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Current United States federal appellate court
The United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit (in case citations, 1st Cir.) is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts:
The court is based at the John Joseph Moakley Federal Courthouse in Boston, Massachusetts. Most sittings are held in Boston, where the court usually sits for one week most months of the year; in one of July or August, it takes a summer break and does not sit. The First Circuit also sits for one week each March and November at the Jose V. Toledo Federal Building and United States Courthouse in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, and occasionally sits at other locations within the circuit.[1]
With six active judges and four active senior judges, the First Circuit has the fewest judges of any of the thirteen United States courts of appeals. It covers most of New England, as well as Puerto Rico. Following his retirement from the Supreme Court in 2009, Associate Justice David Souter occasionally sat on the First Circuit by designation. Former justice Stephen Breyer began to do so in 2025.[2]
Current composition of the court[edit]As of February 22, 2025[update]:
# Title Judge Duty station Born Term of service Appointed by Active Chief Senior 32 Chief Judge David J. Barron Boston, MA 1967 2014–present 2022–present — Obama 33 Circuit Judge Gustavo Gelpí San Juan, PR 1965 2021–present — — Biden 34 Circuit Judge Lara Montecalvo Providence, RI 1974 2022–present — — Biden 35 Circuit Judge Julie Rikelman Boston, MA 1972 2023–present — — Biden 36 Circuit Judge Seth Aframe Concord, NH 1974 2024–present — — Biden 37 Circuit Judge vacant — — — — — — 18 Senior Circuit Judge Levin H. Campbell inactive 1927 1972–1992 1983–1990 1992–present Nixon 27 Senior Circuit Judge Sandra Lynch Boston, MA 1946 1995–2022 2008–2015 2022–present Clinton 28 Senior Circuit Judge Kermit Lipez Portland, ME 1941 1998–2011 — 2011–present Clinton 29 Senior Circuit Judge Jeffrey R. Howard Concord, NH 1955 2002–2022 2015–2022 2022–present G.W. Bush 30 Senior Circuit Judge O. Rogeriee Thompson Providence, RI 1951 2010–2022 — 2022–present Obama 31 Senior Circuit Judge William J. Kayatta Jr. Portland, ME 1953 2013–2024 — 2024–present Obama Vacancies and pending nominations[edit] List of former judges[edit]Chief judges have administrative responsibilities with respect to their circuits, and preside over any panel on which they serve, unless the circuit justice (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, with seniority determined first by commission date, then by age. The chief judge serves for a term of seven years, or until age 70, whichever occurs first. If no judge qualifies to be chief, the youngest judge over the age of 65 who has served on the court for at least one year shall act as chief until another judge qualifies. If no judge has served on the court for more than a year, the most senior judge shall act as chief. Judges can forfeit or resign their chief judgeship or acting chief judgeship while retaining their active status as a circuit judge.[3]
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 or remain chief after turning 70 years old. The current rules have been in operation since October 1, 1982.[4]
Succession of seats[edit]The court has six seats for active judges, numbered in the order in which they were initially filled. Judges who assume senior status enter a kind of retirement in which they remain on the bench but vacate their seats, thus allowing the U.S. President to appoint new judges to fill their seats.
Seat 4 Established on October 20, 1978 by 92 Stat. 1629 Breyer MA 1980–1994 Lynch MA 1995–2022 Rikelman MA 2023–present Seat 5 Established on July 10, 1984 by 98 Stat. 353 Torruella PR 1984–2020 Gelpí PR 2021–present Seat 6 Established on July 10, 1984 by 98 Stat. 353 Selya RI 1986–2006 Thompson RI 2010–2022 Montecalvo RI 2022–presentIn January through June, and October through December, the Court usually sits for one week starting on the first Monday of the month. In either July or August, the court sits for one week. In September, the Court starts on the Wednesday after Labor Day and sits for the 3 days in that week and the 5 days in the following week. In November and March the court sits two weeks, with one week in Boston and one week in Puerto Rico. Court sittings are held in the morning, typically between 9:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.
does not have a district court or federal territorial court; federal matters there go to the
District of Columbia,
Hawaii, or
its own Supreme Court.
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