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title: "William Joseph Kayatta Jr. | KnowJudges"
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# William Joseph Kayatta Jr.

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, 2013-present
- Kayatta was appointed to the First Circuit in February 2013 by President Barack Obama, succeeding Judge Kermit Lipez
- He then joined Pierce Atwood LLP in Portland, Maine, in 1980, rising to partner in 1986
- Law clerk, Hon. Frank M. Coffin, U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, 1979-1980
- From 1979 to 1980, Kayatta held the role of a law clerk to Chief Judge Frank M. Coffin of the First Circuit
- Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit

### Education

- Harvard University — J.D. (1979)
- Harvard Law School, magna cum laude — J.D. (1979)
- Amherst College — B.A. (1976)

### Additional information

- On October 31, 2024, he assumed senior status, with Judge Joshua Dunlap succeeding him.
- He was confirmed by the Senate on February 13, 2013, with a vote of 88–12.
- Private practice, Portland, ME, 1980-2013
- Date of birth: 1953-01-01
- His practice focused on complex trial and appellate litigation, and he argued cases before the U.S. Supreme Court.
- Kayatta’s judicial tenure spans over a decade, during which he handled significant appellate cases in the First Circuit.
- His senior status allows him to continue serving in a non-active capacity, often in advisory and special assignments.
- Birth place: Pawtucket, RI

## 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/1394121)
- [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1394121)
- [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1394121)
- [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/1715/william-joseph-kayatta-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/1715/william-joseph-kayatta-jr/)
- [Wikidata: William J. Kayatta, Jr.](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q8013259)

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