--- title: "Jane Richards Roth | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/jane-richards-roth" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-09" --- # Jane Richards Roth U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit · U.S. Circuit Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third 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 - Current status: Senior Judge, Third Circuit (since 2006) - Judge, Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, 1991-2006 - Judge, District Court, D. Delaware, 1985-1991 - Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit ### Education - Harvard University — LL.B. (1965) - Harvard Law School in — J.D. (1965) - Harvard Law School (LL.B., 1965) - Smith College (BA, 1956) ### Additional information - Salisbury, Rhodesia, 1960-present - In 2013, Roth was inducted into the Hall of Fame of Delaware Women. - Assumed senior status on May 31, 2006, but remains active on the bench. - U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit Nominated by President George H. W. Bush on May 16, 1991; confirmed June 27, 1991; commissioned July 2, 1991. - 1, 1985; served until July 22, 1991. - 16, 1985; confirmed by the Senate Nov. - Private practice, Wilmington, DE, 1965-1985 - Private practice, Wilmington, Delaware, 1965-1985 - Practiced law in Wilmington, Delaware, from 1965 to 1985 with the firm Richards, Layton & Finger. - Typist and administrative assistant, Foreign Service, U.S. Department of State, 1956-1962 - Before law school, she held a position as a typist and administrative assistant in the U.S. Foreign Service (1956–1962), with postings to Tehran, Iran (1957–1959), Salisbury, Rhodesia (1960), and Brazzaville, Republic of Congo (1960–1962). - Date of birth: 1935-01-01 - U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware Nominated by President Ronald Reagan on Oct. - Noted for her clarity, focus, and energy in handling cases, with colleagues describing her as “remarkably excellent” and “on top of cases” even in senior status. - As a senior judge, Roth continues to author opinions and sit on panels in a wide range of cases, including environmental law, commercial disputes, and federal criminal matters. - Roth was among the first ten women admitted to the Delaware bar. - Roth grew up in a family with a strong legal tradition — her great‐grandfather, grandfather, and father were all lawyers. - At Harvard, she was one of only 23 women in a class of over 540 men. - Birth place: Philadelphia, PA ## 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/1387196) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1387196) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1387196) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/2794/jane-richards-roth/) - [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/2794/jane-richards-roth/) - [Judge Jane Richards Roth](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1387196) - [Wikidata: Jane Richards Roth](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6152658) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/jane-richards-roth", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/jane-richards-roth", "name": "Jane Richards Roth | KnowJudges", "description": "Jane Richards Roth, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. 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