David J. Barron

Chief Judge United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit Obama · 2014 12 years on the bench

Court: United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
Class: Active
Appointed by: President Barack Obama
Commissioned: May 23, 2014
Years of service: 12 years on the bench
Official biography: Court biography →

Authored opinions (51 recorded, Nov 2023–Sep 2026)

Each mark is a majority opinion this judge wrote; hover for the case (hollow marks were later vacated). The timeline begins with the earliest opinion in the database (November 2023), not the judge’s first day on the bench; earlier opinions may predate it.

Chief Judge David J. Barron is the eleventh chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, succeeding Chief Judge Jeffrey R. Howard on April 1, 2022. Chief Judge Barron was appointed by President Barack Obama in 2014.

Chief Judge Barron, a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School, clerked for Judge Stephen R. Reinhardt of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and for Justice John Paul Stevens of the U.S. Supreme Court. A newspaper reporter before law school, Chief Judge Barron became a law professor at his alma mater and taught there for several years full time before joining the federal judiciary.

Chief Judge Barron’s Judicial Nominee Questionnaire

Judicial activity

Drawn from 392 tagged published First Circuit opinions. Consolidated cases are counted once.

Published cases decided

140

In majority

137

Wrote majority

51

Maj. rate

98%

Court average: 99%

Concurrences

1

Concur. in J.

0

Dissents

0

Partial diss.

3

Most frequent panel partners

Julie Rikelman 56 times in the majority together

Gustavo A. Gelpí 41 times in the majority together

O. Rogeriee Thompson 39 times in the majority together

Seth R. Aframe 25 times in the majority together

William J. Kayatta, Jr. 23 times in the majority together

Jeffrey R. Howard 22 times in the majority together

Notable opinions authored

Oct 3, 2025 Vac’d in part

Recent opinions authored

Citation Insurance Company v. Broan-NuTone LLC Aug 28, 2026 · Aff’d
US v. Reynoso Aug 24, 2026 · Aff’d
Urena v. Travelers Casualty and Surety Co. of America Aug 11, 2026 · Aff’d
Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council v. USDA Aug 7, 2026 · Vac’d in part
Cruz v. UIA Jul 24, 2026 · Aff’d

Subscribe to opinions where Chief Judge Barron sits (RSS)

Doe v. Trump

Canna Provisions, Inc. v. Bondi

State of Rhode Island v. Trump