The court is based at the Lewis F. Powell, Jr. U.S. Courthouse in Richmond, Virginia. With 15 authorized judgeships (currently there are 11 active judges, two senior judges who continue to hear cases part-time, and two retired judges who no longer hear cases) it is mid-sized among the 13 United States courts of appeals.
The Fourth Circuit has never seen one of its judges promoted to the Supreme Court of the United States. Judges Wilkinson and Luttig were long considered to be front-runners for a justiceship if a vacancy arose during the George W. Bush presidential administration, but Bush did not appoint either of them to the two vacancies that arose in 2005. Luttig has since resigned from the bench.
The Fourth Circuit's Courthouse in Richmond, Virginia housed the treasury of the Confederacy during the American Civil War, and Jefferson Davis's office was located in the building. After the war, Davis was arraigned in the building, although he was never tried.
The Fourth is widely regarded as the most ideologically conservative court in the federal appellate system. It is also the most efficient circuit, taking an average of just over seven months to resolve each appeal.
source for the phone numbers for the duty stations
indicates which senior judges are inactive
ties duty station phone numbers to duty stations (incomplete coverage)
source for Butzner's death
source for the duty stations (incomplete coverage)
source for the state, lifetime, term of active judgeship, term of chief judgeship, term of senior judgeship, appointer, termination reason, and seat information
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