Kevin Ritz

Sixth Circuit
	Court of Appeals
Judgeships
	Posts: 16
	Judges: 16
	Vacancies: 0
Judges
	Chief: Jeffrey Sutton
	Active judges: Rachel Bloomekatz, John K. Bush, Eric Clay, Stephanie Dawkins Davis, Richard Griffin, Raymond Kethledge, Joan Larsen, Andre Mathis, Karen Moore, Eric Murphy, John Nalbandian, Chad Readler, Kevin Ritz, Jane Stranch, Jeffrey Sutton, Amul Thapar; Senior judges:; Alice Batchelder, Danny Boggs, R. Guy Cole Jr., Deborah Cook, Martha Daughtrey, Julia Gibbons, Ronald Gilman, Ralph Guy, David McKeague, Alan Norris, John M. Rogers, James Ryan, Eugene Siler, Richard Suhrheinrich, Helene White

Nomination Tracker
Nominee Information
	Name: Kevin Ritz
	Court: United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
Progress
	Confirmed 179 days after nomination.
	Nominated: March 21, 2024
	ABA Rating: Well Qualified
	Questionnaire: Questionnaire
	Hearing: April 17, 2024
	Hearing Transcript: Hearing Transcript
	QFRs: (Hover over QFRs to read more)
	Reported: May 9, 2024
	Confirmed: September 16, 2024
	Vote: 48-46

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Kevin Ritz is a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. He was nominated to the court by President Joe Biden (D) on March 21, 2024, and confirmed by the United States Senate on September 16, 2024, by a vote of 48-46.^[1]^[2]^[3] To see a full list of judges appointed by Joe Biden, click here.

The United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit is one of 13 U.S. courts of appeal. They are the intermediate appellate courts of the United States federal courts. To learn more about the court, click here.

Prior to joining the court, Ritz was United States Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee.^[4]

Judicial nominations and appointments

United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit (2024-present)

See also: Federal judges nominated by Joe Biden

On March 21, 2024, President Joe Biden (D) nominated Ritz to the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.^[3] He was confirmed by a 48-46 vote of the U.S. Senate on September 16, 2024.^[5] Ritz received commission on September 19, 2024.^[1] To read more about the federal nominations process, click here.

Confirmation vote

The U.S. Senate confirmed Ritz by a vote of 48-46 on September 16, 2024.^[2] To see a full breakdown of the vote on the official U.S. Senate website, click here.

Ritz confirmation vote (September 16, 2024)
Party	Yea	Nay	No vote
Democratic	46	0	1
Republican	0	45	4
Independent	2	1	1
Total	48^[6]	46	6

Senate Judiciary Committee hearing

The Senate Judiciary Committee held hearings on Ritz's nomination on April 17, 2024.^[7] Ritz was reported to the full Senate on May 9, 2024, after a 11-10 committee vote.^[8] Click here for a list of other nominees awaiting a committee vote.

Nomination

On March 21, 2024, President Joe Biden (D) nominated Kevin Ritz to the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.^[3]

The American Bar Association (ABA) rated Ritz Well Qualified.^[9] To read more about ABA ratings, click here.

Ritz was nominated to replace Judge Julia Gibbons, who will assume senior status upon the confirmation of Ritz.^[10]

Biography

Early life and education

Ritz was born in 1974 in Petersburg, Virginia. He earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Virginia in 1997, a master's degree from Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in 1999, and a law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law in 2004.^[1]

Professional career

2024-present: Judge, United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
2022-2024: U.S. attorney for the Western District of Tennessee
2005-2022: Assistant U.S. attorney, Western District of Tennessee
- 2018-2022: Appellate chief
- 2011-2022: Special counsel to the U.S. attorney
- 2010-2018: Criminal appellate chief
2008-2016: Adjunct professor, University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law
2004-2005: Law clerk, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit^[1]

About the court

The United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit is a federal appellate court with appellate jurisdiction. It hears appeals from all of the circuit courts within its jurisdiction and its rulings may be appealed to the Supreme Court of the United States.

The Sixth Circuit has 16 authorized judicial posts. The chief judge of the court is Jeffrey Sutton, who was appointed by President George W. Bush (R). Six of the judges on the court were appointed by Donald Trump (R).

Appeals are heard in the Potter Stewart United States Courthouse in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Four judges of the Sixth Circuit went on to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States. Howell Edmunds Jackson was appointed to the Supreme Court in 1893 by Benjamin Harrison (R), William R. Day was appointed in 1903 by Theodore Roosevelt (R), Horace Harmon Lurton was appointed in 1909 by William Howard Taft (R), and Potter Stewart was appointed in 1958 by Dwight Eisenhower (R).

The Sixth Circuit has appellate jurisdiction over cases heard in one of its subsidiary districts. These cases can include civil and criminal matters that fall under federal law. Appeals of rulings by the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals are petitioned to the Supreme Court of the United States. Justice Brett Kavanaugh is the circuit justice for the Sixth Circuit.

The United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit has appellate jurisdiction over the United States district courts in the following federal judicial districts:

To read opinions published by this court, click here.

The federal nomination process

Federal judges are nominated by the president of the United States and confirmed by the Senate. There are multiple steps to the process:

The president nominates an individual for a judicial seat.
The nominee fills out a questionnaire and is reviewed by the Senate Judiciary Committee.
The Senate Judiciary Committee holds a hearing with the nominee, questioning them about things like their judicial philosophy, past rulings or opinions, etc.

As part of this process, the committee sends a blue slip to senators from the home state in which the judicial nomination was received, allowing them to express their approval or disapproval of the nominee.

After the hearing, the Senate Judiciary Committee will vote to approve or return the nominee.

If approved, the nominee is voted on by the full Senate.
If the Committee votes to return the nominee to the president, the president has the opportunity to re-nominate the individual.

The Senate holds a vote on the candidate.

If the Senate confirms the nomination, the nominee receives a commission to serve a lifelong position as a federal judge.
If the Senate does not confirm the nomination, that nominee does not become a judge.