Hon. Julius N. Richardson

Judge Julius “Jay” Richardson serves on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.  Jay grew up in Barnwell, South Carolina.  After graduating from Vanderbilt University, Jay moved to Hawaii and worked at a pool-side bar-and-grill.  Jay later earned his law degree from the University of Chicago Law School, where he served as Articles Editor for the Law Review and right fielder for the law school’s championship softball team.  Following law school, Jay clerked for Judge Richard A. Posner and for Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist. He then practiced with Kellogg Hansen in Washington, DC before returning to South Carolina as an Assistant United States Attorney.  Along with prosecuting violent crime, gangs, terrorism, public corruption, civil rights, and narcotics trafficking, he led the prosecution of Dylann Roof, who was convicted and sentenced to death for his racist massacre of nine Black worshippers during a Bible study at Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston. He and his wife Macon are blessed with four daughters.