--- title: "Richard C. Tallman | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/richard-c-tallman" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-07" --- # Richard C. Tallman U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit · U.S. Circuit Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth 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 Ninth Circuit, 2000-present - Additionally, he was appointed by Chief Justice John G. Roberts to a seven-year term on the United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of Review, serving from January 27, 2014, to January 26, 2021 - From 1983 to 2000, he practiced privately in Seattle, including as chairman of the white-collar criminal defense practice group at Bogle & Gates and later founding the firm Tallman & Severin. - Assistant U.S. attorney, Western District of Washington, 1980-1983 - Trial attorney, Criminal Division, U.S. Department of Justice, 1979-1980 - Law clerk, Hon. Morell E. Sharp, U.S. District Court, Western District of Washington, 1978-1979 - Began his legal career as a law clerk for Judge Morell Edward Sharp of the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington - Highly experienced federal judge with a career spanning over four decades in law and judiciary service - He then held the role of a trial lawyer for the Department of Justice and as an Assistant United States Attorney in Seattle, Washington - His roles on the Ninth Circuit and the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of Review, combined with his prior prosecutorial and private-practice experience, highlight his significant contributions to the federal legal system ### Education - Northwestern University School of Law in, where he held the role of executive director of the Northwestern University Law Review — J.D. (1978) - University of Santa Clara in — B.S. (1975) - Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law ### Additional information - He assumed senior status on March 3, 2018, but continues to hear cases. - From 2007 to 2011, Tallman held the role of Chair of the Advisory Committee on Criminal Rules for the Judicial Conference of the United States. - Confirmed by the Senate on May 24, 2000, received his commission on May 25, 2000, and entered duty on June 30, 2000. - Private practice, Seattle, WA, 1983-2000 - Nominated to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit by President Bill Clinton on October 20, 1999, to fill the seat vacated by Betty Binns Fletcher. - Richard Charles Tallman was born on March 3, 1953, in Oakland, California. - Date of birth: 1953-01-01 - During this period, he handled complex civil and criminal litigation, including representing clients such as the Seattle Mariners in legal disputes. - Throughout his career, Tallman has tried over three dozen civil and criminal cases and argued fifteen cases on appeal. - His judicial work spans criminal, civil, and national-security matters, reflecting his extensive experience as a federal prosecutor, private-practice attorney, and appellate judge. - Birth place: Oakland, CA ## 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/1391186) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1391186) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1391186) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/3163/richard-c-tallman/) - [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/3163/richard-c-tallman/) - [Wikidata: Richard Tallman](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7329388) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/richard-c-tallman", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/richard-c-tallman", "name": "Richard C. 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