Ralph Bright Guy Jr. (August 30, 1929 – April 20, 2026) was an American jurist who served as a judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan and the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
Career output and lasting influence
Opinions attributed per year · peak 14/year
Later decisions citing those opinions, per year · peak 85/year
Michigan Eastern District Court · 1976–1985Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals · 1985–2026
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
U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan1970–1976- Eastern District of MichiganChief assistant U.S. attorney · 1968–1970
- Dearborn, MichiganCorporation counsel · 1958–1968
- Dearborn, MichiganAssistant corporation counsel · 1955–1958
- Private practice, Dearborn, Michigan1954–1955
Appointments
1985–2026 · Appointed by Ronald Reagan (Republican)Term ended: Death
1976–1985 · Appointed by Gerald Ford (Republican)Term ended: Appointment to Another Judicial Position
Education
J.D. · 1953- University of MichiganA.B. · 1951