James Andrew Wynn (born March 17, 1954) is an American jurist. He serves as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and formerly served on both the North Carolina Court of Appeals and the North Carolina Supreme Court. Background Wynn grew up in the Eastern North Carolina community of Robersonville, one of eight children. His family operated a farm on which he worked during his childhood. He holds degrees from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (Bachelor of Arts, Journalism, 1975); Marquette University Law School (Juris Doctor, 1979); and the University of Virginia School of Law (Master of Laws, Judicial Process, 1995). Early career Following graduation from law school, Wynn served for four years on active duty in the Judge Advocate General's Corps, U.S. Navy. He was stationed in Norfolk, Virginia. He continued his service for 26 more years in the U.S. Naval Reserve, which included service as a military judge. He retired in 2009 at the rank of captain. Following his active-duty military service, Wynn briefly served as an Assistant Appellate Defender for the State of North Carolina before joining the Eastern North Carolina law firm of Fitch & Butterfield—later known as Fitch, Butterfield & Wynn (Milton “Toby” Fitch, Jr. and G.K. Butterfield). The legal careers of the firm's partners now include service on the: United States Court of Appeals, 4th Circuit; Supreme Court of North Carolina; North Carolina Court of Appeals; North Carolina Superior Court; United States Congress - House of Representatives; North Carolina General Assembly - State Senate North Carolina General Assembly - State House (Majority Leader) State judicial career From 1990 until his 2010 Senate confirmation to serve on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, Wynn served on both the North Carolina Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court of North Carolina. Federal judicial service Nominations under Clinton On August 5, 1999, President Bill Clinton nominated Wynn to serve on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit to fill a vacancy created by Judge James Dickson Phillips Jr.'s decision to take senior status in 1994. The nomination was part of an effort to integrate the Fourth Circuit, which, despite representing the largest per-capita African American population of any judicial circuit, had never had an African American judge. At the time, the Fourth Circuit was the only circuit to