--- title: "Sandra Lea Lynch | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/sandra-lea-lynch" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-09" --- # Sandra Lea Lynch 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, 1995-present - Service: Judge on the First Circuit from March 17, 1995, until December 31, 2022, when she assumed senior status - Chief Judge: held the role of Chief Judge of the First Circuit from 2008 to 2015 - Appointed: Nominated by President Bill Clinton on January 11, 1995, to a seat vacated by Justice Stephen Breyer; confirmed by the Senate by voice vote on March 17, 1995 - Private practice in Boston (1978–1995), partner at Foley, Hoag & Eliot, first woman to lead the firm’s litigation department - General counsel, Massachusetts Department of Education, 1974-1978 - Assistant attorney general, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, 1973-1974 - Law clerk to Judge Raymond Pettine, U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island (1971–1973) - Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit - As a senior judge, Lynch continues to hear and decide cases on the First Circuit, contributing to the court’s appellate jurisprudence ### Education - Boston University School of Law — J.D. (1971) - Wellesley College — B.A. (1968) - Former editor of the Boston University Law Review. ### Additional information - Recent activity: As of 2026, she has authored and sat on numerous appellate cases, including Espinoza Benitez v. - Member, Judicial Conference of the United States, 2008-2015 - Private practice, Boston, MA, 1978-1995 - Private practice, Boston, Massachusetts, 1978-1995 - President, Boston Bar Association (1992–1993). - Special counsel, Judicial Conduct Commission of Massachusetts, 1990-1992 - Instructor, Boston University Law School, 1973-1974 - Date of birth: 1946-01-01 - Blanche and Fellers v. - Kelley. - Official site: First Circuit – Sandra L. Lynch. - Lake Highlands High School - Birth place: Oak Park, IL ## 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/1384156) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1384156) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1384156) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/1997/sandra-lea-lynch/) - [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/1997/sandra-lea-lynch/) - [Judge Sandra Lea Lynch](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1384156) - [Wikidata: Sandra Lynch](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7416688) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/sandra-lea-lynch", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/sandra-lea-lynch", "name": "Sandra Lea Lynch | KnowJudges", "description": "Sandra Lea Lynch, U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. 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