--- title: "Julius Ness Richardson | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/julius-ness-richardson" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-09" --- # Julius Ness Richardson 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: 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 Fourth Circuit, 2018-present - Julius Ness “Jay” Richardson is an American judge and lawyer serving as a United States Circuit Judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit since August 20, 2018 - Before joining the judiciary, Richardson worked in private litigation in Washington, D.C., then held the role of Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of South Carolina from 2009 to 2018. - Law Clerk, Supreme Court of the United States, 2004-2005 - He clerked for Judge Richard A. Posner (7th Circuit) from 2003–2004 and for Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist of the U.S. Supreme Court from 2004–2005 - Law Clerk, Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, 2003-2004 ### Education - University of Chicago Law School, where he held the role of Articles Editor of the University of Chicago Law Review — J.D. (2003) - Vanderbilt University — B.S. (1999) ### Additional information - President Donald Trump nominated Richardson on May 7, 2018, to replace Judge Dennis Shedd, who had assumed senior status. - He received his judicial commission on August 20, 2018. - The Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on June 20, 2018; the nomination was reported out July 19, 2018, and confirmed August 16, 2018, by a 81–8 vote. - coordinator, National Security and Anti-Terrorism Advisory Council, 2017-2018 - He also coordinated the National Security and Anti-Terrorism Advisory Council (2017–2018). - deputy criminal chief, White Collar and General Crimes, 2015-2018 - Dylann Roof for the 2015 Charleston Church massacre - Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force, 2011-2015 - Private practice, Washington, D.C., 2006-2009 - Richardson was born in 1976 in Columbia, South Carolina, and grew up in Barnwell, SC. - Date of birth: 1976-01-01 - Public corruption, gang-related murders, RICO cases against the Hells Angels, and narcotics trafficking - He is married to Macon Richardson and has four daughters. - Birth place: Columbia, SC ## 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/5090921) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/5090921) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/5090921) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/8629/julius-ness-richardson/) - [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/8629/julius-ness-richardson/) - [Wikidata: Julius N. Richardson](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q52201270) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/julius-ness-richardson", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/julius-ness-richardson", "name": "Julius Ness Richardson | KnowJudges", "description": "Julius Ness Richardson, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. 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