Court of Appeals:
Circuit
JASMINE BRADLEY
MR. HITCH
th
6
What is it?

Established in December 10, 1869
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The U.S. courts of appeals were the first federal courts designed exclusively
to hear cases on appeal from trial courts. In an effort to relieve the
caseload burden in the Supreme Court and to handle a dramatic
increase in federal filings, Congress, in the Judiciary Act of 1891,
established nine courts of appeals, one for each judicial circuit. The
existing circuit judges and a newly-authorized judge in each circuit were
the judges of the appellate courts.
Cont.
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The 6th Circuit, based in Cincinnati, has had a particularly dismal record
before the high court. In the seven Supreme Court terms completed since
the fall of 2005, the 6th Circuit has been reversed 31 out of 38 times, for an
81.6 percent reversal rate, based on figures compiled by two Philadelphia
lawyers.
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The court is composed of sixteen judges and is based at the Potter Stewart
U.S. Courthouse in Cincinnati, Ohio. It is one of thirteen United States courts
of appeals.
Cont.

The four states within the Sixth Circuit are Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky and
Tennessee. The Circuit headquarters is in Cincinnati, Ohio. The nine districts
in the circuit are the Eastern District of Michigan, the Western District of
Michigan, the Northern District of Ohio, the Southern District of Ohio, the
Eastern District of Kentucky, the Western District of Kentucky, the Eastern
District of Tennessee, the Middle District of Tennessee, and the Western
District of Tennessee. In each of these districts there are U.S. District Courts,
U.S. Bankruptcy Courts, U.S. Probation Offices and, some of the districts
contain U.S. Pretrial Services Offices. In addition to the court of appeals,
the Judicial Council oversees the operation of these court units.

The Sixth Circuit Judicial Council consists of the chief judge of the circuit
and an equal number of court of appeals and district judges from within
circuit. The council has the power to take steps that may be required to
efficiently manage the caseload of the nine districts within the four states
that make up the Sixth Circuit as well as the court of appeals. The council
appoints the circuit executive to assist with the administrative
responsibilities of the circuit, working closely with the chief judge and the
council. Each circuit is required by law to meet in a judicial conference
attended by all the court of appeals, district, bankruptcy, and magistrate
judges of the circuit. The judges and invited members of the bar discuss
common problems and make recommendations for improving the
administration of justice in the circuit.
To be chief. . .
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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.

The court has sixteen 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.
Judges in the 6th Circuit
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53 Chief Judge Alice M. Batchelder Medina, OH — G.H.W. Bush
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49 Circuit Judge Danny Julian Boggs Louisville, KY — Reagan
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55 Circuit Judge Karen Nelson Moore Cleveland, OH — Clinton
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56 Circuit Judge R. Guy Cole, Jr. Columbus, OH — Clinton
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57 Circuit Judge Eric L. Clay Detroit, MI — Clinton
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59 Circuit Judge Julia Smith Gibbons Memphis, TN — G.W. Bush
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60 Circuit Judge John M. Rogers Lexington, KY — G.W. Bush
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61 Circuit Judge Jeffrey Sutton Columbus, OH — G.W. Bush
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62 Circuit Judge Deborah L. Cook Akron, OH — G.W. Bush
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63 Circuit Judge David McKeague Lansing, MI — G.W. Bush
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69 Circuit Judge Bernice B. Donald Memphis, TN —
Obama
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36 Senior Circuit Judge Damon J. Keith Detroit, MI ---Carter
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37 Senior Circuit Judge Gilbert Stroud Merritt, Jr. Nashville,
TN – Carter
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39 Senior Circuit Judge Cornelia Groefsema Kennedy
Detroit, MI - Carter
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46 Senior Circuit Judge Ralph B. Guy, Jr. Ann Arbor, MI Reagan
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50 Senior Circuit Judge Alan Eugene Norris Columbus, OH
- Reagan
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64 Circuit Judge Richard Allen Griffin Traverse City, MI — G.W.
Bush
51 Senior Circuit Judge Richard Fred Suhrheinrich Lansing,
MI- G.H.W. Bush
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66 Circuit Judge Raymond M. Kethledge Ann Arbor, MI — G.W.
Bush
52 Senior Circuit Judge Eugene Edward Siler, Jr. London,
KY -G.H.W. Bush
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54 Senior Circuit Judge Martha Craig Daughtrey Nashville,
TN - Clinton
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58 Senior Circuit Judge Ronald Lee Gilman Memphis, TN Clinton
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67 Circuit Judge Helene N. White Detroit, MI — G.W. Bush
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68 Circuit Judge Jane Branstetter Stranch Nashville, TN — Obama
6th Circuit Today
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The U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati is one of the most powerful
courts in the nation, but these days it's suffering through a major slump. The
court owns the longest losing streak in the country over the past two years at
the U.S. Supreme Court, which reviews decisions and corrects mistakes made
by the nation's top appeals courts. The Supreme Court has examined 15 rulings
from the 6th Circuit since 2008 and has thrown out every one of them. In each
case — from death penalty appeals and tax disputes to disagreements over
election law — the Supreme Court found critical errors that tainted the 6th
Circuit's decision. The consequences of getting those decisions wrong can be
severe and, in some cases, can literally mean the difference between life and
death.Three of the 15 overturned cases involve convicted killers who were
spared execution by the 6th Circuit only to have the Supreme Court send them
back to death row.
Bonus
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Elena Kagan is the circuit justice for the Sixth Circuit. William Howard Taft,
the only person ever to serve as both President and Chief Justice of the
United States, once served on the circuit. Four judges of the Sixth Circuit
have been elevated to serve on the Supreme Court.
Resources
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http://www.ca6.uscourts.gov/internet/judicial_council/judicialcouncil.htm
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"Standard Search". Federal Law Clerk Information System. Retrieved June
26, 2005.
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"Instructions for Judicial Directory". Website of the University of Texas Law
School. Archived from the original on November 11, 2005. Retrieved July 4,
2005.

Phillips, Harry, and Samuel S. Wilson. History of the Sixth Circuit: A
Bicentennial Project. Washington D.C.: Bicentennial Commission of the U.S.
Judicial Conference, 1977.