986 | Ronald Reagan | CA91103 |
| Stephen S. Trott Senior | 1988 | Ronald Reagan | CA90605 |
| Ferdinand Francis Fernandez Senior | 1989 | George H.W. Bush | CA92102 |
| Michael Daly Hawkins Senior | 1994 | William J. Clinton | CA91003 |
| Atsushi Wallace Tashima Senior | 1996 | William J. Clinton | CA91902 |
| Sidney Runyan Thomas Senior | 1996 | William J. Clinton | CA92302 |
| Barry G. Silverman Senior | 1998 | William J. Clinton | CA91403 |
| Susan Graber Senior | 1998 | William J. Clinton | CA91603 |
| M. Margaret McKeown Senior | 1998 | William J. Clinton | CA91802 |
| Kim McLane Wardlaw | 1998 | William J. Clinton | CA90905 |
| William A. Fletcher Senior | 1998 | William J. Clinton | CA90206 |
| Ronald Murray Gould | 1999 | William J. Clinton | CA91203 |
| Marsha Siegel Berzon Senior | 2000 | William J. Clinton | CA92902 |
| Richard A. Paez Senior | 2000 | William J. Clinton | CA92202 |
| Richard C. Tallman Senior | 2000 | William J. Clinton | CA91702 |
| Johnnie B. Rawlinson | 2000 | William J. Clinton | CA90506 |
| Richard R. Clifton Senior | 2002 | George W. Bush | CA92602 |
| Jay S. Bybee Senior | 2003 | George W. Bush | CA90704 |
| Consuelo Maria Callahan | 2003 | George W. Bush | CA92103 |
| Carlos T. Bea Senior | 2003 | George W. Bush | CA92502 |
| Milan Dale Smith Jr. | 2006 | George W. Bush | CA91903 |
| Norman Randy Smith Senior | 2007 | George W. Bush | CA90310 |
| Mary Helen Murguia | 2010 | Barack Obama | CA91004 |
| Morgan Christen | 2011 | Barack Obama | CA91304 |
| Jacqueline Hong-Ngoc Nguyen | 2012 | Barack Obama | CA93001 |
| Andrew David Hurwitz Senior | 2012 | Barack Obama | CA91502 |
| John Byron Owens | 2014 | Barack Obama | CA90606 |
| Michelle Taryn Friedland | 2014 | Barack Obama | CA92803 |
| Mark Jeremy Bennett | 2018 | Donald J. Trump | CA92603 |
| Ryan Douglas Nelson | 2018 | Donald J. Trump | CA90311 |
| Eric David Miller | 2019 | Donald J. Trump | CA91703 |
| Bridget Shelton Bade | 2019 | Donald J. Trump | CA91404 |
| Kenneth Kiyul Lee | 2019 | Donald J. Trump | CA92402 |
| Daniel Paul Collins | 2019 | Donald J. Trump | CA92002 |
| Daniel Aaron Bress | 2019 | Donald J. Trump | CA92702 |
| Danielle Jo Forrest | 2019 | Donald J. Trump | CA91104 |
| Patrick Joseph Bumatay | 2019 | Donald J. Trump | CA92503 |
| Lawrence James Christopher VanDyke | 2019 | Donald J. Trump | CA90705 |
| Lucy Haeran Koh | 2021 | Joseph R. Biden | CA92203 |
| Jennifer Sung | 2021 | Joseph R. Biden | CA91604 |
| Gabriel Patrick Sanchez | 2022 | Joseph R. Biden | CA92903 |
| Holly Aiyisha Thomas | 2022 | Joseph R. Biden | CA90207 |
| Roopali H. Desai | 2022 | Joseph R. Biden | CA91503 |
| Salvador Mendoza Jr. | 2022 | Joseph R. Biden | CA91803 |
| Anthony Devos Johnstone | 2023 | Joseph R. Biden | CA92303 |
| Ana Isabel de Alba | 2023 | Joseph R. Biden | CA90806 |
| Eric Chunyee Tung | 2025 | Donald J. Trump | CA90109 |
Source · Federal Judicial Center, Biographical Directory of Article III Federal Judges, 1789–present (public domain)
What seats does this court have?
Each seat on this court, who holds it, and how many judges have held it before.
- Judges seated now
- 51
- Seat numbers on record
- 119
| Seat | Held by | Since | Holders to date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA90109 | Eric Chunyee Tung | 2025 | 1 |
| CA90206 | William A. Fletcher | 1998 | 1 |
| CA90207 | Holly Aiyisha Thomas | 2022 | 1 |
| CA90310 | Norman Randy Smith | 2007 | 1 |
| CA90311 | Ryan Douglas Nelson | 2018 | 1 |
| CA90506 | Johnnie B. Rawlinson | 2000 | 1 |
| CA90605 | Stephen S. Trott | 1988 | 1 |
| CA90606 | John Byron Owens | 2014 | 1 |
| CA90704 | Jay S. Bybee | 2003 | 1 |
| CA90705 | Lawrence James Christopher VanDyke | 2020 | 1 |
| CA90806 | Ana Isabel de Alba | 2023 | 1 |
| CA90904 | John Clifford Wallace | 1972 | 1 |
| CA90905 | Kim McLane Wardlaw | 1998 | 1 |
| CA91003 | Michael Daly Hawkins | 1994 | 1 |
| CA91004 | Mary Helen Murguia | 2011 | 1 |
| CA91103 | Diarmuid Fionntain O'Scannlain | 1986 | 1 |
| CA91104 | Danielle Jo Forrest | 2019 | 1 |
| CA91203 | Ronald Murray Gould | 1999 | 1 |
| CA91304 | Morgan Christen | 2012 | 1 |
| CA91402 | William Cameron Canby Jr. | 1980 | 1 |
| CA91403 | Barry G. Silverman | 1998 | 1 |
| CA91404 | Bridget Shelton Bade | 2019 | 1 |
| CA91501 | Mary Murphy Schroeder | 1979 | 1 |
| CA91502 | Andrew David Hurwitz | 2012 | 1 |
| CA91503 | Roopali H. Desai | 2022 | 1 |
| CA91603 | Susan Graber | 1998 | 1 |
| CA91604 | Jennifer Sung | 2021 | 1 |
| CA91702 | Richard C. Tallman | 2000 | 1 |
| CA91703 | Eric David Miller | 2019 | 1 |
| CA91802 | M. Margaret McKeown | 1998 | 1 |
| CA91803 | Salvador Mendoza Jr. | 2022 | 1 |
| CA91902 | Atsushi Wallace Tashima | 1996 | 1 |
| CA91903 | Milan Dale Smith Jr. | 2006 | 1 |
| CA92002 | Daniel Paul Collins | 2019 | 1 |
| CA92102 | Ferdinand Francis Fernandez | 1989 | 1 |
| CA92103 | Consuelo Maria Callahan | 2003 | 1 |
| CA92202 | Richard A. Paez | 2000 | 1 |
| CA92203 | Lucy Haeran Koh | 2021 | 1 |
| CA92301 | Dorothy Wright Nelson | 1979 | 1 |
| CA92302 | Sidney Runyan Thomas | 1996 | 1 |
| CA92303 | Anthony Devos Johnstone | 2023 | 1 |
| CA92402 | Kenneth Kiyul Lee | 2019 | 1 |
| CA92502 | Carlos T. Bea | 2003 | 1 |
| CA92503 | Patrick Joseph Bumatay | 2019 | 1 |
| CA92602 | Richard R. Clifton | 2002 | 1 |
| CA92603 | Mark Jeremy Bennett | 2018 | 1 |
| CA92702 | Daniel Aaron Bress | 2019 | 1 |
| CA92803 | Michelle Taryn Friedland | 2014 | 1 |
| CA92902 | Marsha Siegel Berzon | 2000 | 1 |
| CA92903 | Gabriel Patrick Sanchez | 2022 | 1 |
| CA93001 | Jacqueline Hong-Ngoc Nguyen | 2012 | 1 |
68 seat numbers with no sitting judge
These are seat numbers in the historical record with nobody currently in them. That usually means the seat was abolished or renumbered, not that it is open today — Congress has changed the size of federal courts many times. Do not read this as a vacancy list.
| Seat | Last held by | Until | Holders |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA90101 | Lorenzo Sawyer | 1891 | 1 |
| CA90102 | Joseph McKenna | 1897 | 1 |
| CA90103 | William W. Morrow | 1929 | 1 |
| CA90104 | Frank H. Rudkin | 1931 | 1 |
| CA90105 | Francis Arthur Garrecht | 1948 | 1 |
| CA90106 | Walter Lyndon Pope | 1969 | 1 |
| CA90107 | James Robert Browning | 2012 | 1 |
| CA90108 | Sandra Segal Ikuta | 2025 | 1 |
| CA90201 | William Ball Gilbert | 1931 | 1 |
| CA90202 | William Denman | 1959 | 1 |
| CA90203 | Oliver Deveta Hamlin Jr. | 1973 | 1 |
| CA90204 | Walter Raleigh Ely Jr. | 1984 | 1 |
| CA90205 | William Albert Norris | 1997 | 1 |
| CA90301 | Erskine Mayo Ross | 1928 | 1 |
| CA90302 | Wallace McCamant | 1926 | 1 |
| CA90303 | Frank Sigel Dietrich | 1930 | 1 |
| CA90304 | William Henry Sawtelle | 1934 | 1 |
| CA90305 | Clifton Mathews | 1962 | 1 |
| CA90306 | James Alger Fee | 1959 | 1 |
| CA90307 | Montgomery Oliver Koelsch | 1992 | 1 |
| CA90308 | J. Blaine Anderson | 1988 | 1 |
| CA90309 | Thomas G. Nelson | 2011 | 1 |
| CA90401 | William Henry Hunt | 1928 | 1 |
| CA90501 | Curtis Dwight Wilbur | 1954 | 1 |
| CA90502 | William Edwin Orr | 1965 | 1 |
| CA90503 | Stanley Nelson Barnes | 1990 | 1 |
| CA90504 | Herbert Young Cho Choy | 2004 | 1 |
| CA90505 | Melvin T. Brunetti | 2009 | 1 |
| CA90601 | Bert Emory Haney | 1943 | 1 |
| CA90602 | Homer Truett Bone | 1970 | 1 |
| CA90603 | Frederick George Hamley | 1975 | 1 |
| CA90604 | Joseph Tyree Sneed III | 2008 | 1 |
| CA90701 | Albert Lee Stephens Sr. | 1965 | 1 |
| CA90702 | Benjamin Cushing Duniway | 1986 | 1 |
| CA90703 | Procter Ralph Hug Jr. | 2017 | 1 |
| CA90801 | William Healy | 1962 | 1 |
| CA90802 | Charles Merton Merrill | 1996 | 1 |
| CA90803 | Anthony McLeod Kennedy | 1988 | 1 |
| CA90804 | Pamela Ann Rymer | 2011 | 1 |
| CA90805 | Paul Jeffrey Watford | 2023 | 1 |
| CA90901 | Dal Millington Lemmon | 1958 | 1 |
| CA90902 | Gilbert H. Jertberg | 1973 | 1 |
| CA90903 | James Marshall Carter | 1979 | 1 |
| CA91001 | Richard Harvey Chambers | 1994 | 1 |
| CA91002 | Thomas Tang | 1995 | 1 |
| CA91101 | Shirley Ann Mount Hufstedler | 1979 | 1 |
| CA91102 | Robert Boochever | 2011 | 1 |
| CA91201 | Eugene Allen Wright | 2002 | 1 |
| CA91202 | Robert R. Beezer | 2012 | 1 |
| CA91301 | John Francis Kilkenny | 1995 | 1 |
| CA91302 | Alfred Theodore Goodwin | 2022 | 1 |
| CA91303 | Andrew Jay Kleinfeld | 2025 | 1 |
| CA91401 | Ozell Miller Trask | 1984 | 1 |
| CA91601 | Otto Richard Skopil Jr. | 2012 | 1 |
| CA91602 | Edward Leavy | 2023 | 1 |
| CA91701 | Betty Binns Fletcher | 2012 | 1 |
| CA91801 | Joseph Jerome Farris | 2020 | 1 |
| CA91901 | Arthur Lawrence Alarcón | 2015 | 1 |
| CA92001 | Harry Pregerson | 2017 | 1 |
| CA92101 | Warren John Ferguson | 2008 | 1 |
| CA92201 | Cecil F. Poole | 1997 | 1 |
| CA92401 | Stephen Roy Reinhardt | 2018 | 1 |
| CA92501 | Charles Edward Wiggins | 2000 | 1 |
| CA92601 | Cynthia Holcomb Hall | 2011 | 1 |
| CA92701 | Alex Kozinski | 2017 | 1 |
| CA92801 | David R. Thompson | 2011 | 1 |
| CA92802 | Raymond C. Fisher | 2020 | 1 |
| CA92901 | John T. Noonan Jr. | 2017 | 1 |
This site does not publish a vacancy count. Seat identifiers are not stable across court renamings and reorganisations, so a seat that was vacated and refilled can appear empty when it is not. The Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts publishes the authoritative list of current judicial vacancies: uscourts.gov.
Seats are created by Congress and filled by the President with the Senate's consent. For current vacancies, use the Administrative Office's published list rather than inferring them from this table.
Source · Federal Judicial Center, Biographical Directory of Article III Federal Judges, 1789–present (public domain)
How this bench was built
Who appointed them?
The tally of presidents who placed the sitting judges on this court.
- Democratic
- 30
- Republican
- 21
| President | Judges |
|---|---|
| William J. Clinton | 13 |
| Donald J. Trump | 11 |
| Joseph R. Biden | 8 |
| George W. Bush | 6 |
| Barack Obama | 6 |
| Jimmy Carter | 3 |
| Ronald Reagan | 2 |
| George H.W. Bush | 1 |
| Richard M. Nixon | 1 |
The party of the president who appointed a judge is a matter of record. How that judge will rule is not, and this site draws no inference from one to the other.
Source · Federal Judicial Center, Biographical Directory of Article III Federal Judges, 1789–present (public domain)