John Mercer Walker Jr. (born December 26, 1940) is a senior United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. He served as chief judge from September 30, 2000, to September 30, 2006, when he assumed senior status. He was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, appointed in 1985 by President Ronald Reagan before being elevated to the Second Circuit in 1989.
John Mercer Walker Jr.
Second Circuit Court of Appeals
Chief Judge — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
Born 1940 in New York, NY
FJC ID: 2479
Career output and lasting influence
Opinions attributed per year · peak 7/year
Later decisions citing those opinions, per year · peak 140/year
New York Southern District Court · 1985–1989Second Circuit Court of Appeals · 1989–2006
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
- Judicial Conference of the United StatesMember · 2000–2006
- Administrative Conference of the United StatesSpecial counsel · 1987–1992
- Assistant secretary of the treasury1981–1985
- Private practice, New York City1969–1970, 1975–1981
Assistant U.S. attorney · 1970–1975- Republic of Botswana (Africa-Asia Public Service Fellowship)State counsel · 1966–1968
U.S. Marine Corps Reserve private first class1963–1967
Appointments
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second CircuitChief Judge1989–2006 · Appointed by George H.W. Bush (Republican)- 1985–1989 · Appointed by Ronald Reagan (Republican)Term ended: Appointment to Another Judicial Position
Education
J.D. · 1966- Yale UniversityB.A. · 1962