---
title: "Dennis W. Shedd | KnowJudges"
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---

# Dennis W. Shedd

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: former
- Last verified: 2026-06-30

## Biography

### Professional career

- Judge, Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, 2002-present
- Dennis Wayne Shedd is an American federal judge who served on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit from 2002 until his retirement in 2022
- Judge, District Court, D. South Carolina, 1990-2002
- Adjunct professor, University of South Carolina School of Law, 1989-1992
- Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit

### Education

- Georgetown University Law Center — LL.M. (1980)

### Additional information

- Assumed senior status in 2018 and retired May 2, 2022.
- Circuit Court: Nominated by President George W. Bush in 2001, confirmed by the Senate 55–44 on November 19, 2002, to the Fourth Circuit.
- District Court: Appointed by President George H. W. Bush in 1990 to the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina, serving until 2002.
- Private practice, Columbia, SC, 1988-1991
- He held a position as chief counsel and staff director for the Senate Judiciary Committee under Senator Strom Thurmond, then practiced law in South Carolina from 1988.
- Strom Thurmond, SC, 1978-1988
- Chief counsel and staff director, U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, 1985-1986
- administrative assistant, 1982-1984
- Born January 28, 1953, in Cordova, South Carolina.
- Date of birth: 1953-01-01
- Staff, U.S. Sen.
- Shedd’s tenure spanned over two decades, covering a range of federal appellate issues from civil rights to immigration and constitutional law.
- Shedd often applied judicial restraint, granting summary judgment, remanding state claims, and avoiding expansion of federal jurisdiction.
- Rated Substantial Majority Well Qualified by the American Bar Association.
- His career combined judicial service, legislative staff work, and private practice, reflecting a broad legal background.
- Orangeburg Preparatory Schools, Inc.
- Birth place: Cordova, SC

## Sources

- [Official profile](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/2938/dennis-w-shedd/)
- [Official roster](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/2938/dennis-w-shedd/)
- [Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit current judicial profile](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/2938/dennis-w-shedd/)
- [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/2938/dennis-w-shedd/)
- [Shedd, Dennis W. | Federal Judicial Center](https://www.fjc.gov/history/judges/shedd-dennis-w)
- [Wikidata: Dennis Shedd](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5258950)

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