---
title: "Paul Joseph Kelly Jr. | KnowJudges"
canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/paul-joseph-kelly-jr"
page_type: "judge_profile"
updated: "2026-10-09"
---

# Paul Joseph Kelly Jr.

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

## Profile

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

- Senior United States circuit judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, serving since 1992 and assuming senior status on December 31, 2017
- Judge, Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, 1992-present
- Official site: Tenth Circuit — Senior Judge Paul J. Kelly Jr

### Education

- Fordham University School of Law — J.D. (1967)
- B.B.A. — University of Notre Dame — 1963

### Additional information

- Senior Status: Assumed senior status in 2017 but continues to hear cases from his chambers in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
- Montoya (662 F.3d 1152, 2011), one of the most cited in his record.
- Received the Professionalism Award from the American Inns of Court for the Tenth Circuit in 2008.
- Confirmation: Confirmed by the U.S. Senate on April 8, 1992, and commissioned April 13, 1992.
- Private practice, Santa Fe, NM, 1967-1992
- Private practice, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 1967-1992
- Appointment: Nominated by President George H. W. Bush on November 19, 1991, to a newly created seat on the Tenth Circuit.
- held the role of a New Mexico state representative (1977–1981).
- Born December 6, 1940, in Freeport, New York.
- Date of birth: 1940-01-01
- Notable Opinions: Authored several cited decisions, including Brown v.
- Worked at Cravath, Swaine & Moore in New York City.
- Kelly has stated he has no fixed judicial philosophy, with decisions spanning both sides of the spectrum.
- Recognized in legal scholarship as one of the most frequently cited appellate judges, alongside Judges Posner and Easterbrook.
- Active in volunteer fire and emergency services; also an avid golfer and skier.
- Birth place: Freeport, NY

## 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/1383186)
- [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1383186)
- [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1383186)
- [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/1741/paul-joseph-kelly-jr/)
- [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/1741/paul-joseph-kelly-jr/)
- [Judge Paul Joseph Kelly Jr.](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1383186)
- [Wikidata: Paul Joseph Kelly, Jr.](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q16105382)

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