--- title: "Richard Linn | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/richard-linn" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-09" --- # Richard Linn U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit · U.S. Circuit Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal 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 Federal Circuit, 1999-2012 - Adjunct professor of law, George Washington University Law School, 2001-2003 - Private practice specializing in intellectual property law (patents, trademarks, copyrights) from 1969–1999, including work at Marks & Murase and Foley & Lardner. - Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit - In summary: Judge Richard Linn is a distinguished jurist with a career spanning patent examination, government service, private intellectual property litigation, academia, and leadership in professional legal organizations, now serving in senior status on the Federal Circuit ### Education - J.D. (Juris Doctor), Georgetown University Law Center, 1969. - B.E.E. (Bachelor of Electrical Engineering), Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 1965. ### Additional information - Senior status: Assumed October 31, 2012. - Active in the American Inns of Court movement, serving as president of the Giles Sutherland Rich American Inn of Court (2004–2005) and helping establish the Richard Linn American Inn of Court in Chicago in 2007. - Honored in 2006 by the Austin Intellectual Property Law Association for dedication, service, and devotion to justice. - Assumed office: January 1, 2000. - Rensselaer Alumni Association Fellows Award (2000). - Appointed: Nominated by President Bill Clinton on September 28, 1999, to a seat vacated by Judge Giles S. Rich. - Confirmed: By the U.S. Senate on November 19, 1999; commissioned November 22, 1999. - Private practice, 1972-1999 - Patent advisor, Office of Naval Research, Naval Air Systems Command, 1971-1972 - Private practice, 1969-1971 - Patent examiner, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, 1965-1968 - Date of birth: 1944-01-01 - Recognized for his dedication to ethics, civility, and professionalism in intellectual property law. - Judge Linn was a founding member of the Virginia State Bar Section on Patent, Trademark and Copyright Law and held the role of its first chair. - Birth place: Brooklyn, 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 ### argument check in Scope: courtwide Arguing counsel must check in with the courtroom deputy at least 30 minutes before the day's session starts. Evidence excerpt: Arguing counsel must check-in with the courtroom deputy at their assigned courtroom at least thirty minutes before the start of the day's session. [Federal Circuit: Attending Oral Arguments](https://www.cafc.uscourts.gov/home/oral-argument/attending-oral-arguments/) Source checked: 2026-07-30 ### same day changes Scope: courtwide Same-day changes to arguing counsel or time divisions are generally not allowed without a prior new appearance and amended response to the notice of oral argument. Evidence excerpt: Same-day changes to arguing counsel or time divisions are generally not allowed, absent prior filing of a new entry of appearance and an amended Response to Notice of Oral Argument in the case. [Federal Circuit: Attending Oral Arguments](https://www.cafc.uscourts.gov/home/oral-argument/attending-oral-arguments/) Source checked: 2026-07-30 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1391101) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1391101) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1391101) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/1942/richard-linn/) - [Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure 34, Oral Argument](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-appellate-procedure) - [Federal Circuit: Attending Oral Arguments](https://www.cafc.uscourts.gov/home/oral-argument/attending-oral-arguments/) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/1942/richard-linn/) - [Wikidata: Richard Linn](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7327395) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/richard-linn", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/richard-linn", "name": "Richard Linn | KnowJudges", "description": "Richard Linn, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. 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