Appeals Court Judges Who Identify as LGBTQ
Appeals Courts, also referred to as an Appellate Court, are unique legal institutions. An appeal is available of a lower court decision if the losing side has issues with the Trial Court proceedings, the law applied, or how the law was applied. The review can be based on fact or law. In some jurisdictions, there are limited powers of appeal. In many cases, the Appeals Court has the final say on the matter, while in other cases the Supreme Court can be the court of final appeal.
Only recently have LGBTQ judges been appointed to Appeals Courts, so there are a limited number of them. Cases involving the LGBTQ community require sensitivity and education about the community and individuals who are aware of the impact of the outcomes of the court's decisions and their consequences. If one accepts the common benchmark that ten percent of the population identifies as LGBTQ, then one would expect the same proportion of LGBTQ judges. Unfortunately, that is not the case.
LGBTQ judges bring their professional experience to the courts, including on important civil rights cases. As more LGBTQ judges get appointed to a country's legal infrastructure, so will the community be proportionately represented in its legal decisions and precedents.
We have identified the following LGBTQ individuals appointed to Appeals Courts.
- John Arrowood, North Carolina Court of Appeals
- Nicole Berner, US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
- Patrick Bumatay, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit,
- Margaret Chutich, Massachusetts Court of Appeals
- Paul Feinman, New York State Court of Appeals
- Todd Hughes, Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
- Rives Kistler, Oregon State Court of Appeals
- W. Eric Kuhn, Colorado State Court of Appeals
- Virginia Linder, Oregon State Court of Appeals
- Alison Nathan, New York-based 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals
- Anthony Navarro, Colorado State Court of Appeals
- Beth Robinson, U.S. Court of Appeals
- Gabrielle Wolohojian, Massachusetts Appeals Court
See Also
- Practising LGBTQ Rights Lawyers
- LGBTQ Police and Law Enforcement Officers
- Government Ministers of Justice Who Identify as LGBTQ
- Justice of the Peace, Magistrates, and District Court Judges Who Are LGBTQ
- LGBTQ Individuals Who Have Held the Post of Attorney General
- LGBTQ Chief Justices