Judge Harvie Wilkinson
Fourth Circuit U.S. District Court of Appeals
James Harvie Wilkinson III was born in September 1944 in New York City, New York. He earned an undergraduate degree from Yale University, then entered the U.S. Army. After leaving the military, he received his Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia. He lost an election to the U.S. House of Representatives before graduating from law school. He clerked for Supreme Court Justice Lewis Powell.
Wilkinson became a law professor at his alma mater, then worked for a local daily newspaper, becoming an editorial page editor. He joined the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, and later served as deputy assistant attorney general.
Wilkinson was nominated by President Ronald Reagan to a seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit in November 1983. He was confirmed by the Senate and received his commission in August 1984. He served as chief judge of the Fourth Circuit from 1996 to 2003, He assumed senior status in August 2021.
Wilkinson is married to Lossie, and they have two children.
In the News…
The Fourth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals determined that 19 states and the District of Columbia did not have standing to sue President Donald Trump’s administration over the firing of thousands of probationary workers in the federal government. The states and D.C. claimed that the president’s administration was required to provide states 60 days’ notice before conducting the mass firing.
“We acknowledge that the abrupt and indiscriminate dismissal of the probationary employees here exacted all-too-human costs upon those affected,” Judge Harvie Wilkinson wrote for the two-judge majority. “But this real impact on the employees, who are not parties here, cannot govern our review.”
Judges Wilkinson and Jones Rushing found that, while the probationary workers “suffered the brunt of the harm” as a result of their firings, “they are nowhere to be found in this case.”
The panel’s majority returned the case brought by the states and D.C. to the district court for dismissal.
Contact this Leader…
Did you pray for Judge Wilkinson today? You can let him know at:
The Honorable J. Harvie Wilkinson III
Fourth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals
1100 East Main St.
Richmond, VA 23219
