--- title: "Frank Hoover Easterbrook | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/frank-hoover-easterbrook" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-09" --- # Frank Hoover Easterbrook U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit ยท U.S. Circuit Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh 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 - Judge, Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, 1985-present - He held the role of Chief Judge of the Seventh Circuit from 2006 to 2013 - American jurist and federal judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, appointed by President Ronald Reagan in 1985 and confirmed by the Senate on April 3, 1985 - Deputy solicitor general, U.S. Department of Justice, 1978-1979 - Assistant to the solicitor general, U.S. Department of Justice, 1974-1977 - Law clerk, Hon. Levin H. Campbell, U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, 1973-1974 - 1973โ€“1974: Law clerk to Hon. Levin H. Campbell, 1st Circuit ### Education - a J.D. in 1973 from the University of Chicago Law School, where he edited the University of Chicago Law Review. - He attended Kenmore West High School in Tonawanda, NY, then obtained a B.A. in 1970 from Swarthmore College (Phi Beta Kappa) ### Additional information - Werner Enterprises (834 F.3d 760, 2016), cited over 1,600 times. - Easterbrook was nominated to the Seventh Circuit in 1984, resubmitted in 1985, and confirmed by voice vote. - Principal employee, Lexecon, Inc., Chicago, IL, 1980-1985 - Faculty, University of Chicago Law School, 1978-1985 - 1978โ€“1979: Deputy Solicitor General, DOJ - 1974โ€“1977: Assistant to the U.S. Solicitor General, DOJ - Born September 3, 1948, Buffalo, New York. - Date of birth: 1948-01-01 - Easterbrook has authored 728 published opinions for the Seventh Circuit, with his most-cited case being Henry Ortiz v. - Judicial restraint and emphasis on jurisdictional and procedural limits - Deference to government power within statutory bounds - Stare decisis adherence, rarely revisiting precedent - The younger brother of author Gregg Easterbrook and professor Neil Easterbrook. - Kenmore West Senior High School - He remains active on the court and is a senior lecturer at the University of Chicago Law School. - Family: Brothers Gregg and Neil Easterbrook - Birth place: Buffalo, NY ## 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/1380341) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1380341) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1380341) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/960/frank-hoover-easterbrook/) - [Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure 34, Oral Argument](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-appellate-procedure) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/960/frank-hoover-easterbrook/) - [Wikidata: Frank H. Easterbrook](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5487000) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/frank-hoover-easterbrook", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/frank-hoover-easterbrook", "name": "Frank Hoover Easterbrook | KnowJudges", "description": "Frank Hoover Easterbrook, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. 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