Judge Underhill was appointed United States District Judge for the District of Connecticut on July 7, 1999 and was sworn in on September 1, 1999. He has served as Chief Judge of the District since September 1, 2018.
Judge Underhill graduated from the University of Virginia in 1978 with a Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies. In 1981, he received a second Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from Oxford University, which he attended on a Rhodes Scholarship. In 1984, he received his law degree from Yale Law School. At Yale, Judge Underhill served as Articles and Book Reviews Editor of the Yale Law Journal.
Following his graduation from law school, Judge Underhill clerked for Judge Jon O. Newman of the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. Thereafter, he joined Day, Berry & Howard LLP as an associate, resident in the firm’s Stamford, Connecticut office. In 1991, Judge Underhill became a partner of that firm, where he spent the remainder of his career as a lawyer. In private practice, Judge Underhill handled a wide variety of Commercial Litigation, concentrating in Insurance Coverage, Intellectual Property, and Appellate Practice.
Judge Underhill has long been active in the Federal Bar Council and the Federal Practice Section of the Connecticut Bar Association. He served for several years on the Board of Directors of Connecticut Legal Services. Judge Underhill presently serves on the Board of Directors of the Federal Judges Association.