The Hon. Richard Posner retired from the 7th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in Chicago on Saturday, September 2. His decision to step down from the bench after 36 years was announced late last Friday. Now 78, Posner was appointed to the court by President Ronald Regan in 1981 and served as its chief judge from 1993 to 2000.
Posner is well-known in the legal community as a prolific writer on and off of the bench. During his career, he wrote more than 3,300 opinions, as well as dozens of books and articles spanning many legal topics. He is one of the most widely cited appellate judges in the United States.