United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit - wikipedia United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ( 9th Cir. ) Location Headquarters : James R. Browning U.S. Court of Appeals Building, San Francisco, California Other Locations : William K. Nakamura Courthouse, Seattle, Washington Pioneer Courthouse, Portland, Oregon Richard H. Chambers U.S. Court of Appeals, Pasadena, California Appeals from District of Alaska District of Arizona Central District of California Eastern District of California Northern District of California Southern District of California District of Hawaii District of Idaho District of Montana District of Nevada District of Oregon Eastern District of Washington Western District of Washington District of Guam District of the Northern Mariana Islands Established March 3, 1891 Chief judge Sidney Runyan Thomas Active judges 29 Senior judges 18 Circuit justice Anthony Kennedy Official website The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ( in case citations, 9th Cir. ) is a U.S. Federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts : District of Alaska District of Arizona Central District of California Eastern District of California Northern District of California Southern District of California District of Hawaii District of Idaho District of Montana District of Nevada District of Oregon Eastern District of Washington Western District of Washington It also has appellate jurisdiction over the following territorial courts : District of Guam District of the Northern Mariana Islands Headquartered in San Francisco, California, the Ninth Circuit is by far the largest of the thirteen courts of appeals, with 29 active judgeships. The court 's regular meeting places are Seattle at the William Kenzo Nakamura United States Courthouse, Portland at the Pioneer Courthouse, San Francisco at the James R. Browning U.S. Court of Appeals Building, and Pasadena at the Richard H. Chambers U.S. Court of Appeals. Panels of the court occasionally travel to hear cases in other locations within the circuit. Although the judges travel around the circuit, the court arranges its hearings so that cases from the northern region of the circuit are heard in Seattle or Portland, cases from southern California are heard in Pasadena, and cases from northern California, Nevada, Arizona, and Hawaii are heard in San Francisco. For lawyers who must come and present their cases to the court in person, this administrative grouping of cases helps to reduce the time and cost of travel. Contents 1 History and background 2 Controversy 2.1 Allegations of liberalism 2.2 Rate of overturned decisions 2.3 Size of the court 3 Current composition of the court 4 Vacancies and pending nominations 5 List of former judges 6 Chief judges 7 Succession of seats 8 See also 9 Notes 10 References 11 External links History and background Ninth Circuit Court House in 1905 Year Jurisdiction Total population Pop. as % of nat'l pop. Number of active judgeships 1891 California, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Washington 2,087,000 3.3 % 1900 Territory of Hawaii added 2,798,000 3.7 % 1920 Arizona added 7,415,000 6.7 % 1940 11,881,000 9.0 % 7 1960 Alaska and Guam added 22,607,000 12.6 % 9 1980 Northern Mariana Islands added 37,170,000 16.4 % 23 2000 54,575,000 19.3 % 28 2007 60,400,000 19.9 % 28 2009 61,403,307 19.72 % 29 The large size of the current court is due to the fact that both the population of the western states and the geographic jurisdiction of the Ninth Circuit have increased dramatically since the U.S. Congress created the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in 1891. The court was originally granted appellate jurisdiction over federal district courts in California, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington. As new states and territories were added to the federal judicial hierarchy in the twentieth century, many of those in the West were placed in the Ninth Circuit : the newly acquired Territory of Hawaii in 1900, Arizona upon its admission to the Union in 1912, the Territory of Alaska in 1948, Guam in 1951, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in 1977. The Ninth Circuit also had jurisdiction over certain American interests in China, in that it had jurisdiction over appeals from the United States Court for China during the existence of that court from 1906 through 1943. However, the Philippines were never under the Ninth Circuit 's jurisdiction. Congress never created a federal district court in the Philippines from which the Ninth Circuit could hear appeals. Instead, appeals from the Supreme Court of the Philippines were taken directly to the Supreme Court of the United States. In 1979, the Ninth Circuit became the first federal judicial circuit to set up a Bankruptcy Appellate Panel as authorized by the Bankruptcy Reform Act of 1978. The Richard H. Chambers U.S. Court of Appeals, Pasadena, California The cultural and political jurisdiction of the Ninth Circuit is just as varied as the land within its geographical borders. In a dissenting opinion in a rights of publicity case involving the Wheel of Fortune star Vanna White, Circuit Judge Alex Kozinski sardonically noted that `` ( f ) or better or worse, we are the Court of Appeals for the Hollywood Circuit. '' Judges from more remote parts of the circuit note the contrast between legal issues confronted by populous states such as California and those confronted by rural states such as Alaska, Idaho, Montana, and Nevada. Judge Andrew J. Kleinfeld, who maintains his judicial chambers in Fairbanks, Alaska, wrote in a letter in 1998 : `` Much federal law is not national in scope... It is easy to make a mistake construing these laws when unfamiliar with them, as we often are, or not interpreting them regularly, as we never do. '' Controversy Allegations of liberalism According to the most current count, the Ninth Circuit has among the highest percentage of sitting judges appointed by Democratic presidents. Republicans argue the court is biased because of its relatively high proportion of Democratic appointees. Rate of overturned decisions From 1999 to 2008, of the 0.151 % of Ninth Circuit Court rulings that were reviewed by the Supreme Court, 20 % were affirmed, 19 % were vacated, and 61 % were reversed ; the median reversal rate for all federal appellate courts was 68.29 % for the same period. From 2010 to 2015, of the cases it accepted to review, the Supreme Court reversed around 79 percent of the cases from the Ninth Circuit, ranking its reversal rate third among the circuits ; the median reversal rate for all federal circuits for the same time period was around 70 percent. Some argue the court 's high percentage of reversals is illusory, resulting from the circuit hearing more cases than the other circuits. This results in the Supreme Court reviewing a smaller proportion of its cases, letting stand the vast majority of its cases. Former Chief Judges Mary M. Schroeder and Procter Ralph Hug Jr. Size of the Court Critics of the Ninth Circuit claim there are several adverse consequences of its large size. Chief among these is the Ninth Circuit 's unique rules concerning the composition of an en banc court. In other circuits, en banc courts are composed of all active circuit judges, plus ( depending on the rules of the particular court ) any senior judges who took part in the original panel decision. By contrast, in the Ninth Circuit it is impractical for 29 or more judges to take part in a single oral argument and deliberate on a decision en masse. The court thus provides for a `` limited en banc review of a randomly selected 11 judge panel. This means that en banc reviews may not actually reflect the views of the majority of the court and indeed may not include any of the three judges involved in the decision being reviewed in the first place. The result, according to detractors, is a high risk of intracircuit conflicts of law where different groupings of judges end up delivering contradictory opinions. That is said to cause uncertainty in the district courts and within the bar. However, en banc review is a relatively rare occurrence in all circuits and Ninth Circuit rules provide for full en banc review in limited circumstances. All recently proposed splits would leave at least one circuit with 21 judges, only two fewer than the 23 that the Ninth Circuit had when the limited en banc procedure was first adopted. In other words, after a split at least one of the circuits would still be using limited en banc courts. In March 2007, Associate Justices Anthony Kennedy and Clarence Thomas testified before a House Appropriations subcommittee that the consensus among the justices of the Supreme Court of the United States was that the Ninth Circuit was too large and unwieldy and should be split. Congressional officials, legislative commissions, and interest groups have all submitted proposals to divide the Ninth Circuit such as : Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals Reorganization Act of 1993, H.R. 3654 Final Report of the Commission on Structural Alternatives for the Federal Courts of Appeals Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals of Reorganization Act of 2003, S. 562 Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals Judgeship and Reorganization Act of 2003, H.R. 2723 Ninth Circuit Judgeship and Reorganization Act of 2004, S. 878 ( reintroduced as the Ninth Circuit Judgeship and Reorganization Act of 2005, H.R. 211, and co-sponsored by House Majority Leader Tom DeLay ) Circuit Court of Appeals Restructuring and Modernization Act of 2005, S. 1845 Circuit Court of Appeals Restructuring and Modernization Act of 2007, S. 525. Current composition of the court As of January 1, 2017, the judges on the court are : # Title Judge Duty station Term of service Appointed by Active Chief Senior 74 Chief Judge Sidney Runyan Thomas Billings, MT 1953 1996 -- present 2014 -- present -- Clinton 57 Circuit Judge Stephen Reinhardt Los Angeles, CA 1931 1980 -- present -- -- Carter 62 Circuit Judge Alex Kozinski Pasadena, CA 1950 1985 -- present 2007 -- 2014 -- Reagan 76 Circuit Judge Susan P. Graber Portland, OR 1949 1998 -- present -- -- Clinton 77 Circuit Judge M. Margaret McKeown San Diego, CA 1951 1998 -- present -- -- Clinton 78 Circuit Judge Kim McLane Wardlaw Pasadena, CA 1954 1998 -- present -- -- Clinton 79 Circuit Judge William A. Fletcher San Francisco, CA 1945 1998 -- present -- -- Clinton 81 Circuit Judge Ronald M. Gould Seattle, WA 1946 1999 -- present -- -- Clinton 82 Circuit Judge Richard A. Paez Pasadena, CA 1947 2000 -- present -- -- Clinton 83 Circuit Judge Marsha S. Berzon San Francisco, CA 1945 2000 -- present -- -- Clinton 84 Circuit Judge Richard C. Tallman Seattle, WA 1953 2000 -- present -- -- Clinton 85 Circuit Judge Johnnie B. Rawlinson Las Vegas, NV 1952 2000 -- present -- -- Clinton 87 Circuit Judge Jay Bybee Las Vegas, NV 1953 2003 -- present -- -- G.W. Bush 88 Circuit Judge Consuelo María Callahan Sacramento, CA 1950 2003 -- present -- -- G.W. Bush 89 Circuit Judge Carlos Bea San Francisco, CA 1934 2003 -- present -- -- G.W. Bush 90 Circuit Judge Milan D. Smith, Jr. El Segundo, CA 1942 2006 -- present -- -- G.W. Bush 91 Circuit Judge Sandra Segal Ikuta Pasadena, CA 1954 2006 -- present -- -- G.W. Bush 92 Circuit Judge N. Randy Smith Pocatello, ID 1949 2007 -- present -- -- G.W. Bush 93 Circuit Judge Mary H. Murguia Phoenix, AZ 1960 2011 -- present -- -- Obama 94 Circuit Judge Morgan Christen Anchorage, AK 1961 2012 -- present -- -- Obama 95 Circuit Judge Jacqueline Nguyen Pasadena, CA 1965 2012 -- present -- -- Obama 96 Circuit Judge Paul J. Watford Pasadena, CA 1967 2012 -- present -- -- Obama 97 Circuit Judge Andrew D. Hurwitz Phoenix, AZ 1947 2012 -- present -- -- Obama 98 Circuit Judge John B. Owens San Diego, CA 1971 2014 -- present -- -- Obama 99 Circuit Judge Michelle Friedland San Jose, CA 1972 2014 -- present -- -- Obama 100 Circuit Judge vacant -- -- -- -- -- -- 101 Circuit Judge vacant -- -- -- -- -- -- 102 Circuit Judge vacant -- -- -- -- -- -- 103 Circuit Judge vacant -- -- -- -- -- -- 38 Senior Circuit Judge Alfred Goodwin Pasadena, CA 1923 1971 -- 1991 1988 -- 1991 1991 -- present Nixon 39 Senior Circuit Judge J. Clifford Wallace San Diego, CA 1928 1972 -- 1996 1991 -- 1996 1996 -- present Nixon 43 Senior Circuit Judge Procter Ralph Hug Jr. Reno, NV 1931 1977 -- 2002 1996 -- 2000 2002 -- present Carter 46 Senior Circuit Judge Mary M. Schroeder Phoenix, AZ 1940 1979 -- 2012 2000 -- 2007 2012 -- present Carter 48 Senior Circuit Judge Joseph Jerome Farris Seattle, WA 1930 1979 -- 1995 -- 1995 -- present Carter 50 Senior Circuit Judge Harry Pregerson Woodland Hills, CA 1923 1979 -- 2015 -- 2015 -- present Carter 53 Senior Circuit Judge Dorothy Wright Nelson Pasadena, CA 1928 1979 -- 1995 -- 1995 -- present Carter 54 Senior Circuit Judge William Cameron Canby, Jr. Phoenix, AZ 1931 1980 -- 1996 -- 1996 -- present Carter 65 Senior Circuit Judge Diarmuid O'Scannlain Portland, OR 1937 1986 -- 2016 -- 2016 -- present Reagan 66 Senior Circuit Judge Edward Leavy Portland, OR 1929 1987 -- 1997 -- 1997 -- present Reagan 67 Senior Circuit Judge Stephen S. Trott Boise, ID 1939 1988 -- 2004 -- 2005 -- present Reagan 68 Senior Circuit Judge Ferdinand Francis Fernandez Pasadena, CA 1937 1989 -- 2002 -- 2002 -- present G.H.W. Bush 71 Senior Circuit Judge Andrew Jay Kleinfeld Fairbanks, AK 1945 1991 -- 2010 -- 2010 -- present G.H.W. Bush 72 Senior Circuit Judge Michael Daly Hawkins Phoenix, AZ 1945 1994 -- 2010 -- 2010 -- present Clinton 73 Senior Circuit Judge A. Wallace Tashima Pasadena, CA 1934 1996 -- 2004 -- 2004 -- present Clinton 75 Senior Circuit Judge Barry G. Silverman Phoenix, AZ 1951 1998 -- 2016 -- 2016 -- present Clinton 80 Senior Circuit Judge Raymond C. Fisher Pasadena, CA 1939 1999 -- 2013 -- 2013 -- present Clinton 86 Senior Circuit Judge Richard R. Clifton Honolulu, HI 1950 2002 -- 2016 -- 2016 -- present G.W. Bush Vacancies and pending nominations Seat Seat last held by Vacancy reason Date of vacancy Nominee Date of nomination 19 Harry Pregerson Senior Status December 11, 2015 0 ! -- 0 ! -- 13 Barry Silverman Senior Status October 11, 2016 0 ! -- 0 ! -- 10 Diarmuid O'Scannlain Senior Status December 31, 2016 Ryan Wesley Bounds September 7, 2017 24 Richard R. Clifton Senior Status December 31, 2016 0 ! -- 0 ! -- 14 Richard C. Tallman Senior Status March 3, 2018 0 ! -- 0 ! -- List of former judges # Judge State Born -- died Active service Chief Judge Senior status Appointed by Reason for termination Sawyer, Lorenzo Lorenzo Sawyer California 1820 -- 1891 1891 -- 1891 -- -- Grant, Grant death McKenna, Joseph Joseph McKenna California 1843 -- 1926 1892 -- 1897 -- -- Harrison, B. B. Harrison resignation to become U.S. Attorney General Gilbert, William Ball William Ball Gilbert Oregon 1847 -- 1931 1892 -- 1931 -- -- Harrison, B. B. Harrison death Ross, Erskine Mayo Erskine Mayo Ross California 1845 -- 1928 1895 -- 1925 -- 1925 -- 1928 Cleveland, Cleveland death 5 Morrow, William W. William W. Morrow California 1843 -- 1929 1897 -- 1923 -- -- McKinley, McKinley resignation -- Hunt, William Henry William Henry Hunt Montana 1857 -- 1949 1911 -- 1928 -- 1928 -- 1928 resignation 6 Rudkin, Frank H. Frank H. Rudkin Washington 1864 -- 1931 1923 -- 1931 -- -- Harding, Harding death 7 McCamant, Wallace Wallace McCamant Oregon 1867 -- 1944 1925 -- 1926 -- -- Coolidge, Coolidge recess appointment not confirmed by the United States Senate 8 Dietrich, Frank Sigel Frank Sigel Dietrich Idaho 1863 -- 1930 1927 -- 1930 -- -- Coolidge, Coolidge death 9 Wilbur, Curtis D. Curtis D. Wilbur California 1867 -- 1954 1929 -- 1945 -- 1945 -- 1954 Hoover, Hoover death 10 Sawtelle, William Henry William Henry Sawtelle Arizona 1868 -- 1934 1931 -- 1934 -- -- Hoover, Hoover death 11 Garrecht, Francis Arthur Francis Arthur Garrecht Washington 1870 -- 1948 1933 -- 1948 -- -- Roosevelt, F. F. Roosevelt death 12 Denman, William William Denman California 1872 -- 1959 1935 -- 1957 1948 -- 1957 1957 -- 1959 Roosevelt, F. F. Roosevelt death 13 Mathews, Clifton Clifton Mathews Arizona 1880 -- 1962 1935 -- 1953 -- 1953 -- 1962 Roosevelt, F. F. Roosevelt death 14 Haney, Bert E. Bert E. Haney Oregon 1879 -- 1943 1935 -- 1943 -- -- Roosevelt, F. F. Roosevelt death 15 Stephens Sr., Albert Lee Albert Lee Stephens Sr. California 1874 -- 1965 1937 -- 1961 1957 -- 1959 1961 -- 1965 Roosevelt, F. F. Roosevelt death 16 Healy, William William Healy Idaho 1881 -- 1962 1937 -- 1958 -- 1958 -- 1962 Roosevelt, F. F. Roosevelt death 17 Bone, Homer Homer Bone Washington 1883 -- 1970 1944 -- 1956 -- 1956 -- 1970 Roosevelt, F. F. Roosevelt death 18 Orr, William Edwin William Edwin Orr Nevada 1881 -- 1965 1945 -- 1956 -- 1956 -- 1965 Truman, Truman death 19 Pope, Walter Lyndon Walter Lyndon Pope Montana 1889 -- 1969 1949 -- 1961 1959 -- 1959 1961 -- 1969 Truman, Truman death 20 Lemmon, Dal Millington Dal Millington Lemmon California 1887 -- 1958 1954 -- 1958 -- -- Eisenhower, Eisenhower death 21 Chambers, Richard Harvey Richard Harvey Chambers Arizona 1906 -- 1994 1954 -- 1976 1959 -- 1976 1976 -- 1994 Eisenhower, Eisenhower death 22 Fee, James Alger James Alger Fee Oregon 1888 -- 1959 1954 -- 1959 -- -- Eisenhower, Eisenhower death 23 Barnes, Stanley Stanley Barnes California 1900 -- 1990 1956 -- 1970 -- 1970 -- 1990 Eisenhower, Eisenhower death 24 Hamley, Frederick George Frederick George Hamley Washington 1903 -- 1975 1956 -- 1971 -- 1971 -- 1975 Eisenhower, Eisenhower death 25 Hamlin Jr., Oliver Deveta Oliver Deveta Hamlin Jr. California 1892 -- 1973 1958 -- 1963 -- 1963 -- 1973 Eisenhower, Eisenhower death 26 Jertberg, Gilbert H. Gilbert H. Jertberg California 1897 -- 1973 1958 -- 1967 -- 1967 -- 1973 Eisenhower, Eisenhower death 27 Merrill, Charles Merton Charles Merton Merrill Nevada 1907 -- 1996 1959 -- 1974 -- 1974 -- 1996 Eisenhower, Eisenhower death 28 Koelsch, Montgomery Oliver Montgomery Oliver Koelsch Idaho 1912 -- 1992 1959 -- 1976 -- 1976 -- 1992 Eisenhower, Eisenhower death 29 Browning, James R. James R. Browning California 1918 -- 2012 1961 -- 2000 1976 -- 1988 2000 -- 2012 Kennedy death 30 Duniway, Benjamin C. Benjamin C. Duniway California 1907 -- 1986 1961 -- 1976 -- 1976 -- 1986 Kennedy, Kennedy death 31 Ely, Jr., Walter Raleigh Walter Raleigh Ely, Jr. California 1913 -- 1984 1964 -- 1979 -- 1979 -- 1984 Johnson, L. L. Johnson death 32 Carter, James Marshall James Marshall Carter California 1904 -- 1979 1967 -- 1971 -- 1971 -- 1979 Johnson, L. L. Johnson death 33 Hufstedler, Shirley Shirley Hufstedler California 1925 -- 2016 1968 -- 1979 -- -- Johnson, L. L. Johnson resignation to become U.S. Secretary of Education 34 Wright, Eugene Allen Eugene Allen Wright Washington 1913 -- 2002 1969 -- 1983 -- 1983 -- 2002 Nixon, Nixon death 35 Kilkenny, John John Kilkenny Oregon 1901 -- 1995 1969 -- 1971 -- 1971 -- 1995 Nixon, Nixon death 36 Trask, Ozell Miller Ozell Miller Trask Arizona 1909 -- 1984 1971 -- 1984 -- -- Nixon, Nixon death 37 Choy, Herbert Herbert Choy Hawaii 1916 -- 2004 1971 -- 1984 -- 1984 -- 2004 Nixon, Nixon death 40 Sneed III, Joseph Tyree Joseph Tyree Sneed III California 1920 -- 2008 1973 -- 1987 -- 1987 -- 2008 Nixon, Nixon death 41 Kennedy, Anthony Anthony Kennedy California 1936 -- present 1975 -- 1988 -- -- Ford, Ford elevated to Supreme Court 42 Anderson, J. Blaine J. Blaine Anderson Idaho 1922 -- 1988 1976 -- 1988 -- -- Ford, Ford death 44 Tang, Thomas Thomas Tang Arizona 1922 -- 1995 1977 -- 1993 -- 1993 -- 1995 Carter, Carter death 45 Betty Binns Fletcher Washington 1923 -- 2012 1979 -- 1998 -- 1998 -- 2012 Carter death 47 Otto Richard Skopil Jr. Oregon 1919 -- 2012 1979 -- 1986 -- 1986 -- 2012 Carter death 49 Arthur Lawrence Alarcon California 1925 -- 2015 1979 -- 1992 -- 1992 -- 2015 Carter, Carter death 51 Warren J. Ferguson California 1920 -- 2008 1979 -- 1986 -- 1986 -- 2008 Carter, Carter death 52 Poole, Cecil F. Cecil F. Poole California 1914 -- 1997 1979 -- 1996 -- 1996 -- 1997 Carter, Carter death 55 Boochever, Robert Robert Boochever California 1917 -- 2011 1980 -- 1986 -- 1986 -- 2011 Carter death 56 Norris, William Albert William Albert Norris California 1927 -- 2017 1980 -- 1994 -- 1994 -- 1997 Carter, Carter retirement 58 Beezer, Robert R. Robert R. Beezer Washington 1928 -- 2012 1984 - 1996 -- 1996 -- 2012 Reagan death 59 Cynthia Holcomb Hall California 1929 -- 2011 1984 -- 1997 -- 1997 -- 2011 Reagan death 60 Wiggins, Charles E. Charles E. Wiggins California 1927 -- 2000 1984 -- 1996 -- 1996 -- 2000 Reagan, Reagan death 61 Brunetti, Melvin T. Melvin T. Brunetti Nevada 1933 -- 2009 1985 -- 1999 -- 1999 -- 2009 Reagan, Reagan death 63 Noonan Jr., John T. John T. Noonan Jr. California 1926 -- 2017 1985 -- 1996 -- 1996 -- 2017 Reagan, Reagan death 64 Thompson, David R. David R. Thompson California 1930 -- 2011 1985 -- 1998 -- 1998 -- 2011 Reagan death 69 Rymer, Pamela Ann Pamela Ann Rymer California 1941 -- 2011 1989 -- 2011 -- -- G.H.W. Bush death 70 Nelson, Thomas G. Thomas G. Nelson Idaho 1936 -- 2011 1990 -- 2003 -- 2003 -- 2011 G.H.W. Bush death Chief judges Chief Judge Denman 1948 -- 1957 Stephens 1957 -- 1959 Pope 1959 -- 1959 Chambers 1959 -- 1976 Browning 1976 -- 1988 Goodwin 1988 -- 1991 Wallace 1991 -- 1996 Hug 1996 -- 2000 Schroeder 2000 -- 2007 Kozinski 2007 -- 2014 Thomas 2014 -- present Chief judges have administrative responsibilities with respect to their circuits, and preside over any panel on which they serve unless the circuit justice ( i.e., 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. The chief judge serves for a term of seven years or until age 70, whichever occurs first. The age restrictions are waived if no members of the court would otherwise be qualified for the position. 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 chief after turning 70 years old. The current rules have been in operation since October 1, 1982. Succession of seats The court has 29 seats for active judges, 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. Seat 1 Established on December 10, 1869 by the Judiciary Act of 1869 as a circuit judgeship for the Ninth Circuit Reassigned to the United States Circuit Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit by the Judiciary Act of 1891 Sawyer CA 1891 -- 1891 McKenna CA 1892 -- 1897 Morrow CA 1897 -- 1923 Rudkin WA 1923 -- 1931 Garrecht WA 1933 -- 1948 Pope MT 1949 -- 1961 Browning MT 1961 -- 2000 Ikuta CA 2006 -- present Seat 2 Established on June 16, 1891 by the Judiciary Act of 1891 Gilbert OR 1892 -- 1931 Denman CA 1935 -- 1957 Hamlin CA 1958 -- 1963 Ely CA 1964 -- 1979 Norris CA 1980 -- 1994 W. Fletcher CA 1998 -- present Seat 3 Established on February 18, 1895 by 28 Stat. 665 Ross CA 1895 -- 1925 McCamant OR 1925 -- 1926 Dietrich ID 1927 -- 1930 Sawtelle AZ 1931 -- 1934 Mathews AZ 1935 -- 1953 Fee OR 1954 -- 1959 Koelsch ID 1959 -- 1976 Anderson ID 1976 -- 1988 T. Nelson ID 1990 -- 2003 N.R. Smith ID 2007 -- present Seat 4 Established as a temporary judgeship on March 1, 1929 by 45 Stat. 1414 Made permanent on June 16, 1933 by 48 Stat. 310 Wilbur CA 1929 -- 1945 Orr NV 1945 -- 1956 Barnes CA 1956 -- 1970 Choy HI 1971 -- 1984 Brunetti NV 1985 -- 1999 Rawlinson NV 2000 -- present Seat 5 Established on August 2, 1935 by 49 Stat. 508 Haney OR 1935 -- 1943 Bone WA 1944 -- 1956 Hamley WA 1956 -- 1971 Sneed CA 1973 -- 1987 Trott ID 1988 -- 2004 Owens CA 2014 -- present Seat 6 Established on April 14, 1937 by 50 Stat. 64 Stephens CA 1937 -- 1961 Duniway CA 1961 -- 1976 Hug NV 1977 -- 2002 Bybee NV 2003 -- present Seat 7 Established on April 14, 1937 by 50 Stat. 64 Healy ID 1937 -- 1958 Merrill NV 1959 -- 1974 Kennedy CA 1975 -- 1988 Rymer CA 1989 -- 2011 Watford CA 2012 -- present Seat 8 Established on February 10, 1954 by 68 Stat. 871 Lemmon CA 1954 -- 1958 Jertberg CA 1958 -- 1967 Carter CA 1967 -- 1971 Wallace CA 1972 -- 1996 Wardlaw CA 1998 -- present Seat 9 Established on February 10, 1954 by 68 Stat. 871 Chambers AZ 1954 -- 1976 Tang AZ 1977 -- 1993 Hawkins AZ 1994 -- 2010 Murguia AZ 2011 -- present Seat 10 Established on June 18, 1968 by 82 Stat. 184 Hufstedler CA 1968 -- 1979 Boochever AK 1980 -- 1986 O'Scannlain OR 1986 -- 2016 vacant N / A 2016 -- present Seat 11 Established on June 18, 1968 by 82 Stat. 184 Wright WA 1969 -- 1983 Beezer WA 1984 -- 1996 Gould WA 1999 -- present Seat 12 Established on June 18, 1968 by 82 Stat. 184 Kilkenny OR 1969 -- 1971 Goodwin OR 1971 -- 1991 Kleinfeld AK 1991 -- 2010 Christen AK 2011 -- present Seat 13 Established on June 18, 1968 by 82 Stat. 184 Trask AZ 1969 -- 1979 Canby AZ 1980 -- 1996 Silverman AZ 1998 -- 2016 vacant AZ 2016 -- present Seat 14 Established on October 20, 1978 by 92 Stat. 1629 B. Fletcher WA 1979 -- 1998 Tallman WA 2000 -- present Seat 15 Established on October 20, 1978 by 92 Stat. 1629 Schroeder AZ 1979 -- 2012 Hurwitz AZ 2012 -- present Seat 16 Established on October 20, 1978 by 92 Stat. 1629 Skopil OR 1979 -- 1986 Leavy OR 1987 -- 1997 Graber OR 1998 -- present Seat 17 Established on October 20, 1978 by 92 Stat. 1629 Farris WA 1979 -- 1995 McKeown WA 1998 -- present Seat 18 Established on October 20, 1978 by 92 Stat. 1629 Alarcon CA 1979 -- 1992 Tashima CA 1996 -- 2004 M.D. Smith CA 2006 -- present Seat 19 Established on October 20, 1978 by 92 Stat. 1629 Pregerson CA 1979 -- 2015 vacant CA 2015 -- present Seat 20 Established on October 20, 1978 by 92 Stat. 1629 Ferguson CA 1979 -- 1986 Fernandez CA 1989 -- 2002 Callahan CA 2003 -- present Seat 21 Established on October 20, 1978 by 92 Stat. 1629 Poole CA 1979 -- 1996 Paez CA 2000 -- present Seat 22 Established on October 20, 1978 by 92 Stat. 1629 D. Nelson CA 1979 -- 1995 Thomas MT 1996 -- present Seat 23 Established on October 20, 1978 by 92 Stat. 1629 Reinhardt CA 1980 -- present Seat 24 Established on July 10, 1984 by 98 Stat. 333 Hall CA 1984 -- 1997 Clifton HI 2002 -- 2016 vacant N / A 2016 -- present Seat 25 Established on July 10, 1984 by 98 Stat. 333 Wiggins NV 1984 -- 1996 Bea CA 2003 -- present Seat 26 Established on July 10, 1984 by 98 Stat. 333 Kozinski CA 1985 -- present Seat 27 Established on July 10, 1984 by 98 Stat. 333 Noonan CA 1985 -- 1996 Berzon CA 2000 -- present Seat 28 Established on July 10, 1984 by 98 Stat. 333 Thompson CA 1985 -- 1998 Fisher CA 1999 -- 2013 Friedland CA 2014 -- present Seat 29 Established by Court Security Improvement Act of 2007 ; Effective Jan 21, 2009 Nguyen CA 2012 -- present See also Courts of California Ninth Circuit appointment history Same - sex marriage in the Ninth Circuit Notes Jump up ^ The population of China is not included in the above chart for 1920 or 1940, since the Court for China lacked plenary jurisdiction over China 's domestic population, then numbering about 430 million people ; the court exercised only extraterritorial jurisdiction over the relatively small number of American citizens in China. References Jump up ^ David C. Frederick, Rugged justice : the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and the American West, 1891 - 1941, 0520083814, 9780520083813, University of California Press, 1994. Jump up ^ See, e.g., Republic of China v. Merchants ' Fire Ass'n of N.Y., 49 F. 2d 862 ( 9th Cir. 1931 ). As the court noted, this bizarre insurance claim dispute arose directly from the `` perplexing '' civil war during China 's warlord era, in which various groups of military officers claimed to be the representatives of the Republic 's legitimate government. Jump up ^ Kepner v. United States, 195 U.S. 100 ( 1904 ). Jump up ^ White v. Samsung Elec. Am., Inc., 989 F. 2d 1512, 1521 ( 9th Cir. 1993 ) ( Kozinski, J., dissenting ). Jump up ^ Kleinfeld, Andrew J. ( 1998 - 05 - 22 ). Memo to the Commission on Structural Alternatives for the Federal Courts of Appeals. URL Retrieved June 21, 2005. Jump up ^ Bagley, Constance E. ; Savage, Diane ( 2009 ). Managers and the Legal Environment : Strategies for the 21st Century. Cengage Learning. p. 64. ISBN 9780324582048. Retrieved August 4, 2012. Jump up ^ Landslide, Volume 2, Number 3, January / February 2010 by the American Bar Association. Jump up ^ Carroll, Lauren ( February 10, 2017 ). `` No, the 9th Circuit is n't the ' most overturned court in the country, ' as Hannity says ''. PolitiFact. Jump up ^ Jerome Farris, The Ninth Circuit -- Most Maligned Circuit in the Country Fact or Fiction ? 58 Ohio St. L.J. 1465 ( 1997 ) ( noting that, in 1996, the Supreme Court let stand 99.7 percent of the Ninth Circuit 's cases ). Jump up ^ Carol J. Williams ( July 18, 2011 ). `` U.S. Supreme Court again rejects most decisions by the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ''. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 4, 2012. Jump up ^ O'Scannlain, Diarmuid ( October 2005 ). `` Ten Reasons Why the Ninth Circuit Should Be Split '' ( PDF ). Engage. 6 ( 2 ) : 58 -- 64. Archived from the original ( PDF ) on August 2, 2009. Retrieved May 29, 2006. Jump up ^ `` Statement of Circuit Judge Alex Kozinski to the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts ''. U.S. House of Representatives. October 21, 2003. Archived from the original on September 26, 2012. Retrieved February 6, 2012. Jump up ^ Schroeder, Mary M. ; et al. ( April 2006 ). `` A Court United : A Statement of a Number of Ninth Circuit Judges '' ( PDF ). Engage. 7 ( 1 ) : 63 -- 66. Retrieved June 6, 2006. Jump up ^ `` America and the Courts, '' 48 : 28. C - SPAN, March 17, 2007. Jump up ^ Eric J. Gribbin, 47 Duke L.J. 351, law.duke.edu Jump up ^ Final Report, Commission on Structural Alternatives for the Federal Courts of Appeals, Dec. 18, 1998 Jump up ^ Testimony of Circuit Judge Richard Tallman : U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, 26 October 2005. United States Senate : Committee on the Judiciary. Retrieved November 19, 2007. Jump up ^ Govtrack.us S. 525 -- 110th Congress ( 2007 ) : Circuit Court of Appeals Restructuring and Modernization Act of 2007, GovTrack.us ( database of federal legislation ) : govtrack.us ( Retrieved February 18, 2008 ) Jump up ^ Sawyer was appointed as a circuit judge for the Ninth Circuit in 1869 by Ulysses S. Grant. The Judiciary Act of 1891 reassigned his seat to what is now the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Jump up ^ Hunt 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. Hunt was assigned to the Ninth Circuit upon his commission. Jump up ^ Recess appointment. Jump up ^ President Coolidge first nominated Wilbur for the judgeship in the final days of his presidency, but the Senate failed to act on it before the 70tb Congress ended on March 3, 1929. `` Wilbur Nominated for Judge Post, '' Woodland Daily Democrat, 1929 - 03 - 01 at p. 1 ( noting, as the Coolidge Administration ended, that Coolidge nominated Wilbur for the new judgeship ) ; `` Sentence Cut Out by Hoover, '' Oakland Tribune, 1929 - 03 - 04, Section D, p. 1 ( noting that the Wilbur nomination was not acted upon before the 70th Congress ended ). Hoover then resubmitted the nomination to the Senate in the 71st Congress, which approved it. Jump up ^ Court Security Improvement Act of 2007, Pub. L. 110 - 177 § 509 ( a ) ( 2 ), 121 Stat. 2534, 2543, January 7, 2008 External links Wikisource has original works on the topic : United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit This website includes links to the court 's published and unpublished opinions, court - specific rules of appellate procedure, and general operating procedures. Ninth Circuit Library Recent opinions from FindLaw Federal Judicial Center Disposition of Supreme Court decisions on certiorari or appeal from state and territory supreme courts, and from federal courts of appeals, 1950 - 2006 Current judges of the United States courts of appeals 1st Circuit Active Howard Torruella Lynch Thompson Kayatta Barron Senior Campbell Selya Boudin Stahl Lipez 2nd Circuit Active Katzmann Jacobs Cabranes Pooler Raggi Hall Livingston Chin Lohier Carney Droney 2 seats vacant Senior Newman Kearse Winter Walker Leval Calabresi Straub Sack Parker Wesley Lynch 3rd Circuit Active Smith McKee Ambro Chagares Jordan Hardiman Greenaway Vanaskie Shwartz Krause Restrepo 3 seats vacant Senior Sloviter Stapleton Greenberg Scirica Cowen Nygaard Roth Rendell Barry Fuentes Fisher 4th Circuit Active Gregory Wilkinson Niemeyer Motz Traxler King Shedd Duncan Agee Keenan Wynn Diaz Floyd Thacker Harris Senior Chapman Hamilton 5th Circuit Active Stewart Jolly Jones Smith Dennis Clement Prado Owen Elrod Southwick Haynes Graves Higginson Costa 3 seats vacant Senior King Reavley Higginbotham Davis Duhé Barksdale Wiener Benavides 6th Circuit Active Cole Batchelder Moore Clay Gibbons Rogers Sutton Cook McKeague Griffin Kethledge White Stranch Donald Thapar Bush Senior Keith Merritt Wellford Guy Boggs Norris Suhrheinrich Siler Daughtrey Gilman 7th Circuit Active Wood Flaum Easterbrook Kanne Rovner Sykes Hamilton 3 seats vacant Senior Bauer Ripple Manion Williams 8th Circuit Active Smith Wollman Loken Colloton Gruender Benton Shepherd Kelly 3 seats vacant Senior Bowman Beam Hansen Arnold Murphy Riley Melloy 9th Circuit Active Thomas Reinhardt Kozinski Graber McKeown Wardlaw Fletcher Gould Paez Berzon Tallman Rawlinson Bybee Callahan Bea M Smith Ikuta N Smith Murguia Christen Nguyen Watford Hurwitz Owens Friedland 4 seats vacant Senior Goodwin Wallace Hug Schroeder Farris Pregerson Nelson Canby O'Scannlain Leavy Trott Fernandez Kleinfeld Hawkins Tashima Fisher Silverman Clifton 10th Circuit Active Tymkovich Kelly Briscoe Lucero Hartz Holmes Matheson Bacharach Phillips McHugh Moritz 1 seat vacant Senior McKay Seymour Porfilio Anderson Baldock Brorby Ebel Murphy O'Brien 11th Circuit Active E Carnes Tjoflat Hull Marcus Wilson W Pryor Martin Jordan Rosenbaum J Carnes J Pryor Newsom Senior Fay Anderson Edmondson Cox Dubina Black D.C. Circuit Active Garland Henderson Rogers Tatel Griffith Kavanaugh Srinivasan Millett Pillard Wilkins 1 seat vacant Senior Edwards Silberman Buckley Williams Ginsburg Sentelle Randolph Federal Circuit Active Prost Newman Lourie Dyk Moore O'Malley Reyna Wallach Taranto Chen Hughes Stoll Senior Mayer Plager Clevenger Schall Bryson Linn Current senior judges of the United States courts of appeals 1st Circuit Campbell Selya Boudin Stahl Lipez 2nd Circuit Newman Kearse Winter Walker Leval Calabresi Straub Sack Parker Wesley Lynch 3rd Circuit Sloviter Stapleton Greenberg Scirica Cowen Nygaard Roth Rendell Barry Fuentes Fisher 4th Circuit Chapman Hamilton 5th Circuit King Reavley Higginbotham Davis Duhé, Jr. Barksdale Wiener Benavides 6th Circuit Keith Merritt Wellford Guy Boggs Norris Suhrheinrich Siler Daughtrey Gilman 7th Circuit Bauer Ripple Manion Williams 8th Circuit Bowman Beam Hansen Arnold Murphy Riley Melloy 9th Circuit Goodwin Wallace Hug Schroeder Farris Pregerson Nelson Canby O'Scannlain Leavy Trott Fernandez Kleinfeld Hawkins Tashima Fisher Silverman Clifton 10th Circuit McKay Seymour Porfilio Anderson Baldock Brorby Ebel Murphy O'Brien 11th Circuit Fay Anderson Edmondson Cox Dubina Black D.C. Circuit Edwards Silberman Buckley Williams Ginsburg Sentelle Randolph Federal Circuit Mayer Plager Clevenger Schall Bryson Linn Current active district judges of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals Alaska Burgess Gleason 1 seat vacant Arizona Collins Jorgenson Campbell Snow Zipps Logan Tuchi Humetewa Márquez Rayes Soto 2 seats vacant C. California Phillips Real Wilson Carter Anderson Walter Klausner Otero Selna Carney Fischer Guilford Gutierrez Wright Wu Gee Staton Kronstadt Fitzgerald Bernal Olguin O'Connell Birotte 5 seats vacant E. California O'Neill England Mendez Mueller Nunley Drozd N. California Hamilton Alsup White Seeborg Koh Davila Chen Rogers Tigar Orrick Donato Freeman Chhabria Gilliam S. California Moskowitz Burns Sabraw Hayes Houston Benitez Sammartino Anello Battaglia Bencivengo Curiel Bashant 1 seat vacant Hawaii Seabright Kobayashi Watson 1 seat vacant Idaho Winmill Nye Montana Christensen Morris Watters Nevada Navarro Mahan Du Gordon Dorsey Boulware 1 seat vacant Oregon Mosman Aiken Hernandez Simon McShane 1 seat vacant E. Washington Rice Peterson Bastian Mendoza Jr. W. Washington Martinez Leighton Jones Settle 3 seats vacant Guam Tydingco - Gatewood N. Mariana Islands Manglona Current senior district judges of the Ninth Circuit Alaska Holland Singleton Sedwick Beistline Arizona Rosenblatt Strand McNamee Silver Zapata Bolton Teilborg Martone Bury Wake C. California Hatter Marshall Keller Lew Pregerson Fairbank Snyder E. California Shubb Burrell Ishii N. California Henderson Armstrong Whyte Wilken Chesney Illston Breyer Fogel S. California Enright Miller Whelan Lorenz Huff Hawaii Kay Ezra Gillmor Mollway Idaho Lodge Montana Lovell Molloy Haddon Nevada George McKibben Hunt Dawson Hicks Jones Oregon Panner Redden Marsh Jones Haggerty King Brown E. Washington Quackenbush Nielsen Van Sickle Whaley Shea Suko W. Washington McGovern Rothstein Coughenour Dimmick Bryan Zilly Lasnik Pechman Robart Guam Unpingco N. Mariana Islands Munson United States courts of appeals 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th 11th D.C. Federal Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=United_States_Court_of_Appeals_for_the_Ninth_Circuit&oldid=799422216 '' Categories : Anchorage, Alaska Billings, Montana Honolulu Las Vegas Los Angeles Pasadena, California Phoenix, Arizona Pocatello, Idaho Portland, Oregon Reno, Nevada San Diego San Francisco Seattle United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit United States courts of appeals Hidden categories : Official website not in Wikidata Articles containing potentially dated statements from January 2017 All articles containing potentially dated statements Articles with hCards Talk Contents About Wikipedia Wikisource فارسی Français Hrvatski עברית Nederlands Русский Simple English 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 7 September 2017, at 16 : 52. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. 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Question: where is 9th circuit court of appeals located
Answer: Headquartered in San Francisco, California