---
title: "Sidney Runyan Thomas | KnowJudges"
canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/sidney-runyan-thomas"
page_type: "judge_profile"
updated: "2026-10-09"
---

# Sidney Runyan Thomas

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, 1996-present
- Ninth Circuit judge — 1996–2023, and as Chief Judge from December 1, 2014, to December 1, 2021
- Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

### Education

- Montana State University — B.A. (1975)

### Additional information

- He assumed senior status in 2023 after confirming his successor
- Appointed by President Bill Clinton on July 19, 1995, to a seat vacated by Judge Dorothy Wright Nelson, and confirmed by the Senate on January 2, 1996, with commission issued January 4, 1996
- Adjunct instructor of law, Rocky Mountain College, Billings, MT, 1982-1995
- Private practice, Billings, MT, 1978-1995
- J.D., University of Montana School of Law, 1978 Before joining the federal judiciary, Thomas practiced commercial litigation, government, bankruptcy, and media law in Billings, Montana, and held the role of the standing bankruptcy trustee for the Billings Division of the U.S. District Court (1978–1981)
- Date of birth: 1953-01-01
- As en banc coordinator for the Ninth Circuit, Thomas has oversight responsibilities that can affect case outcomes
- Returning unresolved issues to the trial court when records are incomplete
- Birth place: Bozeman, MT

## 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/1388711)
- [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1388711)
- [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1388711)
- [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/3205/sidney-runyan-thomas/)
- [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/3205/sidney-runyan-thomas/)
- [Wikidata: Sidney Runyan Thomas](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7509323)

## JSON-LD

```json
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@graph": [
    {
      "@type": "WebPage",
      "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/sidney-runyan-thomas",
      "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/sidney-runyan-thomas",
      "name": "Sidney Runyan Thomas | KnowJudges",
      "description": "Sidney Runyan Thomas, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Source-linked judicial identity, courtroom procedures, and presentation guidance.",
      "dateModified": "2026-10-09",
      "isPartOf": {
        "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/#website"
      },
      "mainEntity": {
        "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/sidney-runyan-thomas#judge"
      }
    },
    {
      "@type": "Person",
      "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/sidney-runyan-thomas#judge",
      "name": "Sidney Runyan Thomas",
      "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/sidney-runyan-thomas",
      "jobTitle": "U.S. Circuit Judge",
      "worksFor": {
        "@type": "GovernmentOrganization",
        "name": "U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit"
      },
      "sameAs": [
        "https://www.fjc.gov/node/1388711",
        "https://www.courtlistener.com/person/3205/sidney-runyan-thomas/"
      ],
      "birthDate": "1953",
      "birthPlace": "Bozeman, MT",
      "alumniOf": [
        {
          "@type": "EducationalOrganization",
          "name": "Montana State University"
        },
        {
          "@type": "EducationalOrganization",
          "name": "University of Montana"
        },
        {
          "@type": "EducationalOrganization",
          "name": "University of Montana School of Law"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
      "itemListElement": [
        {
          "@type": "ListItem",
          "position": 1,
          "name": "KnowJudges",
          "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj"
        },
        {
          "@type": "ListItem",
          "position": 2,
          "name": "National federal courts",
          "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/state/national-federal-courts"
        },
        {
          "@type": "ListItem",
          "position": 3,
          "name": "Sidney Runyan Thomas",
          "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/sidney-runyan-thomas"
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}
```