Richard Clifton

Richard Randall Clifton (born November 13, 1950) is a senior United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Education and legal training Clifton received an Artium Baccalaureus degree at Princeton University and a Juris Doctor from Yale Law School. After law school, he clerked for Ninth Circuit Judge Herbert Choy. Career Following his clerkship, he was in private practice in Honolulu, Hawaii until his appointment to the federal bench. He also taught for several years at the William S. Richardson School of Law at the University of Hawaii as an adjunct professor. Federal judicial service He was nominated to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit by George W. Bush on September 4, 2001 to fill a seat vacated by Cynthia Holcomb Hall. The United States Senate confirmed him on July 30, 2002 by a 98–0 vote. He was Bush's first appointment to the Ninth Circuit. He received his commission on July 30, 2002. He assumed senior status on December 31, 2016.