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title: "Ojetta Rogeriee Thompson | KnowJudges"
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# Ojetta Rogeriee Thompson

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, 2010-present
- Associate justice, Rhode Island Superior Court, 1997-2010
- Associate judge, Rhode Island District Court, Sixth Division, 1988-1997
- Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit

### Education

- Boston University School of Law — J.D. (1976)
- Brown University — B.A. (1973)
- Pembroke College in Brown University

### Additional information

- She assumed senior status (semi-retirement) on September 21, 2022, succeeding Bruce M. Selya.
- Appointed to the First Circuit by President Barack Obama on October 6, 2009, confirmed by the U.S. Senate on March 17, 2010, and began her tenure on March 30, 2010.
- Private practice, Providence, RI, 1980-1988
- Assistant city solicitor, Providence, RI, 1980-1982
- Private practice, Pawtucket, RI, 1979-1980
- Staff attorney, Rhode Island Legal Services, Providence, RI, 1976-1979
- Date of birth: 1951-01-01
- The First Circuit covers Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, and Puerto Rico.
- Scarsdale High School
- She has been recognized with multiple awards, including the Trailblazer Award from the Massachusetts Black Lawyers Association and honorary degrees from several institutions.
- Thompson is also an author, consultant, and active in diversity and inclusion initiatives at Brown University and other organizations.
- Birth place: Anderson, 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/1393001)
- [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1393001)
- [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1393001)
- [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/3216/ojetta-rogeriee-thompson/)
- [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/3216/ojetta-rogeriee-thompson/)
- [Wikidata: Ojetta Rogeriee Thompson](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7081607)

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