Kenneth Keller Hall
How Judge Hall rules, drawn from 25 signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
Judge Hall no longer hears cases. This profile is preserved as a historical record of how they ruled here.
About Judge Hall
Kenneth Keller Hall was a judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. Appointed by President Gerald Ford, Judge Hall received a commission on September 3, 1976. Judge Hall previously served on the United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia, commissioned there on December 6, 1971. Judge Hall assumed senior status on February 24, 1998 and served until death on July 8, 1999.
How Judge Hall decides
Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
What persuades
Requires the victim's vulnerability to play a role in the defendant's targeting decision before applying the sentencing enhancement.
“the minimum requirement that the victim's vulnerability must ‘play a role’ in the defendant's targeting decision”
In Zimmerman v. Morgan, he reversed allowance of a Virginia homestead exemption in bankruptcy because Morgan had recorded the required instrument in a county where he did not reside, failing the state-law procedure.
“Morgan’s failure to comply with the Virginia homestead exemption statute precludes him from claiming that exemption for bankruptcy purposes.”
Procedural preferences
In Vaughn v. Nissan, Hall vacated the jury verdict because the instructions wrongly required the injured plaintiff herself to be an “ordinary consumer,” and the correct portions of the charge did not cure that error.
“we do not parse a jury charge sentence-by-sentence in search of inartful language or trivial ambiguity, and we ignore such minor irregularities where the charge as a whole adequately and accurately states the law.”
In Kopp v. Director, Office of Workers' Compensation Programs, he transferred a black-lung-benefits petition to the Third Circuit because the miner's coal exposure occurred in Pennsylvania and his filing in his home circuit was a good-faith mistake.
“Claimant’s mistake in filing for review in his home circuit is just the type of good faith mistake that Congress intended 28 U.S.C. § 1631 to remedy.”
Cautions
Treats the federal constitutionality of a patronage dismissal as a federal question even when state anti-patronage law also applies.
“whether a patronage-based dismissal violates the First Amendment is ultimately a question of federal law.”
Applies the warrant exception only when officer reliance on the issuing judge's probable-cause determination is objectively reasonable.
“the officer’s reliance on the magistrate’s probable-cause determination and on the technical sufficiency of the warrant he issues must be objectively reasonable”
Signed rulings
A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.
“Vacated and remanded by published opinion.”
“Vacated and remanded by published opinion.”
“Reversed and remanded by published opinion.”
“Reversed and remanded by published opinion.”
“Reversed and remanded by published opinion.”
“Affirmed in part, vacated in part, and remanded by published opinion.”
“Affirmed in part, reversed in part, vacated in part, and remanded by published opinion.”
“Vacated and remanded by published opinion.”
A historical record
Judge Hall no longer hears cases. This profile stays available as a record of how they ruled here. If you're preparing for a matter, start from the court's current bench.