Roger L. Gregory, Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, formerly a partner in the law firm of Wilder & Gregory, grew up in Petersburg, Virginia and graduated from Virginia State College and the University of Michigan Law School. He is the first African-American to sit on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, which includes the states of Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina.  President William J. Clinton recess appointed him to the Court on December 27, 2000, and President George W. Bush commissioned his lifetime appointment to the Court in July 2001. Judge Gregory is the only person in the history of the United States to be appointed to a federal appellate court by two presidents of different political parties. Judge Gregory became Chief Judge on July 9, 2016. He is a member of the Judicial Conference of the United States that governs the Federal Judiciary. 

By appointment of the Chief Justice of the United States, Judge Gregory served on the Brown v. Board of Education 50th Anniversary Commission established by the President and Congress to commemorate that landmark decision. 

Judge Gregory’s past leadership positions include Chairman of the Industrial Development Authority of Richmond, President of the Friends Association for Children, President of the Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia, Rector of Virginia Commonwealth University, and President of the Old Dominion Bar Association. Judge Gregory presently serves as Trustee Emeritus for the University of Richmond. 

Judge Gregory’s numerous awards include the National Conference of Christians and Jews Humanitarian Award, the National Bar Association’s Gertrude E. Rush and Equal Justice Awards, the Washington Bar Association’s Charles Hamilton Houston Merit Medallion, the Old Dominion Bar Association’s L. Douglas Wilder Vanguard Award, the Thurgood Marshall College Fund Award of Excellence, and the University of Richmond School of Law’s William Green Award for Professional Excellence, and William & Mary Law School’s William B. Spong, Jr. Award. 

Judge Gregory is an inductee in the Virginia Interscholastic Heritage Association’s Hall of Fame, a Fellow of the Virginia State Bar Foundation, and a member of the American Law Institute. He holds honorary degrees from Virginia Union University, Virginia State University, Virginia Commonwealth University, Widener University, Saint Paul’s College, and The American University.