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Judge Richard A. Griffin of the Sixth Circuit in his robe

Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit

Hon. Richard A. Griffin

Photo: U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit (public domain), via Wikimedia Commons

Bench Watch Brief · Profile in brief

Richard A. Griffin is a judge on the federal appeals court for the Sixth Circuit. President George W. Bush nominated him; the Senate confirmed him in 2005. He dissented from the Sept. 30, 2026, order pausing Christa Pike's execution, calling her filing “another last-ditch meritless effort.”

Before the bench

Michigan Court of Appeals judge (1989-2005).

Highlights and issues

  1. Notable ruling

    Dissents from the order staying Christa Pike's execution

Cases we follow in this courtroom

  • Video · WBIR Channel 10
    Supreme CourtWatching

    Pike v. Tennessee

    U.S. Supreme Court · No. 26-5696

    Christa Gail Pike, sentenced to death in Tennessee for a 1995 murder, survived an attempted lethal injection on Sept. 30, 2026, hours after the U.S. Supreme Court lifted a stay over three justices' dissent. She is back in prison, and in an Oct. 30 statement she said she has been in pain since that night. The governor ordered an outside review; no new execution date has been set.

    Updated November 14, 2026 · 4 min read

Sources