swap_horiz Frank H. Easterbrook Alternatives

1

Henry J. Friendly

Henry J. Friendly served as a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit from 1959 to 1986. He is notable...

20TH Century Influential Circuit Judge Us Federal

9.5 Brilliant

2

Frank M. Johnson Jr.

Frank M. Johnson Jr. was a federal judge serving on the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals during the mid-20th century. He i...

20TH Century Civil Rights Circuit Judge Us Federal

9.2 Excellent

3

Richard A. Posner

Judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit from 1981 to 2017, a leading architect of the law and economi...

Law And Economics 20TH 21ST Century Circuit Judge Us Federal

9.0 Excellent

4

Albie Sachs

South African jurist and anti-apartheid activist who served on the Constitutional Court from 1994 to 2009 and survived a...

South Africa Contemporary Justice Anti Apartheid

8.9 Great

5

Jed S. Rakoff

U.S. District Judge (S.D.N.Y.) known for rejecting SEC settlements as inadequate and presiding over prominent Wall Stree...

Contemporary Us Federal District Judge Sdny

8.2 Great

6

Diane P. Wood

Judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit since 1995, appointed by Bill Clinton, regarded as a prominen...

Contemporary Liberal Circuit Judge Us Federal

8.1 Great

7

Jon O. Newman

Senior Second Circuit judge who served for decades and is recognized for influential opinions shaping federal criminal l...

Contemporary Circuit Judge Us Federal 2ND Circuit

8.1 Great

8

William Alsup

U.S. District Judge (N.D. Cal.) notable for unusual technical expertise and presiding over the Oracle v. Google copyrigh...

Contemporary Us Federal District Judge Nd California

7.9 Good

9

J. Michael Luttig

Conservative Fourth Circuit judge (1991–2006) regarded as a leading originalist jurist who resigned from the bench to be...

Conservative 20TH 21ST Century Circuit Judge Us Federal

7.7 Good

10

Merrick B. Garland

Chief Judge of the D.C. Circuit whose 2016 Supreme Court nomination by Obama was blocked by Senate Republicans; confirme...

Centrist DC Circuit 20TH 21ST Century Circuit Judge

7.5 Good

11

Florence Ellinwood Allen

First woman appointed to a U.S. federal appellate court, joining the Sixth Circuit in 1934 after becoming the first woma...

20TH Century Circuit Judge Us Federal 6TH Circuit

7.5 Good

12

Emmet G. Sullivan

U.S. District Judge (D.D.C.) known for overturning the Ted Stevens corruption conviction and his prolonged handling of t...

Contemporary Notable Us Federal District Judge

7.4 Good

13

Robert H. Bork

U.S. Court of Appeals (D.C. Circuit) judge whose 1987 Supreme Court nomination was rejected by the Senate, reshaping jud...

20TH Century Originalist DC Circuit Circuit Judge

7.2 Good

14

Phyllis A. Kravitch

First woman appointed to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals (1979), later continuing service on the Eleventh Circuit aft...

20TH Century Pioneering Woman Circuit Judge Us Federal

7.1 Good

15

Amy Berman Jackson

U.S. District Judge (D.D.C.) appointed by Obama in 2011 who presided over high-profile Mueller investigation prosecution...

Contemporary Notable Us Federal District Judge

7.1 Good

16

Kimba Wood

U.S. District Judge (S.D.N.Y.) who sentenced junk-bond trader Michael Milken in 1990 and was briefly considered for U.S....

Contemporary Notable Us Federal District Judge

7.0 Good

17

Richard J. Leon

U.S. District Judge (D.D.C.) who ruled NSA bulk phone metadata collection unconstitutional in 2013 and adjudicated early...

Contemporary Us Federal District Judge Ddc

6.8 Fair

18

Irving R. Kaufman

Federal judge who sentenced Julius and Ethel Rosenberg to death for espionage in 1953 and later served as Chief Judge of...

20TH Century Circuit Judge Us Federal 2ND Circuit

6.0 Fair

19

Alex Kozinski

Chief Judge of the Ninth Circuit (2007–2017) known for provocative, often libertarian opinions who resigned amid sexual...

Controversial 20TH 21ST Century Circuit Judge Us Federal

5.4 Mediocre

20

Aileen M. Cannon

U.S. District Judge (S.D. Fla.) appointed by Trump in 2020 who presided over the federal classified documents case again...

Contemporary Notable Us Federal District Judge

2.7 Poor