United States Court of International Trade

United States Court of International Trade
Established	1980
Country	United States
Location	Lower Manhattan, New York City
Coordinates	40°42′54″N 74°0′13″W / 40.71500°N 74.00361°WCoordinates: 40°42′54″N 74°0′13″W / 40.71500°N 74.00361°W
Composition method	Presidential nomination with Senate confirmation
Authorized by	U.S. Constitution
Judge term length	Life tenure
Website	cit.uscourts.gov/
Chief Judge of the United States Court of International Trade
Currently	Timothy C. Stanceu
Since	July 1, 2014

The United States Court of International Trade, formerly the United States Customs Court, and before that the Board of General Appraisers, is an Article III court, with full powers in law and equity. The Customs Court Act of 1980 replaced the old United States Customs Court with the United States Court of International Trade. The Court has nine sitting Judges, as well as Senior Judges. The Court sits in New York City, although it is authorized to sit elsewhere, including in foreign nations.

History

In 1890, the United States Congress passed legislation creating the Board of General Appraisers, a quasi-judicial administrative unit within the United States Department of the Treasury. The Board had nine members appointed by the President of the United States and empowered to review decisions of United States Customs officials concerning the amount of duties to be paid on importations.^[1]

In 1926, Congress responded to the increasing number and complexity of customs cases by replacing the Board of General Appraisers with the United States Customs Court, an independent Article I tribunal, retaining the jurisdiction and powers of the Board of General Appraisers. In 1928, the United States Customs Court became the first federal tribunal in the United States to have a woman judge,^[2] when President Calvin Coolidge nominated Genevieve R. Cline to the court.^[3] Although many members of the United States Senate objected to Cline's appointment, both because of her gender, and because they believed she was self-taught and had no judicial experience, her supporters advocated strongly for her, including Katherine Pike, president of the National Association of Women Lawyers and a number of club-women. Cline won U.S. Senate confirmation on May 25, 1928, received her commission on May 26, 1928, and took her oath of office in the Cleveland Federal Building on June 5, 1928.^[4]

In 1956, Congress made the United States Customs Court an Article III tribunal, again without changing its jurisdiction, powers, or procedures. After making some procedural changes in the Customs Courts Act of 1970, Congress addressed substantive issues concerning the court's jurisdiction and remedial powers in the Customs Courts Act of 1980, which broadened the power of the court and renamed it the United States Court of International Trade.^[1]

Jurisdiction

The Court possesses limited subject matter jurisdiction, meaning that it may hear only cases involving particular international trade and customs law questions. For example, the Court hears disputes such as those involving protests filed with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, decisions regarding Trade Adjustment Assistance by the United States Department of Labor or United States Department of Agriculture, customs broker licensing, and disputes relating to determinations made by the United States International Trade Commission and the Department of Commerce's International Trade Administration regarding anti-dumping and countervailing duties.

There is one notable exception to the Court's jurisdiction. In cases involving antidumping and countervailing duties imposed on Canadian or Mexican merchandise, an interested party can request that the case be heard before a special ad hoc binational panel organized under Chapter 19 of the 1988 Canadian-U.S. Free Trade Agreement.

Procedure

Most cases are heard by a single judge. If a case challenges the constitutionality of a U.S. law or has important implications regarding the administration or interpretation of the customs laws, then it may be heard by a three-judge panel. Many Judges of the Court of International Trade also regularly sit by designation on three-judge panels of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.

Although the Court maintains its own rules of procedure, they are patterned for the most part on the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. The court has held that decisions interpreting the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure are "instructive" in interpreting its own rules.

Courthouse

The James L. Watson Court of International Trade Building, located on Foley Square in lower Manhattan in New York City, houses the court. Also known as 1 Federal Plaza, it was built in 1968 adjacent to the Jacob K. Javits Federal Building.^[5]

In 2003, the building was named in honor of James L. Watson, a judge of the United States Customs Court from 1964 to 1980, and of the Court of International Trade from 1980 to 2001.^[6]

Current composition of the court

Judges of the United States Court of International Trade

(current as of September 15, 2016)

• By virtue of his seniority of age, Judge Barnett holds seniority over Judge Kelly, despite their identical commission dates.

#	Title	Judge	Duty station	Born	Term of service			Appointed by
					Active	Chief	Senior
22	Chief Judge	Timothy C. Stanceu	New York City	1951	2003–present	2014–present	—	G.W. Bush
20	Judge	Delissa A. Ridgway	New York City	1955	1998–present	—	—	Clinton
23	Judge	Leo M. Gordon	New York City	1952	2006–present	—	—	G.W. Bush
24	Judge	Mark A. Barnett	New York City	1963	2013–present	—	—	Obama
25	Judge	Claire R. Kelly	New York City	1965	2013–present	—	—	Obama
26	Judge	Jennifer Choe Groves	New York City	1969	2016–present	—	—	Obama
27	Judge	Gary Stephen Katzmann	New York City	1953	2016–present	—	—	Obama
28	vacant	—	New York City	—	—	—	—	—
29	vacant	—	New York City	—	—	—	—	—
10	Senior Judge	Gregory W. Carman	inactive	1937	1983–2014	1996–2003	2014–present	Reagan
11	Senior Judge	Jane A. Restani	New York City	1948	1983–2015	2003–2010	2015–present	Reagan
13	Senior Judge	Thomas J. Aquilino, Jr.	New York City	1939	1985–2004	—	2004–present	Reagan
14	Senior Judge	Nicholas Tsoucalas	New York City	1926	1986–1996	—	1996–present	Reagan
15	Senior Judge	R. Kenton Musgrave	New York City	1927	1987–1997	—	1997–present	Reagan
16	Senior Judge	Richard W. Goldberg	New York City	1927	1991–2001	—	2001–present	G.H.W. Bush
19	Senior Judge	Judith M. Barzilay	inactive	1944	1998–2011	—	2011–present	Clinton
21	Senior Judge	Richard K. Eaton	New York City	1948	1999–2014	—	2014–present	Clinton

Vacancies and pending nominations

Seat	Seat last held by	Vacancy reason	Date of vacancy	Nominee	Date of nomination
2	Donald C. Pogue	Senior Status	July 1, 2014	Jeanne E. Davidson	September 8, 2014
9	Richard K. Eaton	Senior Status	August 22, 2014	Elizabeth J. Drake	July 30, 2015

Past Judges of the United States Court of International Trade

#	Judge	State	Born–died	Active service	Chief Judge	Senior status	Appointed by	Reason for termination
—	Rosenstein, Samuel MurraySamuel Murray Rosenstein	NY	1909–1995	—	—	1980–1995	Operation of law, Operation of law	death
1	Rao, Paul PeterPaul Peter Rao	NY	1899–1988	1980–1988	—	—	Operation of law, Operation of law	death
2	Ford, MorganMorgan Ford	NY	1911–1992	1980–1985	—	1985–1992	Operation of law, Operation of law	death
3	Richardson, ScovelScovel Richardson	NY	1912–1982	1980–1982	—	—	Operation of law, Operation of law	death
4	Landis, Jr., FrederickFrederick Landis, Jr.	NY	1912–1990	1980–1983	—	1983–1990	Operation of law, Operation of law	death
5	Watson, James LopezJames Lopez Watson	NY	1922–2001	1980–1991	—	1991–2001	Operation of law, Operation of law	death
6	Maletz, Herbert N.Herbert N. Maletz	NY	1913–2002	1980–1982	—	1982–2002	Operation of law, Operation of law	death
7	Newman, BernardBernard Newman	NY	1907–1999	1980–1983	—	1983–1999	Operation of law, Operation of law	death
8	Re, Edward D.Edward D. Re	NY	1920–2006	1980–1991	1980–1991	—	Operation of law, Operation of law	retirement
9	Boe, NilsNils Boe	NY	1913–1992	1980–1984	—	1984–1992	Operation of law, Operation of law	death
12	DiCarlo, Dominick L.Dominick L. DiCarlo	NY	1928–1999	1984–1996	1991–1996	1996–1999	Reagan, Reagan	death
17	Pogue, Donald C.Donald C. Pogue	NY	1947–2016	1995–2014	2010–2014	2014–2016	Clinton, Clinton	death
18	Wallach, EvanEvan Wallach	NY	1949–present	1995–2011	—	—	Clinton, Clinton	reappointment

Judges of the United States Customs Court

#	Judge	State	Born–died	Active service	Chief Judge	Senior status	Appointed by	Reason for termination
1	Howell, William BarberieWilliam Barberie Howell	NY	1865–1927	1926–1927	1926–1927	—	Operation of law, Operation of law	death
2	Fischer, Israel F.Israel F. Fischer	NY	1858–1940	1926–1932	1927–1932	—	Operation of law, Operation of law	retirement
3	Waite, Byron SylvesterByron Sylvester Waite	NY	1852–1930	1926–1930	—	—	Operation of law, Operation of law	retirement
4	McClelland, Charles PaulCharles Paul McClelland	NY	1854–1944	1926–1939	1934–1939	—	Operation of law, Operation of law	retirement
5	Sullivan, Jerry BartholomewJerry Bartholomew Sullivan	NY	1859–1948	1926–1939	—	—	Operation of law, Operation of law	retirement
6	Brown, George StewartGeorge Stewart Brown	NY	1871–1941	1926–1941	1939–1940	—	Operation of law, Operation of law	retirement
7	Adamson, William C.William C. Adamson	NY	1854–1929	1926–1928	—	—	Operation of law, Operation of law	retirement
8	Weller, George EmeryGeorge Emery Weller	NY	1857–1932	1926–1930	—	—	Operation of law, Operation of law	retirement
9	Young, George M.George M. Young	NY	1870–1932	1926–1932	1932–1932	—	Operation of law, Operation of law	death
10	Tilson, William JosiahWilliam Josiah Tilson	NY	1871–1949	1928–1949	1932–1934	—	Coolidge, Coolidge	death
11	Cline, Genevieve R.Genevieve R. Cline	NY	1877–1959	1928–1953	—	—	Coolidge, Coolidge	retirement
12	Kincheloe, David HayesDavid Hayes Kincheloe	NY	1877–1950	1930–1948	—	—	Hoover, Hoover	retirement
13	Evans, Walter HowardWalter Howard Evans	NY	1870–1959	1931–1941	—	—	Hoover, Hoover	retirement
14	Dallinger, Frederick W.Frederick W. Dallinger	NY	1871–1955	1932–1942	—	—	Hoover, Hoover	retirement
15	Keefe, William JohnWilliam John Keefe	NY	1873–1955	1933–1947	—	—	Roosevelt, F.F. Roosevelt	retirement
16	Walker, Thomas JosephThomas Joseph Walker	NY	1877–1945	1940–1945	—	—	Roosevelt, F.F. Roosevelt	death
17	Oliver, WebsterWebster Oliver	NY	1888–1969	1940–1967	1940–1965	1967–1969	Roosevelt, F.F. Roosevelt	death
18	Ekwall, William A.William A. Ekwall	NY	1887–1956	1942–1956	—	—	Roosevelt, F.F. Roosevelt	death
19	Cole, Jr., William PuringtonWilliam Purington Cole, Jr.	NY	1889–1957	1942–1952	—	—	Roosevelt, F.F. Roosevelt	reappointment
20	Lawrence, Charles DrummondCharles Drummond Lawrence	NY	1878–1975	1943–1965	—	1965–1975	Roosevelt, F.F. Roosevelt	death
21	Mollison, Irvin CharlesIrvin Charles Mollison	NY	1898–1962	1945–1962	—	—	Truman, Truman	death
22	Johnson, JedJed Johnson	NY	1888–1963	1947–1963	—	—	Truman, Truman	death
23	Rao, Paul PeterPaul Peter Rao	NY	1899–1988	1948–1980	1965–1971	—	Truman, Truman	reassignment
24	Ford, MorganMorgan Ford	NY	1911–1992	1949–1980	—	—	Truman, Truman	reassignment
25	Wilson, David JohnDavid John Wilson	NY	1887–1976	1954–1966	—	1966–1976	Eisenhower, Eisenhower	death
26	Alger, Mary DonlonMary Donlon Alger	NY	1893–1977	1955–1966	—	1966–1977	Eisenhower, Eisenhower	death
27	Richardson, ScovelScovel Richardson	NY	1912–1982	1957–1980	—	—	Eisenhower, Eisenhower	reassignment
28	Nichols, Jr., PhilipPhilip Nichols, Jr.	NY	1907–1990	1964–1966	—	—	Johnson, L.L. Johnson	reappointment
29	Landis, Jr., FrederickFrederick Landis, Jr.	NY	1912–1990	1965–1980	—	—	Johnson, L.L. Johnson	reassignment
30	Watson, James LopezJames Lopez Watson	NY	1922–2001	1966–1980	—	—	Johnson, L.L. Johnson	reassignment
31	Beckworth, LindleyLindley Beckworth	NY	1913–1984	1967–1968	—	—	Johnson, L.L. Johnson	resignation
32	Maletz, Herbert N.Herbert N. Maletz	NY	1913–2002	1967–1980	—	—	Johnson, L.L. Johnson	reassignment
33	Newman, BernardBernard Newman	NY	1907–1999	1968–1980	—	—	Johnson, L.L. Johnson	reassignment
34	Rosenstein, Samuel MurraySamuel Murray Rosenstein	NY	1909–1995	1968–1970	—	1970–1980	Johnson, L.L. Johnson	reassignment
35	Re, Edward D.Edward D. Re	NY	1920–2006	1968–1980	1977–1980	—	Johnson, L.L. Johnson	reassignment
36	Boe, NilsNils Boe	NY	1913–1992	1971–1980	1971–1977	—	Nixon, Nixon	reassignment

Members of the Board of General Appraisers

#	Member	State	Born/Died	Active service	President	Senior status	Appointed by	Reason for termination
1	Ham, Charles H.Charles H. Ham	NY	1831–1902	1890–1902	1897–1902	—	Harrison, B.B. Harrison	resignation
2	Tichenor, George C.George C. Tichenor	NY	1838–1902	1890–1902	1890–1897	—	Harrison, B.B. Harrison	death
3	Wilkinson, Jr., Joseph BiddleJoseph Biddle Wilkinson, Jr.	NY	1845–1915	1890–1899	—	—	Harrison, B.B. Harrison	resignation
4	Jewell, James A.James A. Jewell	NY	????–1912	1890–1903	—	—	Harrison, B.B. Harrison	resignation
5	Somerville, Henderson M.Henderson M. Somerville	NY	1837–1915	1890–1915	1910–1914	—	Harrison, B.B. Harrison	death
6	Shurtleff, Ferdinand N.Ferdinand N. Shurtleff	NY	1837–1903	1890–1899	—	—	Harrison, B.B. Harrison	removal[Note 1]
7	Stackpole, Joseph LewisJoseph Lewis Stackpole	NY	1838–1904	1890–1890	—	—	Harrison, B.B. Harrison	resignation
8	Sharretts, Thaddeus S.Thaddeus S. Sharretts	NY	1850–1926	1890–1913	—	—	Harrison, B.B. Harrison	removal[Note 2]
9	Sharpe, George H.George H. Sharpe	NY	1828–1900	1890–1899	—	—	Harrison, B.B. Harrison	resignation
10	Lunt, Wilbur FiskWilbur Fisk Lunt	NY	1848–1908	1891–1908	—	—	Harrison, B.B. Harrison	death
11	Howell, William BarberieWilliam Barberie Howell	NY	1865–1927	1899–1926	1925–1926	—	McKinley, McKinley	reassignment
12	Fischer, Israel F.Israel F. Fischer	NY	1858–1940	1899–1926	1902–1905	—	McKinley, McKinley	reassignment
13	De Vries, MarionMarion De Vries	NY	1865–1939	1900–1910	1906–1910	—	McKinley, McKinley	reappointment
14	Waite, Byron SylvesterByron Sylvester Waite	NY	1852–1930	1902–1926	—	—	Roosevelt, T.T. Roosevelt	reassignment
15	McClelland, Charles PaulCharles Paul McClelland	NY	1854–1944	1903–1926	—	—	Roosevelt, T.T. Roosevelt	reassignment
16	Hay, Eugene GanoEugene Gano Hay	NY	1853–1933	1903–1923	—	—	Roosevelt, T.T. Roosevelt	retirement
17	Chamberlain, RoyRoy Chamberlain	NY	1862–????	1908–1913	—	—	Roosevelt, T.T. Roosevelt	removal[Note 3]
18	Cooper, Samuel B.Samuel B. Cooper	NY	1850–1918	1910–1918	—	—	Taft, Taft	death
19	Sullivan, Jerry BartholomewJerry Bartholomew Sullivan	NY	1859–1948	1913–1926	1914–1925	—	Wilson, Wilson	reassignment
20	Brown, George StewartGeorge Stewart Brown	NY	1871–1941	1913–1926	—	—	Wilson, Wilson	reassignment
21	Adamson, William C.William C. Adamson	NY	1854–1929	1917–1926	—	—	Wilson, Wilson	reassignment
22	Weller, George EmeryGeorge Emery Weller	NY	1857–1932	1919–1926	—	—	Wilson, Wilson	reassignment
23	Young, George M.George M. Young	NY	1870–1932	1924–1926	—	—	Coolidge, Coolidge	reassignment

1. Removed from office by William McKinley.
2. Removed from office by William Howard Taft.
3. Removed from office by William Howard Taft.

Succession of seats

Seat 1 Seat established on June 10, 1890 by 26 Stat. 131, 136 Ham 1890–1902 Waite 1902–1930 Evans 1931–1941 Ekwall 1942–1956 Richardson 1957–1982 Carman 1983–2014 Groves 2016–present

Seat 2 Seat established on June 10, 1890 by 26 Stat. 131, 136 Tichenor 1890–1902 Hay 1903–1923 Young 1924–1932 Keefe 1933–1947 Johnson 1947–1963 Watson 1966–1991 Pogue 1995–2014 vacant 2014–present

Seat 3 Seat established on June 10, 1890 by 26 Stat. 131, 136 Wilkinson, Jr. 1890–1899 De Vries 1900–1910 Cooper 1910–1918 Weller 1919–1930 Kincheloe 1930–1948 Rao 1948–1988 Goldberg 1991–2001 Stanceu 2003–present

Seat 4 Seat established on June 10, 1890 by 26 Stat. 131, 136 Jewell 1890–1903 McClelland 1903–1939 Oliver 1940–1967 Rosenstein 1968–1970 Boe 1971–1984 Tsoucalas 1986–1996 Ridgway 1998–present

Seat 5 Seat established on June 10, 1890 by 26 Stat. 131, 136 Somerville 1890–1915 Adamson 1917–1928 Cline 1928–1953 Alger 1955–1966 Newman 1968–1983 DiCarlo 1984–1996 Barzilay 1998–2011 Barnett 2013–present

Seat 6 Seat established on June 10, 1890 by 26 Stat. 131, 136 Shurtleff 1890–1899 Fischer 1899–1932 Dallinger 1932–1942 Lawrence 1943–1965 Landis, Jr. 1965–1983 Aquilino, Jr. 1985–2004 Gordon 2006–present

Seat 7 Seat established on June 10, 1890 by 26 Stat. 131, 136 Stackpole 1890–1890 Lunt 1891–1908 Chamberlain 1908–1913 Brown 1913–1941 Cole, Jr. 1942–1952 Wilson 1954–1966 Beckworth 1967–1968 Re 1968–1991 Wallach 1995–2011 Kelly 2013–present

Seat 8 Seat established on June 10, 1890 by 26 Stat. 131, 136 Sharretts 1890–1913 Sullivan 1913–1939 Walker 1940–1945 Mollison 1945–1962 Nichols, Jr. 1964–1966 Maletz 1967–1982 Restani 1983–2015 Katzmann 2016–present

Seat 9 Seat established on June 10, 1890 by 26 Stat. 131, 136 Sharpe 1890–1899 Howell 1899–1927 Tilson 1928–1949 Ford 1949–1985 Musgrave 1987–1997 Eaton 1999–2014 vacant 2014–present

References

1. History of the United States Court of International Trade.
2. Jo Freeman, A Room at a Time: How Women Entered Party Politics, 2002: Rowman and Littlefield, p. 216 (ISBN 084769805X)
3. "The Coolidge Week", Time, May 14, 1928
4. William Ganson Rose, Cleveland: the Making of a City, 1990: Kent State Univ. Press, p. 854 (ISBN 0873384288)
5. Casey Nelson Blake, "Tilted Arc, and the Crisis of Public Art" in The Power of Culture: Critical Essays in American History (eds. Richard Wightman Fox & T. J. Jackson Lears), pp. 260-61, 278.
6. Public Law 108-70, 108th United States Congress.

External links

• United States Court of International Trade, official site
• History of the court from the Federal Judicial Center