---
title: "Jeffrey R. Howard | KnowJudges"
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# Jeffrey R. Howard

U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit · U.S. Circuit Judge

## Profile

- Court: U.S. Court of Appeals for the First 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

- Judge, Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, 2002-present
- Chief judge of the First Circuit from 2015 until assuming senior status on March 31, 2022
- After returning to private practice, Howard was nominated by President George W. Bush to the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit on August 2, 2001.
- Attorney general, State of New Hampshire, 1993-1997
- Appointed U.S. Attorney for the District of New Hampshire in 1989 by President George H. W. Bush and later held the role of New Hampshire Attorney General from 1993 to 1997 under Governor Steve Merrill
- Deputy attorney general, State of New Hampshire, 1988-1989
- Attorney, Office of the Attorney General, State of New Hampshire, 1981-1988
- Early in his career, Howard worked in the New Hampshire Attorney General's Office, eventually becoming Deputy Attorney General

### Education

- Georgetown University Law Center in — J.D. (1981)
- Plymouth State College in — B.A. (1978)
- Plymouth State University

### Additional information

- During his tenure, Howard participated in notable appellate decisions, including a 2012 case involving firearm liability, where he joined a panel that upheld a lower court ruling protecting a gun owner from liability for the criminal use of his firearm by another person.
- The Senate confirmed him unanimously on April 23, 2002, and he received his commission on May 3, 2002.
- Private practice, New Hampshire, 1997-2002
- Jeffrey Robert Howard, born on November 4, 1955, is an American lawyer and federal judge.
- Date of birth: 1955-01-01
- The First Circuit Court of Appeals, where he serves, is one of 13 federal appellate courts in the United States, reviewing cases from district courts within its jurisdiction and providing rulings that may be appealed to the Supreme Court.
- Howard’s career reflects extensive experience in both public service and the federal judiciary, combining prosecutorial, state-level, and appellate judicial expertise.
- Birth place: Claremont, NH

## 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/1391496)
- [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1391496)
- [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1391496)
- [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/1530/jeffrey-r-howard/)
- [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/1530/jeffrey-r-howard/)
- [Wikidata: Jeffrey R. Howard](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q16186707)

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