What IS a CFA Judge Emeritus?

July 7, 2026

Teresa Keiger

Often when a CFA judge retires, the report of their retirement might include the statement that “the board voted to elevate them to emeritus status.” What does this mean, and how is that title bestowed?

At the first CFA Board meeting after a judge’s retirement, that sitting board decides upon whether to award the retiring judge with the judge emeritus title. That decision is based on a set of guidelines and requirements. Some requirements are very clear: the title candidate must have been a CFA judge for at least 20 years and never have been placed under suspension by the CFA board. Other requirements are less precise, but the attributes which they describe are clear.

Over the course of a judging career, the judge should have been regularly active. The judge should have contributed much to the cat fancy during that time, not just in one area. Some areas of activity might include writing research articles pertaining to various areas of feline-husbandry, legislation, and issues concerning pedigreed cats and the cat fancy.

Training new judges and participating in CFA education is another area of achievement considered. Does the judge actively participate in creating new training materials or work in other facets of education?

All judges are considered leaders – judges earning the title of emeritus even more so. This could include holding a CFA office, being a committee chair, or working as an individual towards local/regional outreach regarding cats and animal welfare.

The title of judge emeritus is one of the highest honors a judge can achieve and indicates that the recipient is well-regarded by both their peers and fanciers. You will find the list of all current judge emeritus recipients on this page: https://cfa.org/judges-emeritus/