Roger L. Gregory

Peabody/Petersburg High, Petersburg (1971)
Federal Judge

Judge Roger Gregory attended Peabody High School until the end of his junior year when Virginia’s public schools were fully integrated. He graduated from Petersburg High in 1971. He graduated from Virginia State University in 1975 and the University of Michigan Law School in 1978. Judge Gregory began his legal career as an associate attorney with the firm of Butzel, Long, Gust, Klein & Van Zile in Detroit Michigan. He later associated with the firm of Hunton & Williams in Richmond, VA. In 1982 he formed the law firm of Wilder & Gregory with former Virginia Governor L. Douglas Wilder. He was appointed to the 4th U. S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond by President Bill Clinton in June 2000. His nomination was initially blocked by a southern senator who opposed efforts to diversify the courts. However, he was reappointed to the court by President George W. Bush and confirmed by the U. S. Senate on July 20, 2001. He was the first African American to sit on the court, which was the last federal circuit in the nation with all white judges. Judge Gregory earned a reputation as a distinguished and brilliant jurist whose leadership helped forge consensus in the 4th Circuit and evolve the thinking of the court. On July 9, 2016 he was appointed Chief Judge of the 4th Circuit, which is responsible for appellate cases from the states of Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina. Judge Gregory holds honorary degrees from Virginia Union University, Virginia State University, Virginia Commonwealth University, Widener University and Saint Paul’s College.