--- title: "James Leo Ryan | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/james-leo-ryan" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-07" --- # James Leo Ryan U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit · U.S. Circuit Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit - State: National federal courts - Role: U.S. Circuit Judge - Service status: senior - Last verified: 2026-07-25 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - Adjunct professor: University of Detroit (since 1974) and Thomas M. Cooley Law School (1979–1985) - Adjunct professor of law, University of Detroit, 1974-present - Judge, Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, 1985-2000 - Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court: Appointed by Governor William G. Milliken (1975–1985) - Circuit Court Judge: 3rd Judicial Circuit, Michigan (1966–1975) - Judge, Michigan Circuit Court, Third Judicial Circuit, 1966-1975 - Justice of the peace, Redford, MI, 1963-1966 - Justice of the peace, Redford, Michigan, 1963-1966 - Retired senior judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit ### Education - University of Detroit Mercy — B.A. (1992) - Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) from the University of Detroit School of Law in 1956 and later received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Detroit in 1992. - University of Detroit Law School (now University of Detroit Mercy School of Law) — 1956 - University of Detroit Mercy — J.D. ### Additional information - U.S. Naval Reserve captain, 1957-present - Court until January 1, 2000, when he assumed senior status, and took inactive senior status on September 3, 2010. - He also served in the U.S. Marine Corps and retired from the Naval Reserve in 1992. - military judge, JAG Corps, 1980-1992 - prof, 1986-1986 - On September 9, 1985, President Ronald Reagan nominated Ryan to the Sixth Circuit, replacing George Clifton Edwards Jr. - Confirmed by the Senate on October 16, 1985 - Practitioner, 1974-1974 - Private practice, Redford, Michigan, 1963-1966 - Private practice: Detroit (1960–1963), Redford, MI (1963–1966) - Private practice, Detroit, Michigan, 1960-1963 - lieutenant and law specialist, 1957-1960 - Born November 19, 1932, in Detroit, Michigan. - Date of birth: 1932-11-19 - received his commission the next day. - Before his judicial career, Ryan held the role of a law specialist in the U.S. Navy and later in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps of the U.S. Naval Reserve, reaching the rank of captain. - Ryan grew up in Detroit and graduated from Detroit Catholic Central High School. - Ryan’s career spans military law, state-level judicial service, and federal appellate law. - He is recognized for his long tenure on the Sixth Circuit and his contributions to legal education through adjunct teaching roles. - Birth place: Detroit, MI ## 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/1387286) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1387286) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1387286) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/2815/james-leo-ryan/) - [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/2815/james-leo-ryan/) - [Judge James Leo Ryan](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1387286) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/james-leo-ryan", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/james-leo-ryan", "name": "James Leo Ryan | KnowJudges", "description": "James Leo Ryan, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Source-linked judicial identity, courtroom procedures, and presentation guidance.", "dateModified": "2026-10-07", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/james-leo-ryan#judge" } }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/james-leo-ryan#judge", "name": "James Leo Ryan", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/james-leo-ryan", "jobTitle": "U.S. Circuit Judge", "worksFor": { "@type": "GovernmentOrganization", "name": "U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit" }, "sameAs": [ "https://www.fjc.gov/node/1387286", "https://www.courtlistener.com/person/2815/james-leo-ryan/" ], "birthDate": "1932-11-19", "birthPlace": "Detroit, MI", "alumniOf": [ { "@type": "EducationalOrganization", "name": "University of Detroit Law School (now University of Detroit Mercy School of Law)" }, { "@type": "EducationalOrganization", "name": "University of Detroit Mercy" }, { "@type": "EducationalOrganization", "name": "University of Detroit Mercy" } ] }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "KnowJudges", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "National federal courts", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/state/national-federal-courts" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "James Leo Ryan", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/james-leo-ryan" } ] } ] } ```