Dennis Saylor
F. Dennis Saylor IV is a federal judge on senior status with the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts. From 2020 to 2025, Saylor served as chief judge of the court.[1] He joined the court in 2004 after being nominated by President George W. Bush. He assumed senior status on July 31, 2025.[2][1]
Prior to joining the court, Saylor served as special counsel & chief of staff to the assistant attorney general in the criminal division of the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. Saylor also served on the United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. His term on that court ran from May 19, 2011, until May 18, 2018.[3]
Education
Saylor graduated from Northwestern University with his bachelor's degree in 1977 and from Harvard Law School with his J.D. degree in 1981.[1]
Professional career
- 2004-2025: Judge, United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts
- 2025-present: Senior judge
- 2020-2025: Chief judge
- 1993-2004: Attorney, private practice
- 1990-1993: Special counsel & chief of staff, criminal division of the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C.
- 1987-1990: Assistant U.S. attorney, U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Massachusetts
- 1981-1987: Attorney, private practice[1]
Judicial career
District of Massachusetts
Saylor was nominated to the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts by President George W. Bush on July 30, 2003, to a seat vacated by Judge Robert Keeton as Keeton assumed senior status. Saylor was confirmed by the Senate on June 1, 2004, and received commission on June 2, 2004.[4][5] He assumed senior status on July 31, 2025.[1]
Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court
Saylor concurrently served on the United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. He was appointed on May 19, 2011, and his term ended on May 18, 2018.[3]
See also
- United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court
- United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Judge Dennis Saylor IV biography from the Federal Judicial Center
- ↑ United States Courts, "Future Judicial Vacancies," accessed October 1, 2024
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, "Current Judges of the FISC"
- ↑ Senate Judiciary Committee, "108th Congress Nominations" (dead link)
- ↑ [http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ntquery/D?nomis:1:./temp/ nomisH6rrV4:: THOMAS, "Dennis Saylor IV USDC, MA confirmation:PN847-108"]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Robert Keeton |
United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts 2004-2025 |
Succeeded by - |
| |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Active judges |
Chief Judge: Sara LioiChief Judge: Timothy DeGiusti • George Singal • Joan Ericksen • Kenneth Karas • Anthony Trenga • Louis Guirola • Karin J. Immergut • Amit Priyavadan Mehta | ||
| Former judges |
James Zagel • Jennifer Coffman • Thomas Russell • Dennis Saylor • Raymond Dearie • Robert Kugler • Mary McLaughlin • Claire Eagan • Anne Conway • Clyde Roger Vinson • William Stafford • Liam O'Grady • James Jones (Federal judge) • Malcolm Howard • Martin Feldman • Michael Mosman • Thomas Hogan • Rosemary Collyer • Reggie Walton • John Bates • Susan Webber Wright • James E. Boasberg • Rudolph Contreras • John Tharp, Jr. • | ||
| Former chief judges | |||
| |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 |
Armijo • Bates • Beistline • Blackburn • Bowdre • Bunning • Bury • Caldwell • Camp • Cassell • Cebull • Clement • Clifton • Crane • Eagan • Engelhardt • Friot • Gibbons • Granade • Gregory • Gritzner • Haddon • Hartz • Heaton • Hicks • Howard • Johnson • Jorgenson • Krieger • Land • Leon • Mahan • Martinez • Martone • McConnell • Melloy • Mills • O'Brien • Parker • Payne • Prost • Reeves • Riley • Robinson • Rogers • Royal • Shedd • B. Smith • L. Smith • Walton • Wooten • Zainey | ||
| 2002 |
Africk • Anderson • Autrey • Baylson • Cercone • Chesler • Clark • Collyer • Conner • Conti • Corrigan • Davis • Davis • Dorr • England • Ericksen • Fuller • Gardner • Godbey • Griesbach • Hanen • Hovland • Hudson • Jones • Jordan • Kinkeade • Klausner • Kugler • Leighton • Linares • Moses • Marra • Martinez • Martini • Mays • McVerry • Phillips • Raggi • Reade • Rose • Rufe • Savage • Schwab • Smith • St. Eve • Walter • White • Wolfson | ||
| 2003 |
Adams • Altonaga • Bea • Benitez • Bennett • Boyle • Brack • Breen • Browning • Burns • Bybee • Callahan • Campbell • Cardone • Carney • Castel • Chertoff • Cohn • Colloton • Conrad • Coogler • Cook • Cooke • Crone • Der-Yeghiayan • Drell • Duffey • Duncan • Erickson • Feuerstein • Figa • Filip • Fischer • Fisher • Flanagan • Floyd • Frost • Gibson • Greer • Gruender • Guirola • Hall • Hardiman • Hayes • Herrera • Hicks • Holmes • Holwell • Hopkins • Houston • Irizarry • Jones • Junell • Karas • Kravitz • Martinez • McKnight • Minaldi • Montalvo • Mosman • Otero • Pickering • Prado • Pratter • Proctor • Quarles • Robart • Roberts • Robinson • Rodgers • Rodriguez • Sabraw • Sanchez • Saylor • Selna • Sharpe • Simon • Springmann • Stanceu • Steele • Stengel • Suko • Sutton • Sykes • Titus • Townes • Tymkovich • Van Antwerpen • Varlan • Wake • Wesley • White • Woodcock • Yeakel | ||
| 2004 |
Alvarez • Benton • Boyko • Covington • Diamond • Harwell • Kelley • Schiavelli • Schneider • Starrett • Watson | ||
| 2005 |
Alito • Barrett • Batten • Bianco • Brown • Burgess • Conrad • Cox • Crotty • Delgado-Colon • Dever • DuBose • Griffin • Griffith • Johnston • Kendall • Larson • Ludington • Mattice • McKeague • Neilson • Owen • Pryor • Roberts • Sandoval • Schiltz • Seabright • Smoak • Van Tatenhove • Vitaliano • Watkins • Zouhary | ||
| 2006 |
Besosa • Bumb • Chagares • Cogan • Gelpi • Golden • Gordon • Gorsuch • Guilford • Hillman • Holmes • Ikuta • D. Jordan • K. Jordan • Kavanaugh • Miller • Moore • Shepherd • Sheridan • Smith • Whitney • Wigenton | ||
| 2007 |
Anderson • Aycock • Bailey • Bryant • Davis • DeGiusti • Dow • Elrod • Fairbank • Fischer • Frizzell • Gutierrez • Hall • Hardiman • Haynes • Howard • Jarvey • Jones • Jonker • Kapala • Kays • Laplante • Limbaugh • Lioi • Livingston • Maloney • Mauskopf • Mendez • Miller • Neff • O'Connor • O'Grady • O'Neill • Osteen • Ozerden • Reidinger • Sammartino • Schroeder • Settle • Smith • Snow • Southwick • Suddaby • Sullivan • Thapar • Tinder • Van Bokkelen • Wood • Wright • Wu | ||
| 2008 |
Agee • Anello • Arguello • Brimmer • Gardephe • Goldberg • Jones • Kethledge • Lawrence • Matsumoto • Melgren • Murphy • Scriven • Seibel • Slomsky • Trenga • Waddoups • White | ||
Federal courts:
First Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: District of Massachusetts • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: District of Massachusetts
State courts:
Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court • Massachusetts Appeals Court • Massachusetts Superior Courts • Massachusetts District Courts • Massachusetts Housing Courts • Massachusetts Juvenile Courts • Massachusetts Land Courts • Massachusetts Probate and Family Courts • Boston Municipal Courts, Massachusetts
State resources:
Courts in Massachusetts • Massachusetts judicial elections • Judicial selection in Massachusetts
