--- title: "DeAndrea Gist Benjamin | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/deandrea-gist-benjamin" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-07" --- # DeAndrea Gist Benjamin U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit · U.S. Circuit Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit - State: National federal courts - Role: U.S. Circuit Judge - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-07-25 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - American judge serving as a United States Circuit Judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, confirmed by the Senate on February 9, 2023, and commissioned on February 21, 2023 - Judge, South Carolina Circuit Court, Fifth Judicial Circuit, 2011-2023 - Judge, City of Columbia [South Carolina] Municipal Court, 2004-2011 - Partner at Gist Law Firm in Columbia (2001–2011) - Assistant Attorney General, South Carolina, as State Violence Against Women Prosecutor (1999–2001) - Assistant solicitor, Juvenile/Family Court Division, Fifth Judicial Circuit, South Carolina, 1998-1999 - Law clerk, Hon. L. Casey Manning, South Carolina Circuit Court, Fifth Judicial Circuit, 1997-1998 - As a Fourth Circuit judge, Benjamin hears appeals in cases involving federal law, constitutional issues, and significant state law matters ### Education - University of South Carolina School of Law in — J.D. (1997) - Winthrop University — Psychology — B.A. (1994) ### Additional information - The Senate confirmed her on February 9, 2023, and she assumed office on February 21, 2023. - On August 9, 2022, President Joe Biden nominated Benjamin to replace Judge Henry F. Floyd, who took senior status in 2021. - Private practice, Columbia, South Carolina, 2001-2011 - Member, South Carolina Board of Juvenile Parole, 2001-2004; vice chair, 2002-2003 - Born October 4, 1972, in Columbia, South Carolina. - Date of birth: 1972 - handling employment, family, and personal injury cases - The second woman of color and the first person of color from South Carolina to serve on the Fourth Circuit. - She has also served in leadership roles such as president of the Columbia Chapter of the Links, Inc., and board memberships with community organizations. - Notable fact: She is a lifelong Columbia resident, married to former Columbia Mayor Stephen K. Benjamin, and credits her father, a prominent Columbia attorney, as a major influence on her legal career. - Benjamin was born to Donald and Adrienne Gist and grew up in Columbia, SC. - She also serves as a Jurist-in-Residence at Charleston School of Law, teaching about judicial clerkships and the federal/state judicial systems. - Benjamin has been active in the American Bar Association, South Carolina Bar, and various local and national organizations. - Birth place: Columbia ## Before you appear - Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed. - Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance. - Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding. ## Courtroom Rules ### appellate oral argument Scope: courtwide In federal courts of appeals, oral argument is allowed unless a three-judge panel unanimously finds one of Rule 34's specified grounds for dispensing with it; the clerk provides the date, time, place, and time allocation. Evidence excerpt: Oral argument must be allowed in every case unless a panel of three judges who have examined the briefs and record unanimously agrees that oral argument is unnecessary [Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure 34, Oral Argument](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-appellate-procedure) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://www.fjc.gov/node/13233251) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/13233251) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/13233251) - [Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure 34, Oral Argument](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-appellate-procedure) - [Judge DeAndrea Gist Benjamin](https://www.fjc.gov/node/13233251) - [Wikidata: DeAndrea Gist Benjamin](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q113483321) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/deandrea-gist-benjamin", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/deandrea-gist-benjamin", "name": "DeAndrea Gist Benjamin | KnowJudges", "description": "DeAndrea Gist Benjamin, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. 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