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 |
DC |
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 |
(vacant) |
(n/a) |
2004–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–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–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–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–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 |
DC |
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–present |
|
Seat 29 |
Established by Court Security Improvement Act of 2007; Effective Jan 21, 2009 |
Nguyen |
CA |
2012–present |
|