Kyle Duncan (judge)

Kyle Duncan is a United States Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.

Duncan was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree, summa cum laude, from Louisiana State University in 1994 and a Juris Doctor degree from Columbia Law School in 1997, where he was a James Kent Scholar and articles editor of the Columbia Law Review.

Following law school, Duncan served as a law clerk to Judge Emilio M. Garza of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit from 1997 to 1998. He then worked as an associate at the law firm of Kellogg, Huber, Hansen, Todd & Evans, P.L.L.C. in Washington, D.C., from 1998 to 2001. From 2001 to 2007, he served as an Assistant Solicitor General for the State of Louisiana. He then joined the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, where he served as General Counsel from 2007 to 2019.

On May 8, 2018, President Donald Trump nominated Duncan to serve as a United States Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on October 16, 2018, and received his commission on October 17, 2018.

Duncan is a member of the Federalist Society. He is known for his conservative legal views, particularly on issues related to religious freedom, LGBTQ+ rights, and abortion. He has authored opinions and dissents in cases involving these issues that have attracted significant attention.