Andrew Jay Kleinfeld (June 12, 1945 – November 7, 2025) was an American lawyer and jurist who served as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. He served as an active judge on the Ninth Circuit from 1991 to 2010. Kleinfeld was previously a United States district judge on the United States District Court for the District of Alaska from 1986 to 1991.
Career output and lasting influence
Opinions attributed per year · peak 12/year
Later decisions citing those opinions, per year · peak 180/year
Alaska District Court · 1986–1991Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals · 1991–2025
Both charts share the same year axis. Opinion counts include only opinions in our corpus attributed to this judge so far — a year at zero can mean an attribution gap, not judicial silence. Influence typically outlasts the career: citations keep climbing after the last opinion.
- Gender
- Male
- Race
- White
Prior employment
- Private practice, Fairbanks, Alaska1971–1986
- Alaska Supreme CourtLaw clerk , Hon. J.A. Rabinowitz · 1969–1971
Appointments
1991–2025 · Appointed by George H.W. Bush (Republican)Term ended: Death
1986–1991 · Appointed by Ronald Reagan (Republican)Term ended: Appointment to Another Judicial Position
Education
J.D. · 1969- Wesleyan UniversityB.A. · 1966