United States District Court for the District of Pennsylvania
Encyclopedia
The following are former United States district court
s, which ceased to exist because they were subdivided into smaller units. With the exception of California, each of these courts initially covered an entire U.S. state
, and was subdivided as the jurisdictions which they covered increased in population. Two of the district courts - those of South Carolina and New Jersey - were subdivided but later recreated. Every change to the divisions and boundaries of these courts is effected by an act of the United States Congress
, and for each such action, the statutory reference is identified.
was created on April 21, 1820 by . It was subdivided into Northern
and Southern
Districts on March 10, 1824, by . The Middle District
was subsequently formed from parts of these two districts on February 6, 1839, by , with legislation specifying that the Middle District Court was to be held at Tuscaloosa
, the Northern District Court at Huntsville
, and the Southern District Court at Mobile
. The Districts were reorganized on August 7, 1848. Only one judge was ever appointed to the District of Alabama.
}||reassigned to subdivided
districts of Alabama
|}
, originally part of the Louisiana Purchase
, became part of the Missouri Territory
in 1812, when Louisiana
became a state. When Missouri
became a state in 1819, a territorial government, including a territorial court, was organized for Arkansas, taking effect on July 4, 1819. The United States District Court for the District of Arkansas was established with a single judge when Arkansas became a state, on June 15, 1836, by , 51. The court was subdivided into Eastern
and the Western
Districts on March 3, 1851, by .
existed from 1866 to 1886. California was admitted as a state on September 9, 1850, and was initially divided into two districts, the Northern and the Southern, by Act of Congress approved September 28, 1850, . The boundary line was at the 37th parallel of North Latitude. The creating act provided that:
On February 27, 1851, President Millard Fillmore
appointed Ogden Hoffman, Jr.
as the judge presiding over the Northern District. The Act of August 31, 1852, made the Judge of the Northern District be Judge of the Southern District as well until otherwise provided, by , 84, effectively creating a single District in all but name until an Act of January 18, 1854 provided for the appointment of a Judge for the Southern District. The Southern District of California was abolished and the State made to constitute one district by Act of Congress approved July 27, 1866, .
Twenty years later, on August 5, 1886, Congress re-created the Southern District of California (and, by extension, the Northern District) by . Hoffman, who had continued serving as the sole district judge, again became judge of the Northern district only, there continuing in service for five more years. Erskine Mayo Ross
was appointed Judge of the new Southern District and served until his promotion to the Circuit Judgeship, when he was succeeded by Olin Wellborn
.
On March 18, 1966, the Eastern
and Central
Districts were created from portions of the Northern and Southern Districts by .
was admitted as a state, March 3, 1845, Congress enacted legislation creating the United States District Court for the District of Florida, . On February 23, 1847, this District was subdivided into Northern
and Southern
Districts, by . The statute effecting this division set forth the boundaries of the Districts:
The same statute directed the Northern District to hold court at Apalachicola, Florida
, and Pensacola, Florida
.
On July 30, 1962 the Middle
District was created from portions of the other districts by .
was one of the original 13 courts established by the Judiciary Act of 1789
, , on September 24, 1789. The District was subdivided into Northern
and Southern
Districts on August 11, 1848, by . The Middle
District was formed from portions of those two Districts on May 28, 1926, by .
}||||death
|-
| ||James Monroe
||||||resignation
|-
| ||Martin Van Buren
||||||reassigned to subdivided
districts of Georgia
|-
| ||George Washington
||||||resignation
|-
| ||Thomas Jefferson
||||||resignation
|}
The United States District Court for the District of Illinois
was established by a statute passed by the United States Congress
on March 3, 1819, . The act established a single office for a judge to preside over the court. Initially, the court was not within any existing judicial circuit, and appeals from the court were taken directly to the United States Supreme Court. In 1837, Congress created the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
, placing it in Chicago, Illinois and giving it jurisdiction over the District of Illinois, . The District itself was eliminated by a statute passed on February 13, 1855, , under which it was subdivided into the Northern
and the Southern
Districts. The boundaries of the District and the seats of the courts were set forth in the statute:
The district has since been re-organized several times. The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Illinois
was created on March 3, 1905 by , by splitting counties out of the Northern and Southern Districts. It was later eliminated in a reorganization on October 2, 1978 which replaced it with a Central
District, , also formed from parts of the Northern and Southern Districts.
was established on March 3, 1817, by . The District was subdivided into Northern
and Southern
Districts on April 21, 1928, by . Of all district courts to be subdivided, Indiana existed for the longest time as a single court, 111 years.
}||resignation
|-
| ||Andrew Jackson
||||||death
|-
| ||John Tyler, Sr.
||||||death
|-
| ||Abraham Lincoln
||||||death
|-
| ||James Monroe
||||||death
|-
| ||Calvin Coolidge
||||||reassigned to Northern
District of Indiana
|-
| ||Abraham Lincoln
||||||death
|-
| ||Abraham Lincoln
||||||death
|-
| ||Chester A. Arthur
||||||reappointment
|}
was established on March 3, 1845, by . The District was subdivided into Northern
and Southern
Districts on July 20, 1882, by .
was part of one of the original 13 courts established by the Judiciary Act of 1789
, , on September 24, 1789. At the time, Kentucky was not yet a state, but was within the territory of the state of Virginia
. The District was unchanged when Kentucky became a state on June 1, 1792. On February 13, 1801 the Judiciary Act of 1801, , abolished the U.S. district court in Kentucky, but the repeal of this Act restored the District on March 8, 1802, . The District was subdivided into Eastern
and Western
Districts on February 12, 1901, by .
}||death
|-
| ||George Washington
||||||death
|-
| ||Andrew Jackson
||||||resignation
|-
| ||James Madison
||||||reappointment
|}
- the only time Congress provided a territory with a district court equal in its authority and jurisdiction to those of the states. The United States District Court for the District of Louisiana
was established on April 8, 1812, by , several weeks before Louisiana was formally admitted as a state of the union. The District was thereafter subdivided and reformed several times. It was first subdivided into Eastern
and Western
Districts on March 3, 1823, by .
On February 13, 1845, Louisiana was reorganized into a single District with one judgeship, by , but was again divided into Eastern and the Western Districts on March 3, 1849, by . Congress again abolished the Western District of Louisiana and reorganized Louisiana as a single judicial district on July 27, 1866, by . On March 3, 1881, by , Louisiana was for a third time divided into Eastern and the Western Districts, with one judgeship authorized for each. The Middle
District was formed from portions of those two Districts on December 18, 1971, by .
During the course of its frequent subdivisions and reunifications, four judges served as judge of the District of Louisiana: Dominic Augustin Hall
, (1812–1820), John Dick
, (1821–1823), Theodore Howard McCaleb
(1845–1849), and Edward Henry Durell
(1866–1874). Hall was appointed to the District of Louisiana twice. He briefly resigned from the District Court to serve as a Justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court
. He was shortly thereafter reappointed to the same seat on the District Court, which had remained vacant in his absence.
was established on July 1, 1836, by , with a single judgeship. The district court was not assigned to a judicial circuit, but was granted the same jurisdiction as United States circuit court
s, except in appeals and writs of error, which were the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court. Due to the so-called "Toledo War
", a boundary dispute with Ohio
, Michigan did not become a state of the Union until January 26, 1837. On March 3, 1837, Congress
passed an act that repealed the circuit court jurisdiction of the U.S. District Court for the District of Michigan, assigned the District of Michigan to the Seventh Circuit
, and established a U.S. circuit court for the district, .
On July 15, 1862, Congress reorganized the circuits and assigned Michigan to the Eighth Circuit
by , and on January 28, 1863, the Congress again reorganized Seventh and Eight Circuits and assigned Michigan to the Seventh Circuit, by . On February 24, 1863, Congress divided the District of Michigan into the Eastern
and the Western
Districts, with one judgeship authorized for each district, by .
Ross Wilkins
was the only district judge to serve the District of Michigan. He was nominated by President Andrew Jackson
on July 2, 1836, to the newly created seat, and was confirmed by the United States Senate
on July 2, 1836. He received his commission on January 26, 1837. Upon termination of the District of Michigan, Wilkins was reassigned to the Eastern District of Michigan.
was established on April 3, 1818, by . It existed for over twenty years, and was subdivided into Northern
and Southern
Districts on June 18, 1838, by :
}||resignation
|-
| ||James Monroe
||||||death
|-
| ||James Monroe
||||||death
|}
was established on March 16, 1822, by . However, an act of Congress passed in 1845 and upheld by the United States Supreme Court in 1851, extendeding federal admiralty jurisdiction to inland waterways, resulted in a substantial increase in the number of admiralty
cases arising from traffic on the Mississippi River
. These disputes involved "contracts of affreightment, collisions, mariners' wages, and other causes of admiralty jurisdiction", and litigants of matters arising in the port city of St. Louis
found it inconvenient to travel far inland to Jefferson City
for their cases to be tried. The District was therefore subdivided into Eastern
and Western
Districts on March 3, 1857, by .
}||||death
|-
| Robert William Wells
||Andrew Jackson
||||||reassigned to Western
District of Missouri
|}
was one of the original 13 courts established by the Judiciary Act of 1789
, , on September 24, 1789. The District was subdivided into the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New Jersey and the United States District Court for the Western District of New Jersey on February 13, 1801, by the Judiciary Act of 1801, , with the judicial districts being headquartered in New Brunswick
and Burlington
, respectively. The repeal of the 1801 Act on March 8, 1802, by , restored New Jersey
as a single judicial district. The only judge to serve on the briefly subdivided courts was Robert Morris
, who had begun serving as a recess appointment
to the District of New Jersey on August 28, 1790 and continued serving after the restoration of the single court, until June 2, 1815.
was one of the original 13 courts established by the Judiciary Act of 1789
, , on September 24, 1789. It existed for nearly twenty-five years before, on April 9, 1814, New York was divided into Northern
and Southern
Districts by . These Districts were later further subdivided with the creation of Eastern
District on February 25, 1865 by , and the Western
District on May 12, 1900, by .
}||||resignation
|-
| ||George Washington
||||||resignation
|-
| ||John Adams
||||||death
|-
| ||Thomas Jefferson
||||||reassigned to Northern District of New York
|-
| ||James Madison
||||||reassigned to Southern District of New York
|}
has a unique history among defunct district courts. It was established on June 4, 1790, by . On June 9, 1794 it was subdivided into three districts by , but on March 3, 1797, the three districts were abolished and the single District restored by , until April 29, 1802, when the state was again subdivided into three different districts by .
In both instances, these districts, unlike those with geographic designations that existed in other states, were titled by the names of the cities in which the courts sat. After the first division, they were styled the District of Edenton, the District of New Bern, and the District of Wilmington; after the second division, they were styled the District of Albemarle, the District of Cape Fear, and the District of Pamptico. However, in both instances, only one judge was authorized to serve all three districts, causing them to effectively operate as a single district. The latter combination was occasionally referred to by the cumbersome title of the United States District Court for the Albemarle, Cape Fear & Pamptico Districts of North Carolina. Judge Henry Potter
's 55 years of service on this court during the period in which the state contained a single district, from April 1802 to December 1857, represents one of the longest terms ever held by a United States federal judge.
On June 4, 1872, North Carolina was re-divided into two Districts, Eastern
and Western
, by . The Middle
District was created from portions of the Eastern and Western Districts on March 2, 1927, by .
}||death
|-
| ||George Washington
||||||death
|-
| ||Thomas Jefferson
||||||death
|-
| ||James Buchanan
||||||resignation; became a
judge of Confederacy
|-
| ||Andrew Johnson
||||||reassigned to Eastern
District of North Carolina
|-
|}
was established on February 19, 1803, by . The District was subdivided into Northern
and Southern
Districts on February 10, 1855, by .
}||||death
|-
| ||John Quincy Adams
||||||nomination rejected
by the Senate
|-
| ||Andrew Jackson
||||||nomination rejected
by the Senate
|-
| ||Andrew Jackson
||||||reassigned to Southern
District of Ohio
|}
was one of the original 13 courts established by the Judiciary Act of 1789
, , on September 24, 1789. It was subdivided on April 20, 1818, by , into the Eastern
and Western
Districts, to be headquartered in Philadelphia
and Pittsburgh
, respectively. Portions of these districts were subsequently subdivided into the Middle
District on March 2, 1901, by .
}||death
|-
| William Lewis
||George Washington
||||||resignation
|-
| Richard Peters, Jr.
||George Washington
||||||reassigned to Eastern
District of Pennsylvania
|}
was one of the original 13 courts established by the Judiciary Act of 1789
, , on September 24, 1789. It was subdivided into the United States District Court for the Eastern District of South Carolina and the United States District Court for the Western District of South Carolina Districts on February 21, 1823 by . The Eastern District was headquartered at Florence
, and the Western District was headquartered in Greenville
. The division was solely for the purposes of holding court - a single judge presided over both districts, and the act authorized no additional court staff.
In 1898 the United States Supreme Court held in Barrett v. United States
that South Carolina
legally constituted a single judicial district. Congress made a more explicit effort to subdivide the District on March 3, 1911, by , . South Carolina was again Eastern and the Western Districts, with one judgeship authorized to serve both districts, effective January 1, 1912. Congress finally authorized an additional judgeship for the Western District, and assigned the sitting judge exclusively to the Eastern District, on March 3, 1915, by . However, on October 7, 1965, by , South Carolina was reorganized as a single judicial district with four judgeships authorized for the district court. It has since remained a single District.
Judges of both the Eastern and Western Districts of South Carolina:
Judges of only the Eastern District of South Carolina:
}||-||death
|-
| Francis Kerschner Myers
||Franklin D. Roosevelt
||||||-||death
|-
| Charles Earl Simons, Jr.
||Lyndon B. Johnson
||||||-||reassigned to District
of South Carolina
|-
| Julius Waties Waring
||Franklin D. Roosevelt
||||||||death
|-
| Ashton Hilliard Williams
||Harry S. Truman
||||||-||death
|}
Judges of only the Western District of South Carolina:
}||-||death
|-
| Henry Hitt Watkins
||Woodrow Wilson
||||||||death
|-
| Charles Cecil Wyche
||Franklin D. Roosevelt
||||||-||reassigned to District
of South Carolina
|}
's appointment of John McNairy
. Since Congress failed to assign the district to a circuit, the court had the jurisdiction of both a district court and a circuit court. Appeals from this one district court went directly to the United States Supreme Court.
On February 13, 1801, in the famous "Midnight Judges" Act of 1801, , Congress abolished the U.S. district court in Tennessee, and expanded the number of circuits to six, provided for independent circuit court judgeships, and abolished the necessity of Supreme Court Justices riding the circuits. It was this legislation which created the grandfather of the present Sixth Circuit. The act provided for a "Sixth Circuit" comprising two districts in the State of Tennessee, one district in the State of Kentucky and one district, called the Ohio District, composed of the Ohio and Indiana territories (the latter including the present State of Michigan). The new Sixth Circuit Court was to be held at "Bairdstown" in the District of Kentucky, at Knoxville in the District of East Tennessee, at Nashville in the District of West Tennessee, and at Cincinnati in the District of Ohio. Unlike the other circuits which were provided with three circuit judges, the Sixth Circuit was to have only one circuit judge with district judges from Kentucky and Tennessee comprising the rest of the court. Any two judges constituted a quorum. New circuit judgeships were to be created as district judgeships in Kentucky and Tennessee became vacant.
The repeal of this Act restored the District on March 8, 1802, . The District was divided into the Eastern
and Western
Districts on April 29, 1802. On February 24, 1807, Congress again abolished the two districts and created the United States Circuit for the District of Tennessee. On March 3, 1837, Congress assigned the judicial district of Tennessee to the Eighth Circuit. On June 18, 1839, by , Congress divided Tennessee into three districts, Eastern, Middle, and Western. Again, only one judgeship was allotted for all three districts. On July 15, 1862, Congress reassigned appellate jurisdiction to the Sixth Circuit. Finally, on June 14, 1878, Congress authorized a separate judgeship for each district of Tennessee.
The United States District Court for the District of Texas
was established on December 29, 1845, by . and based in Galveston
, then the largest city in the state. John Charles Watrous
, appointed to the court by President James K. Polk
in May 1846, was the only federal judge to sit for the district. The District was subdivided into Eastern
and Western
Districts on February 21, 1857, by . When the District was subdivided, Watrous continued as judge for the Eastern District only, while Thomas Howard DuVal
was appointed to the Western District. Watrous continued serving in the Eastern District until 1870. From these Districts, Texas was further subdivided with the creation of a Northern
District on February 24, 1879, by . The new Southern
District was created on March 11, 1902, by .
was one of the original 13 courts established by the Judiciary Act of 1789
, , on September 24, 1789.
On February 13, 1801, the Judiciary Act of 1801, , divided Virginia into three judicial districts: the District of Virginia, which included the counties west of the Tidewater and south of the Rappahannock River
; the District of Norfolk, which included the Tidewater counties south of the Rappahannock; and the District of Potomac
, which included the counties north and east of the Rappahannock as well as Maryland
counties along the Potomac. Just over a year later, on March 8, 1802, the Judiciary Act of 1801 was repealed and Virginia became a single District again, , effective July 1, 1802.
The District of Virginia was subdivided into Eastern
and Western
Districts on February 4, 1819, by . At that time, West Virginia
was still part of Virginia, and was encompassed in Virginia's Western District. With the division of West Virginia from Virginia during the American Civil War
, the Western District of Virginia became the District of West Virginia, and those parts of the Western District that were not part of West Virginia were combined with the Eastern District to again form a single District of Virginia on June 11, 1864, by . Congress again divided Virginia into Eastern and the Western Districts on February 3, 1871, by .
}||reassigned to Eastern
District of Virginia
|-
| ||James Madison
||||||death
|-
| ||Abraham Lincoln
||||||reassigned to Eastern
District of Virginia
|}
and Western
Districts on March 2, 1905, by . Only one judge was ever appointed to the District of Washington.
split from the state of Virginia during the American Civil War
. At that time, Virginia was already divided into an Eastern and Western District. Congress reorganized the Western District of Virginia to conform to the boundaries of the new state of West Virginia, renaming it the United States District Court for the District of West Virginia on June 11, 1864, by . This District was subdivided into Northern
and Southern
Districts on January 22, 1901, by .
John Jay Jackson, Jr.
, who had been appointed by Abraham Lincoln
to what was then the Western District of Virginia, became the first judge of the District of West Virginia. He remained the only judge on that court until its subdivision.
was established on May 29, 1848, by . It was subdivided into Eastern
and Western
Districts on June 30, 1870, by . Only one judge was ever appointed to the District of Wisconsin.
}||||reassigned to Eastern
District of Wisconsin
|}
United States district court
The United States district courts are the general trial courts of the United States federal court system. Both civil and criminal cases are filed in the district court, which is a court of law, equity, and admiralty. There is a United States bankruptcy court associated with each United States...
s, which ceased to exist because they were subdivided into smaller units. With the exception of California, each of these courts initially covered an entire U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
, and was subdivided as the jurisdictions which they covered increased in population. Two of the district courts - those of South Carolina and New Jersey - were subdivided but later recreated. Every change to the divisions and boundaries of these courts is effected by an act of the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
, and for each such action, the statutory reference is identified.
Alabama
The United States District Court for the District of AlabamaAlabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
was created on April 21, 1820 by . It was subdivided into Northern
United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama
The United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama is the Federal district court whose jurisdiction comprises the following counties: Bibb, Blount, Calhoun, Cherokee, Clay, Cleburne, Colbert, Cullman, De Kalb, Etowah, Fayette, Franklin, Greene, Jackson, Jefferson, Lamar,...
and Southern
United States District Court for the Southern District of Alabama
The United States District Court for the Southern District of Alabama is the Federal district court whose jurisdiction comprises the following counties: Baldwin, Choctaw, Clarke, Conecuh, Dallas, Escambia, Hale, Marengo, Mobile, Monroe, Perry, Washington, and Wilcox...
Districts on March 10, 1824, by . The Middle District
United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama
The United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama is the Federal district court whose jurisdiction comprises the following counties: Autauga, Barbour, Bullock, Butler, Chambers, Chilton, Coffee, Coosa, Covington, Crenshaw, Dale, Elmore, Geneva, Henry, Houston, Lee, Lowndes,...
was subsequently formed from parts of these two districts on February 6, 1839, by , with legislation specifying that the Middle District Court was to be held at Tuscaloosa
Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Tuscaloosa is a city in and the seat of Tuscaloosa County in west central Alabama . Located on the Black Warrior River, it is the fifth-largest city in Alabama, with a population of 90,468 in 2010...
, the Northern District Court at Huntsville
Huntsville, Alabama
Huntsville is a city located primarily in Madison County in the central part of the far northern region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Huntsville is the county seat of Madison County. The city extends west into neighboring Limestone County. Huntsville's population was 180,105 as of the 2010 Census....
, and the Southern District Court at Mobile
Mobile, Alabama
Mobile is the third most populous city in the Southern US state of Alabama and is the county seat of Mobile County. It is located on the Mobile River and the central Gulf Coast of the United States. The population within the city limits was 195,111 during the 2010 census. It is the largest...
. The Districts were reorganized on August 7, 1848. Only one judge was ever appointed to the District of Alabama.
| Judge | Appointed by | Began active service |
Ended active service |
End reason |
| Charles Tait Charles Tait Charles Tait was an American politician. A Democratic Republican, he served as a United States Senator from Georgia and later as a United States federal judge.-Early life:... |
James Monroe James Monroe James Monroe was the fifth President of the United States . Monroe was the last president who was a Founding Father of the United States, and the last president from the Virginia dynasty and the Republican Generation... |
districts of Alabama
|}
Arkansas
ArkansasArkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
, originally part of the Louisiana Purchase
Louisiana Purchase
The Louisiana Purchase was the acquisition by the United States of America of of France's claim to the territory of Louisiana in 1803. The U.S...
, became part of the Missouri Territory
Missouri Territory
The Territory of Missouri was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from June 4, 1812 until August 10, 1821, when the southeastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Missouri.-History:...
in 1812, when Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
became a state. When Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
became a state in 1819, a territorial government, including a territorial court, was organized for Arkansas, taking effect on July 4, 1819. The United States District Court for the District of Arkansas was established with a single judge when Arkansas became a state, on June 15, 1836, by , 51. The court was subdivided into Eastern
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas
The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas is the United States District Court whose jurisdiction comprises the following counties: Arkansas, Chicot, Clay, Cleburne, Cleveland, Conway, Craighead, Conway, Crittenden, Cross, Dallas, Dehsa, Drew, Faulkner, Fulton, Grant,...
and the Western
United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas
The United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas is a United States District Court whose jurisdiction comprises the following counties: Ashley, Baxter, Benton, Boone, Bradley, Calhoun, Carroll, Clarke, Columbia, Crawford, Franklin, Garland, Hempstead, Hot Springs, Howard,...
Districts on March 3, 1851, by .
| Judge | Appointed by | Began active service |
Ended active service |
End reason |
| Benjamin Johnson Benjamin Johnson (judge) Benjamin Johnson was a United States federal judge.Born in Scott County, Kentucky, Johnson was a planter in Scott County. He read law to be admitted to the bar, and established a private practice in Georgetown, Kentucky. He became a Kentucky circuit judge, and was a U.S. Territorial Judge of the U.S... |
Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States . Based in frontier Tennessee, Jackson was a politician and army general who defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend , and the British at the Battle of New Orleans... |
death | ||
| Daniel Ringo Daniel Ringo Daniel Ringo was a United States federal judge in Arkansas who sided with the Confederacy during the American Civil War.-Biography:Born in Cross Plains, Kentucky, Ringo read law to enter the Bar in 1830... |
Zachary Taylor Zachary Taylor Zachary Taylor was the 12th President of the United States and an American military leader. Initially uninterested in politics, Taylor nonetheless ran as a Whig in the 1848 presidential election, defeating Lewis Cass... |
reassigned to subdivided districts of Arkansas |
California
The United States District Court for the District of CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
existed from 1866 to 1886. California was admitted as a state on September 9, 1850, and was initially divided into two districts, the Northern and the Southern, by Act of Congress approved September 28, 1850, . The boundary line was at the 37th parallel of North Latitude. The creating act provided that:
- In addition to the ordinary jurisdiction and powers of a District Court of the United States, with which the Southern District Court of New YorkUnited States District Court for the Southern District of New YorkThe United States District Court for the Southern District of New York is a federal district court. Appeals from the Southern District of New York are taken to the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit The United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (in case...
has been invested, the said Courts be and hereby are invested respectively within the limits of its district with the exercise of concurrent jurisdiction and power in all civil cases now exercised by the Circuit Courts of the United States; and that in all cases where said Courts shall exercise such jurisdiction, appeals may be taken from the judgments, orders or decrees of said Courts to the Supreme Court of the United StatesSupreme Court of the United StatesThe Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
.
On February 27, 1851, President Millard Fillmore
Millard Fillmore
Millard Fillmore was the 13th President of the United States and the last member of the Whig Party to hold the office of president...
appointed Ogden Hoffman, Jr.
Ogden Hoffman, Jr.
Ogden Hoffman, Jr. was a United States federal judge.He was born in New York City, son of Ogden Hoffman. He received an A.B. from Columbia University in 1840 and an LL.B. from Harvard Law School in 1842...
as the judge presiding over the Northern District. The Act of August 31, 1852, made the Judge of the Northern District be Judge of the Southern District as well until otherwise provided, by , 84, effectively creating a single District in all but name until an Act of January 18, 1854 provided for the appointment of a Judge for the Southern District. The Southern District of California was abolished and the State made to constitute one district by Act of Congress approved July 27, 1866, .
Twenty years later, on August 5, 1886, Congress re-created the Southern District of California (and, by extension, the Northern District) by . Hoffman, who had continued serving as the sole district judge, again became judge of the Northern district only, there continuing in service for five more years. Erskine Mayo Ross
Erskine Mayo Ross
-External links:*...
was appointed Judge of the new Southern District and served until his promotion to the Circuit Judgeship, when he was succeeded by Olin Wellborn
Olin Wellborn
Olin Wellborn was an American politician. He served in the United States House of Representatives from Texas.-Early years:...
.
On March 18, 1966, the Eastern
United States District Court for the Eastern District of California
The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California is composed of six divisions.The Bakersfield division has jurisdiction over certain cases in Inyo and Kern counties and on federal lands and National Parks...
and Central
United States District Court for the Central District of California
The United States District Court for the Central District of California serves over 18 million people in southern and central California, making it the largest federal judicial district by population...
Districts were created from portions of the Northern and Southern Districts by .
| Judge | Appointed by | Began active service |
Ended active service |
End reason |
| Ogden Hoffman, Jr. Ogden Hoffman, Jr. Ogden Hoffman, Jr. was a United States federal judge.He was born in New York City, son of Ogden Hoffman. He received an A.B. from Columbia University in 1840 and an LL.B. from Harvard Law School in 1842... |
Millard Fillmore Millard Fillmore Millard Fillmore was the 13th President of the United States and the last member of the Whig Party to hold the office of president... |
reassigned to Northern District of California |
Florida
On the same day that FloridaFlorida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
was admitted as a state, March 3, 1845, Congress enacted legislation creating the United States District Court for the District of Florida, . On February 23, 1847, this District was subdivided into Northern
United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida
The United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida is the federal United States district court with jurisdiction over the northern part of the state of Florida....
and Southern
United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida
The United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida is the federal United States district court with jurisdiction over the southern part of the state of Florida....
Districts, by . The statute effecting this division set forth the boundaries of the Districts:
- [T]hat part of the State of Florida lying south of a line drawn due east and west from the northern point of Charlotte HarborCharlotte Harbor, FloridaCharlotte Harbor is a census-designated place in Charlotte County, Florida, United States. The population was 3,647 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Punta Gorda Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
, including the islands, keys, reefs, shoals, harbors, bays and inlets, south of said line, shall be erected into a new judicial district, to be called the Southern District of Florida; a District Court shall be held in said Southern District, to consist of one judge, who shall reside at Key WestKey West, FloridaKey West is a city in Monroe County, Florida, United States. The city encompasses the island of Key West, the part of Stock Island north of U.S. 1 , Sigsbee Park , Fleming Key , and Sunset Key...
, in said district...
The same statute directed the Northern District to hold court at Apalachicola, Florida
Apalachicola, Florida
Apalachicola is a city in Franklin County, Florida, on US 98 about southwest of Tallahassee. The population was 2,334 at the 2000 census. The 2005 census estimated the city's population at 2,340...
, and Pensacola, Florida
Pensacola, Florida
Pensacola is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle and the county seat of Escambia County, Florida, United States of America. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 56,255 and as of 2009, the estimated population was 53,752...
.
On July 30, 1962 the Middle
United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida
The United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida serves the residents of thirty-five counties from eight courthouses....
District was created from portions of the other districts by .
| Judge | Appointed by | Began active service |
Ended active service |
End reason |
| Isaac H. Bronson Isaac H. Bronson Isaac Hopkins Bronson was a United States federal judge and U.S. Representative from New York.Bronson was born either in Waterbury, Connecticut or Rutland, New York.... |
James K. Polk James K. Polk James Knox Polk was the 11th President of the United States . Polk was born in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. He later lived in and represented Tennessee. A Democrat, Polk served as the 17th Speaker of the House of Representatives and the 12th Governor of Tennessee... |
reassigned to Northern District of Florida |
Georgia
The United States District Court for the District of GeorgiaGeorgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
was one of the original 13 courts established by the Judiciary Act of 1789
Judiciary Act of 1789
The United States Judiciary Act of 1789 was a landmark statute adopted on September 24, 1789 in the first session of the First United States Congress establishing the U.S. federal judiciary...
, , on September 24, 1789. The District was subdivided into Northern
United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia
The United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia is a United States District Court which serves the residents of forty-six counties...
and Southern
United States District Court for the Southern District of Georgia
The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia is a United States District Court which serves the residents of thirty-four counties in Georgia through six divisions....
Districts on August 11, 1848, by . The Middle
United States District Court for the Middle District of Georgia
The U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia is a United States District Court which serves the residents of sixty-nine counties from seven divisions from its headquarters in Macon, Georgia....
District was formed from portions of those two Districts on May 28, 1926, by .
| Judge | Appointed by | Began active service |
Ended active service |
End reason |
| George Washington George Washington George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of... |
reappointment | |||
| James Monroe James Monroe James Monroe was the fifth President of the United States . Monroe was the last president who was a Founding Father of the United States, and the last president from the Virginia dynasty and the Republican Generation... |
|-
| ||James Monroe
James Monroe
James Monroe was the fifth President of the United States . Monroe was the last president who was a Founding Father of the United States, and the last president from the Virginia dynasty and the Republican Generation...
||||||resignation
|-
| ||Martin Van Buren
Martin Van Buren
Martin Van Buren was the eighth President of the United States . Before his presidency, he was the eighth Vice President and the tenth Secretary of State, under Andrew Jackson ....
||||||reassigned to subdivided
districts of Georgia
|-
| ||George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
||||||resignation
|-
| ||Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
||||||resignation
|}
Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
was established by a statute passed by the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
on March 3, 1819, . The act established a single office for a judge to preside over the court. Initially, the court was not within any existing judicial circuit, and appeals from the court were taken directly to the United States Supreme Court. In 1837, Congress created the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the courts in the following districts:* Central District of Illinois* Northern District of Illinois...
, placing it in Chicago, Illinois and giving it jurisdiction over the District of Illinois, . The District itself was eliminated by a statute passed on February 13, 1855, , under which it was subdivided into the Northern
United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
The United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois is the trial-level court with jurisdiction over the northern counties of Illinois....
and the Southern
United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois
The United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois is a Federal district court covering approximately the southern half of the state of Illinois....
Districts. The boundaries of the District and the seats of the courts were set forth in the statute:
- The counties of HancockHancock County, IllinoisHancock County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 19,104, which is a decrease of 5.1% from 20,121 in 2000. Its county seat is Carthage. Hamilton is the largest city in Hancock County, with Carthage being the second largest...
, McDonough, PeoriaPeoria County, IllinoisPeoria County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 186,494, which is an increase of 1.7% from 183,433 in 2000. Its county seat is Peoria....
, Woodford, LivingstonLivingston County, IllinoisLivingston County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 38,950, which is a decrease of 1.8% from 39,678 in 2000. Its county seat is Pontiac....
, and IroquoisIroquois County, IllinoisIroquois County is a county located in the northeast part of the U.S. state of Illinois along the border with Indiana. It is the third largest county in the state in terms of area, covering over . According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 29,718, which is a decrease of 5.2% from 31,334...
, and all the counties in the said State north of them, shall compose one district, to be called the northern district of Illinois, and courts shall be held for the said district at the city of Chicago; and the residue of the counties of the said State shall compose another district, to be called the southern district of Illinois, and courts shall be held for the same at the city of SpringfieldSpringfield, IllinoisSpringfield is the third and current capital of the US state of Illinois and the county seat of Sangamon County with a population of 117,400 , making it the sixth most populated city in the state and the second most populated Illinois city outside of the Chicago Metropolitan Area...
.
The district has since been re-organized several times. The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Illinois
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Illinois
The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Illinois is a former federal district court for the state of Illinois. The court was established March 3, 1905, by 33 Stat. 992. The Northern and Southern Districts had been established February 13, 1855...
was created on March 3, 1905 by , by splitting counties out of the Northern and Southern Districts. It was later eliminated in a reorganization on October 2, 1978 which replaced it with a Central
United States District Court for the Central District of Illinois
The U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois serves the residents of forty-six counties from its four courthouses...
District, , also formed from parts of the Northern and Southern Districts.
| Judge | Appointed by | Began active service |
Ended active service |
End reason |
| Thomas Drummond Thomas Drummond (judge) Thomas Drummond , was a United States federal judge.Born in Bristol Mills, Maine, Drummond graduated from Bowdoin College in 1830, and read law to enter the Bar in Philadelphia in 1833. He had a private practice in Galena, Illinois, from 1835 to 1850... |
Zachary Taylor Zachary Taylor Zachary Taylor was the 12th President of the United States and an American military leader. Initially uninterested in politics, Taylor nonetheless ran as a Whig in the 1848 presidential election, defeating Lewis Cass... |
reassigned to Northern District of Illinois |
||
| Nathaniel Pope Nathaniel Pope Nathaniel Pope was a politician and jurist from the U.S. state of Illinois.-Early life, education, and career:... |
James Monroe James Monroe James Monroe was the fifth President of the United States . Monroe was the last president who was a Founding Father of the United States, and the last president from the Virginia dynasty and the Republican Generation... |
death |
Indiana
The United States District Court for the District of IndianaIndiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
was established on March 3, 1817, by . The District was subdivided into Northern
United States District Court for the Northern District of Indiana
The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana was created in 1928 by an act of Congress that split Indiana into two separate districts, northern and southern. As part of the act, the Northern District was divided into three divisions, South Bend, Fort Wayne and Hammond...
and Southern
United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana
The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana was created in 1928 by an act of Congress that split Indiana into two separate districts, northern and southern. The Southern District is divided into four divisions, Indianapolis, Terre Haute, Evansville and New Albany...
Districts on April 21, 1928, by . Of all district courts to be subdivided, Indiana existed for the longest time as a single court, 111 years.
| Judge | Appointed by | Began active service |
Ended active service |
End reason |
| Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity... |
reappointment | |||
| Benjamin Harrison Benjamin Harrison Benjamin Harrison was the 23rd President of the United States . Harrison, a grandson of President William Henry Harrison, was born in North Bend, Ohio, and moved to Indianapolis, Indiana at age 21, eventually becoming a prominent politician there... |
retirement | |||
| Calvin Coolidge Calvin Coolidge John Calvin Coolidge, Jr. was the 30th President of the United States . A Republican lawyer from Vermont, Coolidge worked his way up the ladder of Massachusetts state politics, eventually becoming governor of that state... |
reassigned to Southern District of Indiana |
|||
| Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America... |
|-
| ||Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States . Based in frontier Tennessee, Jackson was a politician and army general who defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend , and the British at the Battle of New Orleans...
||||||death
|-
| ||John Tyler, Sr.
John Tyler, Sr.
John Tyler Sr. was a Virginia planter, judge, 15th Governor of Virginia and the father of the 10th President of the United States, John Tyler....
||||||death
|-
| ||Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
||||||death
|-
| ||James Monroe
James Monroe
James Monroe was the fifth President of the United States . Monroe was the last president who was a Founding Father of the United States, and the last president from the Virginia dynasty and the Republican Generation...
||||||death
|-
| ||Calvin Coolidge
Calvin Coolidge
John Calvin Coolidge, Jr. was the 30th President of the United States . A Republican lawyer from Vermont, Coolidge worked his way up the ladder of Massachusetts state politics, eventually becoming governor of that state...
||||||reassigned to Northern
District of Indiana
|-
| ||Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
||||||death
|-
| ||Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
||||||death
|-
| ||Chester A. Arthur
Chester A. Arthur
Chester Alan Arthur was the 21st President of the United States . Becoming President after the assassination of President James A. Garfield, Arthur struggled to overcome suspicions of his beginnings as a politician from the New York City Republican machine, succeeding at that task by embracing...
||||||reappointment
|}
Iowa
The United States District Court for the District of IowaIowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
was established on March 3, 1845, by . The District was subdivided into Northern
United States District Court for the Northern District of Iowa
The United States District Court for the Northern District of Iowa has jurisdiction over fifty-two of Iowa's ninety-nine counties. It is subject to the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals The United States District Court for the Northern District of Iowa (in case citations, N.D. Iowa) has jurisdiction...
and Southern
United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa
The United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa has jurisdiction over forty-seven of Iowa's ninety-nine counties. It is subject to the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals The United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa (in case citations, S.D. Iowa) has...
Districts on July 20, 1882, by .
| Judge | Appointed by | Began active service |
Ended active service |
End reason |
| John James Dyer John James Dyer John James Dyer was a the first United States federal judge in Iowa.Born in Franklin, Virginia, Dyer graduated from Staunton Law School in 1833. He was in private practice in Pendleton County, Virginia from 1833 to 1845, also serving during that pariod as Commonwealth attorney of Pendleton County... |
James K. Polk James K. Polk James Knox Polk was the 11th President of the United States . Polk was born in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. He later lived in and represented Tennessee. A Democrat, Polk served as the 17th Speaker of the House of Representatives and the 12th Governor of Tennessee... |
death | ||
| James M. Love James M. Love James M. Love was a longtime United States federal judge in Iowa, presiding in district courts for over thirty-five years during the Nineteenth Century.... |
Franklin Pierce Franklin Pierce Franklin Pierce was the 14th President of the United States and is the only President from New Hampshire. Pierce was a Democrat and a "doughface" who served in the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate. Pierce took part in the Mexican-American War and became a brigadier general in the Army... |
reassigned to Southern District of Iowa |
Kentucky
The United States District Court for the District of KentuckyKentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
was part of one of the original 13 courts established by the Judiciary Act of 1789
Judiciary Act of 1789
The United States Judiciary Act of 1789 was a landmark statute adopted on September 24, 1789 in the first session of the First United States Congress establishing the U.S. federal judiciary...
, , on September 24, 1789. At the time, Kentucky was not yet a state, but was within the territory of the state of Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
. The District was unchanged when Kentucky became a state on June 1, 1792. On February 13, 1801 the Judiciary Act of 1801, , abolished the U.S. district court in Kentucky, but the repeal of this Act restored the District on March 8, 1802, . The District was subdivided into Eastern
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky
The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky is the Federal district court whose jurisdiction comprises approximately the Eastern half of the state of Kentucky....
and Western
United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky
The United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky is the federal district court for the western part of the state of Kentucky....
Districts on February 12, 1901, by .
| Judge | Appointed by | Began active service |
Ended active service |
End reason |
| Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and... |
death | |||
| Rutherford B. Hayes Rutherford B. Hayes Rutherford Birchard Hayes was the 19th President of the United States . As president, he oversaw the end of Reconstruction and the United States' entry into the Second Industrial Revolution... |
retirement | |||
| John Quincy Adams John Quincy Adams John Quincy Adams was the sixth President of the United States . He served as an American diplomat, Senator, and Congressional representative. He was a member of the Federalist, Democratic-Republican, National Republican, and later Anti-Masonic and Whig parties. Adams was the son of former... |
death | |||
| William McKinley William McKinley William McKinley, Jr. was the 25th President of the United States . He is best known for winning fiercely fought elections, while supporting the gold standard and high tariffs; he succeeded in forging a Republican coalition that for the most part dominated national politics until the 1930s... |
reassigned to Western District of Kentucky |
|||
| Rutherford B. Hayes Rutherford B. Hayes Rutherford Birchard Hayes was the 19th President of the United States . As president, he oversaw the end of Reconstruction and the United States' entry into the Second Industrial Revolution... |
|-
| ||George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
||||||death
|-
| ||Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States . Based in frontier Tennessee, Jackson was a politician and army general who defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend , and the British at the Battle of New Orleans...
||||||resignation
|-
| ||James Madison
James Madison
James Madison, Jr. was an American statesman and political theorist. He was the fourth President of the United States and is hailed as the “Father of the Constitution” for being the primary author of the United States Constitution and at first an opponent of, and then a key author of the United...
||||||reappointment
|}
Louisiana
On March 26, 1804, Congress organized the Territory of Orleans and created the United States District Court for the District of OrleansUnited States District Court for the District of Orleans
The United States District Court for the District of Orleans was a United States district court created on March 26, 1804, by 2 Stat. 283, to resolve disputes in the Territory of Orleans, the portion of the Louisiana Purchase south of the 33rd parallel....
- the only time Congress provided a territory with a district court equal in its authority and jurisdiction to those of the states. The United States District Court for the District of Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
was established on April 8, 1812, by , several weeks before Louisiana was formally admitted as a state of the union. The District was thereafter subdivided and reformed several times. It was first subdivided into Eastern
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana
The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana is a federal trial court based in New Orleans. Like all U.S...
and Western
United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana
The United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana is a United States federal court with jurisdiction over approximately two thirds of the state of Louisiana, with courts in Alexandria, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Monroe and Shreveport...
Districts on March 3, 1823, by .
On February 13, 1845, Louisiana was reorganized into a single District with one judgeship, by , but was again divided into Eastern and the Western Districts on March 3, 1849, by . Congress again abolished the Western District of Louisiana and reorganized Louisiana as a single judicial district on July 27, 1866, by . On March 3, 1881, by , Louisiana was for a third time divided into Eastern and the Western Districts, with one judgeship authorized for each. The Middle
United States District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana
The United States Court for the Middle District of Louisiana comprises the parishes of Ascension, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Iberville, Livingston, Pointe Coupee, Saint Helena, West Baton Rouge, and West Feliciana. Court is held at the United States Courthouse in Baton Rouge, Louisiana...
District was formed from portions of those two Districts on December 18, 1971, by .
During the course of its frequent subdivisions and reunifications, four judges served as judge of the District of Louisiana: Dominic Augustin Hall
Dominic Augustin Hall
Dominic Augustin Hall was a United States federal judge, appointed by two different presidents to four federal judicial positions....
, (1812–1820), John Dick
John Dick (judge)
John Dick was a United States federal judge in Louisiana.Born in County Tyrone, Ireland, Dick read law in 1811, and was in private practice in New Orleans, Louisiana from 1812 to 1815...
, (1821–1823), Theodore Howard McCaleb
Theodore Howard McCaleb
Theodore Howard McCaleb was a United States federal judge.Born in Claiborne County, Mississippi, McCaleb attended Yale College, and read law to enter the Bar in 1832...
(1845–1849), and Edward Henry Durell
Edward Henry Durell
Edward Henry Durell was the 25th mayor of New Orleans, and later a United States federal judge.Born in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Durell graduated from Harvard College in 1831 and read law to enter the Bar in 1834...
(1866–1874). Hall was appointed to the District of Louisiana twice. He briefly resigned from the District Court to serve as a Justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court
Louisiana Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of Louisiana is the highest court and court of last resort in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The modern Supreme Court, composed of seven justices, meets in the French Quarter of New Orleans....
. He was shortly thereafter reappointed to the same seat on the District Court, which had remained vacant in his absence.
| Judge | Appointed by | Began active service |
Ended active service |
End reason |
| James Monroe James Monroe James Monroe was the fifth President of the United States . Monroe was the last president who was a Founding Father of the United States, and the last president from the Virginia dynasty and the Republican Generation... |
reassigned to both Districts of Louisiana |
|||
| Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and... |
resignation | |||
| James Madison James Madison James Madison, Jr. was an American statesman and political theorist. He was the fourth President of the United States and is hailed as the “Father of the Constitution” for being the primary author of the United States Constitution and at first an opponent of, and then a key author of the United... |
May 29, 1813 |
December 19, 1820 |
resignation death |
|
| John Tyler, Sr. John Tyler, Sr. John Tyler Sr. was a Virginia planter, judge, 15th Governor of Virginia and the father of the 10th President of the United States, John Tyler.... |
reassigned to both Districts of Louisiana |
Michigan
The United States District Court for the District of MichiganMichigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
was established on July 1, 1836, by , with a single judgeship. The district court was not assigned to a judicial circuit, but was granted the same jurisdiction as United States circuit court
United States circuit court
The United States circuit courts were the original intermediate level courts of the United States federal court system. They were established by the Judiciary Act of 1789. They had trial court jurisdiction over civil suits of diversity jurisdiction and major federal crimes. They also had appellate...
s, except in appeals and writs of error, which were the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court. Due to the so-called "Toledo War
Toledo War
The Toledo War , also known as the Michigan-Ohio War, was the almost entirely bloodless boundary dispute between the U.S. state of Ohio and the adjoining territory of Michigan....
", a boundary dispute with Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, Michigan did not become a state of the Union until January 26, 1837. On March 3, 1837, Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
passed an act that repealed the circuit court jurisdiction of the U.S. District Court for the District of Michigan, assigned the District of Michigan to the Seventh Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the courts in the following districts:* Central District of Illinois* Northern District of Illinois...
, and established a U.S. circuit court for the district, .
On July 15, 1862, Congress reorganized the circuits and assigned Michigan to the Eighth Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts:* Eastern District of Arkansas* Western District of Arkansas...
by , and on January 28, 1863, the Congress again reorganized Seventh and Eight Circuits and assigned Michigan to the Seventh Circuit, by . On February 24, 1863, Congress divided the District of Michigan into the Eastern
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan
The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan is the Federal district court with jurisdiction over of the eastern portion of the state of Michigan. The Court is based in Detroit, with courthouses also located in Ann Arbor, Bay City, Flint, and Port Huron...
and the Western
United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan
The United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan is the Federal district court with jurisdiction over of the western portion of the state of Michigan, including the entire Upper Peninsula....
Districts, with one judgeship authorized for each district, by .
Ross Wilkins
Ross Wilkins
Ross Wilkins was an American politician and lawyer from Pennsylvania, who later served as a territorial and U.S...
was the only district judge to serve the District of Michigan. He was nominated by President Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States . Based in frontier Tennessee, Jackson was a politician and army general who defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend , and the British at the Battle of New Orleans...
on July 2, 1836, to the newly created seat, and was confirmed by the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
on July 2, 1836. He received his commission on January 26, 1837. Upon termination of the District of Michigan, Wilkins was reassigned to the Eastern District of Michigan.
| Judge | Appointed by | Began active service |
Ended active service |
End reason |
| Ross Wilkins Ross Wilkins Ross Wilkins was an American politician and lawyer from Pennsylvania, who later served as a territorial and U.S... |
Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States . Based in frontier Tennessee, Jackson was a politician and army general who defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend , and the British at the Battle of New Orleans... |
reassigned to Eastern District of Michigan |
Mississippi
The United States District Court for the District of MississippiMississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
was established on April 3, 1818, by . It existed for over twenty years, and was subdivided into Northern
United States District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi
The United States District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi is a federal court in the Fifth Circuit with facilities in Aberdeen, Ackerman, Clarksdale, Cleveland, Corinth, Greenville, and Oxford....
and Southern
United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi
The United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi is a federal court in the Fifth Circuit with facilities in Gulfport, Hattiesburg, Vicksburg, and Jackson....
Districts on June 18, 1838, by :
- The State of Mississippi, at the date of the act of March 3, 1837... constituted one district, in which the District Court was invested with the powers of a Circuit Court. By that act the extraordinary jurisdiction of the District Court was abrogated. But by the acts of June 18, 1838, and of February 16, 1839, the district of Mississippi was divided into two districts, the Northern and Southern; and by the latter act the powers of a Circuit Court were conferred on the District Court for the Northern District.
| Judge | Appointed by | Began active service |
Ended active service |
End reason |
| Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States . Based in frontier Tennessee, Jackson was a politician and army general who defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend , and the British at the Battle of New Orleans... |
reassigned to both districts of Mississippi |
|||
| Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States . Based in frontier Tennessee, Jackson was a politician and army general who defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend , and the British at the Battle of New Orleans... |
|-
| ||James Monroe
James Monroe
James Monroe was the fifth President of the United States . Monroe was the last president who was a Founding Father of the United States, and the last president from the Virginia dynasty and the Republican Generation...
||||||death
|-
| ||James Monroe
James Monroe
James Monroe was the fifth President of the United States . Monroe was the last president who was a Founding Father of the United States, and the last president from the Virginia dynasty and the Republican Generation...
||||||death
|}
Missouri
The United States District Court for the District of MissouriMissouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
was established on March 16, 1822, by . However, an act of Congress passed in 1845 and upheld by the United States Supreme Court in 1851, extendeding federal admiralty jurisdiction to inland waterways, resulted in a substantial increase in the number of admiralty
Admiralty law
Admiralty law is a distinct body of law which governs maritime questions and offenses. It is a body of both domestic law governing maritime activities, and private international law governing the relationships between private entities which operate vessels on the oceans...
cases arising from traffic on the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
. These disputes involved "contracts of affreightment, collisions, mariners' wages, and other causes of admiralty jurisdiction", and litigants of matters arising in the port city of St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
found it inconvenient to travel far inland to Jefferson City
Jefferson City, Missouri
Jefferson City is the capital of the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Cole County. Located in Callaway and Cole counties, it is the principal city of the Jefferson City metropolitan area, which encompasses the entirety of both counties. As of the 2010 census, the population was 43,079...
for their cases to be tried. The District was therefore subdivided into Eastern
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri
The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri is a trial level federal district court based in St. Louis, Missouri, with jurisdiction over fifty counties in the eastern half of Missouri. The court is one of ninety-four district-level courts which make up the first tier of...
and Western
United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri
The United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri is the federal judicial district encompassing 66 counties in the western half of the State of Missouri...
Districts on March 3, 1857, by .
| Judge | Appointed by | Began active service |
Ended active service |
End reason |
| James H. Peck James H. Peck James Hawkins Peck was a son of Revolutionary Soldier Adam Peck and his wife Elizabeth Sharkey Peck. He was a United States federal judge on the United States District Court for the District of Missouri... |
James Monroe James Monroe James Monroe was the fifth President of the United States . Monroe was the last president who was a Founding Father of the United States, and the last president from the Virginia dynasty and the Republican Generation... |
|-
| Robert William Wells
Robert William Wells
Robert William Wells was a United States federal judge.Born in Winchester, Virginia, Wells read law to enter the bar in 1820. He was in private practice in Saint Charles, Missouri, from 1820 to 1821, and was a circuit attorney of the St. Charles Circuit from 1821 to 1822...
||Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States . Based in frontier Tennessee, Jackson was a politician and army general who defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend , and the British at the Battle of New Orleans...
||||||reassigned to Western
District of Missouri
|}
New Jersey
The United States District Court for the District of New JerseyUnited States District Court for the District of New Jersey
The United States District Court for the District of New Jersey is the federal district court whose jurisdiction is the state of New Jersey....
was one of the original 13 courts established by the Judiciary Act of 1789
Judiciary Act of 1789
The United States Judiciary Act of 1789 was a landmark statute adopted on September 24, 1789 in the first session of the First United States Congress establishing the U.S. federal judiciary...
, , on September 24, 1789. The District was subdivided into the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New Jersey and the United States District Court for the Western District of New Jersey on February 13, 1801, by the Judiciary Act of 1801, , with the judicial districts being headquartered in New Brunswick
New Brunswick, New Jersey
New Brunswick is a city in Middlesex County, New Jersey, USA. It is the county seat and the home of Rutgers University. The city is located on the Northeast Corridor rail line, southwest of Manhattan, on the southern bank of the Raritan River. At the 2010 United States Census, the population of...
and Burlington
Burlington, New Jersey
Burlington is a city in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States and a suburb of Philadelphia. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 9,920....
, respectively. The repeal of the 1801 Act on March 8, 1802, by , restored New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
as a single judicial district. The only judge to serve on the briefly subdivided courts was Robert Morris
Robert Morris (judge)
Robert Morris was a New Jersey attorney and judge, serving in both state and federal courts.Morris was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey and read law to enter the Bar in 1770. He engaged in private practice in New Brunswick through 1776. In 1777, he was named Chief justice of the Supreme Court of...
, who had begun serving as a recess appointment
Recess appointment
A recess appointment is the appointment, by the President of the United States, of a senior federal official while the U.S. Senate is in recess. The U.S. Constitution requires that the most senior federal officers must be confirmed by the Senate before assuming office, but while the Senate is in...
to the District of New Jersey on August 28, 1790 and continued serving after the restoration of the single court, until June 2, 1815.
| Judge | Appointed by | Began active service |
Ended active service |
End reason |
| Robert Morris Robert Morris (judge) Robert Morris was a New Jersey attorney and judge, serving in both state and federal courts.Morris was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey and read law to enter the Bar in 1770. He engaged in private practice in New Brunswick through 1776. In 1777, he was named Chief justice of the Supreme Court of... |
George Washington George Washington George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of... |
death |
New York
The United States District Court for the District of New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
was one of the original 13 courts established by the Judiciary Act of 1789
Judiciary Act of 1789
The United States Judiciary Act of 1789 was a landmark statute adopted on September 24, 1789 in the first session of the First United States Congress establishing the U.S. federal judiciary...
, , on September 24, 1789. It existed for nearly twenty-five years before, on April 9, 1814, New York was divided into Northern
United States District Court for the Northern District of New York
The United States District Court for the Northern District of New York serves one of the 94 judicial districts in the United States and one of four in the state of New York. The U.S. Attorney for the district is Richard S. Hartunian...
and Southern
United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
The United States District Court for the Southern District of New York is a federal district court. Appeals from the Southern District of New York are taken to the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit The United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (in case...
Districts by . These Districts were later further subdivided with the creation of Eastern
United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York
The United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York is the federal district court whose jurisdiction comprises the entirety of Long Island and Staten Island...
District on February 25, 1865 by , and the Western
United States District Court for the Western District of New York
The United States District Court for the Western District of New York is the Federal district court whose jurisdiction comprises only a part of New York....
District on May 12, 1900, by .
| Judge | Appointed by | Began active service |
Ended active service |
End reason |
| George Washington George Washington George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of... |
resignation | |||
| George Washington George Washington George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of... |
|-
| ||George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
||||||resignation
|-
| ||John Adams
John Adams
John Adams was an American lawyer, statesman, diplomat and political theorist. A leading champion of independence in 1776, he was the second President of the United States...
||||||death
|-
| ||Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
||||||reassigned to Northern District of New York
|-
| ||James Madison
James Madison
James Madison, Jr. was an American statesman and political theorist. He was the fourth President of the United States and is hailed as the “Father of the Constitution” for being the primary author of the United States Constitution and at first an opponent of, and then a key author of the United...
||||||reassigned to Southern District of New York
|}
North Carolina
The United States District Court for the District of North CarolinaNorth Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
has a unique history among defunct district courts. It was established on June 4, 1790, by . On June 9, 1794 it was subdivided into three districts by , but on March 3, 1797, the three districts were abolished and the single District restored by , until April 29, 1802, when the state was again subdivided into three different districts by .
In both instances, these districts, unlike those with geographic designations that existed in other states, were titled by the names of the cities in which the courts sat. After the first division, they were styled the District of Edenton, the District of New Bern, and the District of Wilmington; after the second division, they were styled the District of Albemarle, the District of Cape Fear, and the District of Pamptico. However, in both instances, only one judge was authorized to serve all three districts, causing them to effectively operate as a single district. The latter combination was occasionally referred to by the cumbersome title of the United States District Court for the Albemarle, Cape Fear & Pamptico Districts of North Carolina. Judge Henry Potter
Henry Potter (judge)
Henry Potter was the longest serving United States federal judge to sit on a single court, and the longest serving active judge...
's 55 years of service on this court during the period in which the state contained a single district, from April 1802 to December 1857, represents one of the longest terms ever held by a United States federal judge.
On June 4, 1872, North Carolina was re-divided into two Districts, Eastern
United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina
The United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina is the United States District Court that serves the eastern 44 counties in North Carolina. Appeals from the Eastern District of North Carolina are taken to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit The...
and Western
United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina
The United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina is a Federal district court which covers the western third of North Carolina....
, by . The Middle
United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina
The U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina is a United States district court with jurisdiction over 24 counties in the center of North Carolina...
District was created from portions of the Eastern and Western Districts on March 2, 1927, by .
| Judge | Appointed by | Began active service |
Ended active service |
End reason |
| George Washington George Washington George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of... |
|-
| ||George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
||||||death
|-
| ||Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
||||||death
|-
| ||James Buchanan
James Buchanan
James Buchanan, Jr. was the 15th President of the United States . He is the only president from Pennsylvania, the only president who remained a lifelong bachelor and the last to be born in the 18th century....
||||||resignation; became a
judge of Confederacy
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
|-
| ||Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson was the 17th President of the United States . As Vice-President of the United States in 1865, he succeeded Abraham Lincoln following the latter's assassination. Johnson then presided over the initial and contentious Reconstruction era of the United States following the American...
||||||reassigned to Eastern
District of North Carolina
|-
|}
Ohio
The United States District Court for the District of OhioOhio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
was established on February 19, 1803, by . The District was subdivided into Northern
United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio
The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio is the federal trial court for the northern half of Ohio...
and Southern
United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio
The United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio is one of two United States district courts in Ohio and includes forty-eight of the state's eighty-eight counties. Appeals from the court are taken to the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit at Cincinnati The...
Districts on February 10, 1855, by .
| Judge | Appointed by | Began active service |
Ended active service |
End reason |
| Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia... |
death | |||
| Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States . Based in frontier Tennessee, Jackson was a politician and army general who defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend , and the British at the Battle of New Orleans... |
|-
| ||John Quincy Adams
John Quincy Adams
John Quincy Adams was the sixth President of the United States . He served as an American diplomat, Senator, and Congressional representative. He was a member of the Federalist, Democratic-Republican, National Republican, and later Anti-Masonic and Whig parties. Adams was the son of former...
||||||nomination rejected
by the Senate
|-
| ||Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States . Based in frontier Tennessee, Jackson was a politician and army general who defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend , and the British at the Battle of New Orleans...
||||||nomination rejected
by the Senate
|-
| ||Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States . Based in frontier Tennessee, Jackson was a politician and army general who defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend , and the British at the Battle of New Orleans...
||||||reassigned to Southern
District of Ohio
|}
Pennsylvania
The United States District Court for the District of PennsylvaniaPennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
was one of the original 13 courts established by the Judiciary Act of 1789
Judiciary Act of 1789
The United States Judiciary Act of 1789 was a landmark statute adopted on September 24, 1789 in the first session of the First United States Congress establishing the U.S. federal judiciary...
, , on September 24, 1789. It was subdivided on April 20, 1818, by , into the Eastern
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania is one of the original 13 federal judiciary districts created by the Judiciary Act of 1789...
and Western
United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania
The United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania sits in Pittsburgh, Erie, and Johnstown, Pennsylvania. It is composed of ten judges as authorized by federal law. The Honorable Judge Gary L. Lancaster is currently Chief Judge of the Western Pennsylvania District...
Districts, to be headquartered in Philadelphia
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
and Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
, respectively. Portions of these districts were subsequently subdivided into the Middle
United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania
The United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania is district level federal court with jurisdiction over approximately one half of Pennsylvania...
District on March 2, 1901, by .
| Judge | Appointed by | Began active service |
Ended active service |
End reason |
| Francis Hopkinson Francis Hopkinson Francis Hopkinson , an American author, was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence as a delegate from New Jersey. He later served as a federal judge in Pennsylvania... |
George Washington George Washington George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of... |
|-
| William Lewis
William Lewis (judge)
William Lewis was a Pennsylvania attorney and politician.Born in Edgemont, Pennsylvania, Lewis read law to enter the bar in 1773. He was in private practice in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from then until 1787, when he was elected as a representative to the Pennsylvania State Legislature...
||George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
||||||resignation
|-
| Richard Peters, Jr.
Richard Peters (Continental Congress)
Richard Peters sometimes Richard Peters, Jr., to distinguish from his uncle, though this can also mean his son Richard), was an American lawyer, jurist, and politician from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was a delegate for Pennsylvania to the Continental Congress in 1782 and 1783...
||George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
||||||reassigned to Eastern
District of Pennsylvania
|}
South Carolina
The United States District Court for the District of South CarolinaUnited States District Court for the District of South Carolina
The United States District Court for the District of South Carolina is the federal district court whose jurisdiction is the state of South Carolina...
was one of the original 13 courts established by the Judiciary Act of 1789
Judiciary Act of 1789
The United States Judiciary Act of 1789 was a landmark statute adopted on September 24, 1789 in the first session of the First United States Congress establishing the U.S. federal judiciary...
, , on September 24, 1789. It was subdivided into the United States District Court for the Eastern District of South Carolina and the United States District Court for the Western District of South Carolina Districts on February 21, 1823 by . The Eastern District was headquartered at Florence
Florence, South Carolina
-Municipal government and politics:The City of Florence has a council-manager form of government. The mayor and city council are elected every four years, with no term limits...
, and the Western District was headquartered in Greenville
Greenville, South Carolina
-Law and government:The city of Greenville adopted the Council-Manager form of municipal government in 1976.-History:The area was part of the Cherokee Nation's protected grounds after the Treaty of 1763, which ended the French and Indian War. No White man was allowed to enter, though some families...
. The division was solely for the purposes of holding court - a single judge presided over both districts, and the act authorized no additional court staff.
In 1898 the United States Supreme Court held in Barrett v. United States
Barrett v. United States
Barrett v. United States, 169 U.S. 218 , was a case in which the Supreme Court of the United States held that South Carolina had never effectively been subdivided into separate judicial districts...
that South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
legally constituted a single judicial district. Congress made a more explicit effort to subdivide the District on March 3, 1911, by , . South Carolina was again Eastern and the Western Districts, with one judgeship authorized to serve both districts, effective January 1, 1912. Congress finally authorized an additional judgeship for the Western District, and assigned the sitting judge exclusively to the Eastern District, on March 3, 1915, by . However, on October 7, 1965, by , South Carolina was reorganized as a single judicial district with four judgeships authorized for the district court. It has since remained a single District.
Judges of both the Eastern and Western Districts of South Carolina:
| Judge | Appointed by | Began active service |
Ended active service |
Ended senior status |
End reason |
| John Lyles Glenn, Jr. John Lyles Glenn, Jr. John Lyles Glenn, Jr. was a United States federal judge.Born in Chester, South Carolina, Glenn received an A.B. from Wofford College in 1912 and an LL.B. from Oxford University in 1918 before serving as a Captain in the United States Army from 1918 to 1919... |
Herbert Hoover Herbert Hoover Herbert Clark Hoover was the 31st President of the United States . Hoover was originally a professional mining engineer and author. As the United States Secretary of Commerce in the 1920s under Presidents Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge, he promoted partnerships between government and business... |
||||
| death | |||||
| Robert W. Hemphill Robert W. Hemphill Robert Witherspoon Hemphill was a U.S. Representative from South Carolina, and later a long-serving United States federal judge. He was the great-great-nephew of Senator John Hemphill, great-nephew of John J... |
Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States after his service as the 37th Vice President of the United States... |
||||
| reassigned to District of South Carolina |
|||||
| Alva M. Lumpkin Alva M. Lumpkin Alva Moore Lumpkin was a United States Senator for less than one month from South Carolina. Born in Milledgeville, Georgia, he moved with his parents to Columbia, South Carolina in 1898. He attended the public schools of both towns. Two of Lumpkin's younger sisters writers: Grace Lumpkin, a... |
Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war... |
||||
| resignation | |||||
| James Robert Martin, Jr. James Robert Martin, Jr. James Robert Martin, Jr. was a United States federal judge.-Biography:Born in Greenville, South Carolina, Martin received an LL.B. from Washington and Lee University School of Law in 1931. He was in private practice in Greenville, South Carolina from 1931 to 1944... |
John F. Kennedy John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963.... |
||||
| reassigned to District of South Carolina |
|||||
| Henry Augustus Middleton Smith Henry Augustus Middleton Smith Henry Augustus Middleton Smith was a United States federal judge.Born in Charleston, South Carolina, Smith received a B.A. from College of Charleston in 1872 and read law to enter the bar in 1874. He was in private practice in Charleston, South Carolina from 1877 to 1911.On May 25, 1911, Smith was... |
William Howard Taft William Howard Taft William Howard Taft was the 27th President of the United States and later the tenth Chief Justice of the United States... |
death | |||
| George Bell Timmerman, Sr. George Bell Timmerman, Sr. George Bell Timmerman, Sr. was a United States federal judge.Born in Edgefield County, South Carolina, Timmerman received an LL.B. from South Carolina College in 1902. He was in private practice in Lexington, South Carolina from 1902 to 1942... |
Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war... |
death | |||
Judges of only the Eastern District of South Carolina:
| Judge | Appointed by | Began active service |
Ended active service |
Ended senior status |
End reason |
| Ernest Ford Cochran Ernest Ford Cochran Ernest Ford Cochran was a United States federal judge.Born in Anderson, South Carolina, Cochran received an LL.B. from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1888. He was in private practice in Anderson, South Carolina from 1889 to 1923. He was a Commissioner, U.S. District Court for the... |
Calvin Coolidge Calvin Coolidge John Calvin Coolidge, Jr. was the 30th President of the United States . A Republican lawyer from Vermont, Coolidge worked his way up the ladder of Massachusetts state politics, eventually becoming governor of that state... |
|-
| Francis Kerschner Myers
Francis Kerschner Myers
Francis Kerschner Myers was a United States federal judge.Born in Wilmington, North Carolina, Myers read law to enter the bar in 1896. He was in private practice in Charleston, South Carolina from 1896 to 1908. He was a law clerk and court reporter, Charleston Circuit Court, South Carolina from...
||Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
||||||-||death
|-
| Charles Earl Simons, Jr.
Charles Earl Simons, Jr.
Charles Earl Simons, Jr. was a United States federal judge.Born in Johnston, South Carolina, Simons received an A.B. from the University of South Carolina in 1937 and an LL.B. from the University of South Carolina Law Center in 1939. He was in private practice in Aiken, South Carolina from 1939 to...
||Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States after his service as the 37th Vice President of the United States...
||||||-||reassigned to District
of South Carolina
|-
| Julius Waties Waring
Julius Waties Waring
Julius Waties Waring was a United States federal judge. Waring was born in Charleston, South Carolina, to Edward Perry Waring and Anna Thomasine Waties. He graduated second in his class with an A.B. from College of Charleston in 1900. He married his first wife, Annie Waring, in 1913...
||Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
||||||||death
|-
| Ashton Hilliard Williams
Ashton Hilliard Williams
Ashton Hilliard Williams was a United States federal judge.Born in Lake City, South Carolina, Williams received an A.B. from the University of South Carolina in 1912 and an LL.B. from Georgetown University Law School in 1915. He was in private practice in South Carolina from 1914 to 1952...
||Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States . As President Franklin D. Roosevelt's third vice president and the 34th Vice President of the United States , he succeeded to the presidency on April 12, 1945, when President Roosevelt died less than three months after beginning his...
||||||-||death
|}
Judges of only the Western District of South Carolina:
| Judge | Appointed by | Began active service |
Ended active service |
Ended senior status |
End reason |
| Joseph Travis Johnson | Woodrow Wilson Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913... |
|-
| Henry Hitt Watkins
Henry Hitt Watkins
Henry Hitt Watkins was a United States federal judge.Born in Laurens County, South Carolina, Watkins attended the University of Virginia and received an M.A. from Furman University in 1883. He read law to enter the bar in 1892, and was in private practice in Anderson, South Carolina from then...
||Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
||||||||death
|-
| Charles Cecil Wyche
Charles Cecil Wyche
Charles Cecil Wyche was a United States federal judge.Born in Prosperity, South Carolina, Wyche received a B.S. from The Citadel in 1906 and attended Georgetown University Law School, but read law to enter the Bar in 1909. He was in private practice in Spartanburg, South Carolina from 1909 to 1937...
||Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
||||||-||reassigned to District
of South Carolina
|}
Tennessee
The United States District Court for the District of Tennessee was established with one judgeship on January 31, 1797, by . The judgeship was filled by President George WashingtonGeorge Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
's appointment of John McNairy
John McNairy
John McNairy was a United States federal judge in Tennessee.Born in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, McNairy read law to enter the bar in 1788...
. Since Congress failed to assign the district to a circuit, the court had the jurisdiction of both a district court and a circuit court. Appeals from this one district court went directly to the United States Supreme Court.
On February 13, 1801, in the famous "Midnight Judges" Act of 1801, , Congress abolished the U.S. district court in Tennessee, and expanded the number of circuits to six, provided for independent circuit court judgeships, and abolished the necessity of Supreme Court Justices riding the circuits. It was this legislation which created the grandfather of the present Sixth Circuit. The act provided for a "Sixth Circuit" comprising two districts in the State of Tennessee, one district in the State of Kentucky and one district, called the Ohio District, composed of the Ohio and Indiana territories (the latter including the present State of Michigan). The new Sixth Circuit Court was to be held at "Bairdstown" in the District of Kentucky, at Knoxville in the District of East Tennessee, at Nashville in the District of West Tennessee, and at Cincinnati in the District of Ohio. Unlike the other circuits which were provided with three circuit judges, the Sixth Circuit was to have only one circuit judge with district judges from Kentucky and Tennessee comprising the rest of the court. Any two judges constituted a quorum. New circuit judgeships were to be created as district judgeships in Kentucky and Tennessee became vacant.
The repeal of this Act restored the District on March 8, 1802, . The District was divided into the Eastern
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee
The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee is the federal court in the Sixth Circuit whose jurisdiction covers all of East Tennessee and a portion of Middle Tennessee. The court has jurisdiction over 41 counties with 4 divisions...
and Western
United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee
The United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee is the Federal district court covering the western part of the state of Tennessee. Appeals from the Western District of Tennessee are taken to the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit The United States District...
Districts on April 29, 1802. On February 24, 1807, Congress again abolished the two districts and created the United States Circuit for the District of Tennessee. On March 3, 1837, Congress assigned the judicial district of Tennessee to the Eighth Circuit. On June 18, 1839, by , Congress divided Tennessee into three districts, Eastern, Middle, and Western. Again, only one judgeship was allotted for all three districts. On July 15, 1862, Congress reassigned appellate jurisdiction to the Sixth Circuit. Finally, on June 14, 1878, Congress authorized a separate judgeship for each district of Tennessee.
| Judge | Appointed by | Began active service |
Ended active service |
End reason |
| John McNairy John McNairy John McNairy was a United States federal judge in Tennessee.Born in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, McNairy read law to enter the bar in 1788... |
George Washington George Washington George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of... |
reassigned to both Districts of Tennessee |
Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
was established on December 29, 1845, by . and based in Galveston
Galveston, Texas
Galveston is a coastal city located on Galveston Island in the U.S. state of Texas. , the city had a total population of 47,743 within an area of...
, then the largest city in the state. John Charles Watrous
John Charles Watrous
John Charles Watrous was a United States federal judge.Born in Colchester, Connecticut, Watrous received an A.B. from Union College in 1828 and read law in 1830. He was in private practice in Selma, Alabama from 1830 to 1835, and in Woodsville, Mississippi from 1835 to 1836...
, appointed to the court by President James K. Polk
James K. Polk
James Knox Polk was the 11th President of the United States . Polk was born in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. He later lived in and represented Tennessee. A Democrat, Polk served as the 17th Speaker of the House of Representatives and the 12th Governor of Tennessee...
in May 1846, was the only federal judge to sit for the district. The District was subdivided into Eastern
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas
The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas is the Federal district court with jurisdiction over the eastern part of Texas and is a part of the Fifth Circuit. The court's headquarters are in Tyler, Texas and has five subdivision offices in Beaumont, Lufkin, Marshall,...
and Western
United States District Court for the Western District of Texas
The United States District Court For the Western District Of Texas is a Federal district court. The court convenes in San Antonio with divisions in Austin, Del Rio, El Paso, Midland, Pecos, and Waco. It has jurisdiction in over 50 Trans-Pecos, Permian Basin and Hill Country counties of the U.S....
Districts on February 21, 1857, by . When the District was subdivided, Watrous continued as judge for the Eastern District only, while Thomas Howard DuVal
Thomas Howard DuVal
Thomas Howard DuVal was a United States federal judge in the 19th century.DuVal was born in Buckingham County, Virginia and graduated from St. Joseph's College in 1833. He read law in 1837 and went into private practice in Tallahassee, Florida from 1837 to 1841...
was appointed to the Western District. Watrous continued serving in the Eastern District until 1870. From these Districts, Texas was further subdivided with the creation of a Northern
United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas
The United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas is a United States district court. Its first judge, Andrew Phelps McCormick, was appointed to the court on April 10, 1879. The court convenes in Dallas, Texas with divisions in Fort Worth, Amarillo, Abilene, Lubbock, San Angelo...
District on February 24, 1879, by . The new Southern
United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas
The United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas is the Federal district court with jurisdiction over the southern part of Texas...
District was created on March 11, 1902, by .
| Judge | Appointed by | Began active service |
Ended active service |
End reason |
| John Charles Watrous John Charles Watrous John Charles Watrous was a United States federal judge.Born in Colchester, Connecticut, Watrous received an A.B. from Union College in 1828 and read law in 1830. He was in private practice in Selma, Alabama from 1830 to 1835, and in Woodsville, Mississippi from 1835 to 1836... |
James K. Polk James K. Polk James Knox Polk was the 11th President of the United States . Polk was born in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. He later lived in and represented Tennessee. A Democrat, Polk served as the 17th Speaker of the House of Representatives and the 12th Governor of Tennessee... |
reassigned to Eastern District of Texas |
Virginia
The United States District Court for the District of VirginiaVirginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
was one of the original 13 courts established by the Judiciary Act of 1789
Judiciary Act of 1789
The United States Judiciary Act of 1789 was a landmark statute adopted on September 24, 1789 in the first session of the First United States Congress establishing the U.S. federal judiciary...
, , on September 24, 1789.
On February 13, 1801, the Judiciary Act of 1801, , divided Virginia into three judicial districts: the District of Virginia, which included the counties west of the Tidewater and south of the Rappahannock River
Rappahannock River
The Rappahannock River is a river in eastern Virginia, in the United States, approximately in length. It traverses the entire northern part of the state, from the Blue Ridge Mountains in the west, across the Piedmont, to the Chesapeake Bay, south of the Potomac River.An important river in American...
; the District of Norfolk, which included the Tidewater counties south of the Rappahannock; and the District of Potomac
United States District Court for the District of Potomac
The United States District Court for the District of Potomac was a short-lived United States federal court. Named for the Potomac River, it had jurisdiction over the District of Columbia and pieces of Maryland and Virginia, making it the first United States district court to cross state lines...
, which included the counties north and east of the Rappahannock as well as Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
counties along the Potomac. Just over a year later, on March 8, 1802, the Judiciary Act of 1801 was repealed and Virginia became a single District again, , effective July 1, 1802.
The District of Virginia was subdivided into Eastern
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia
The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia is one of two United States district courts serving the Commonwealth of Virginia...
and Western
United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia
The United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia is a United States district court.Appeals from the Western District of Virginia are taken to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit The United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia (in...
Districts on February 4, 1819, by . At that time, West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
was still part of Virginia, and was encompassed in Virginia's Western District. With the division of West Virginia from Virginia during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, the Western District of Virginia became the District of West Virginia, and those parts of the Western District that were not part of West Virginia were combined with the Eastern District to again form a single District of Virginia on June 11, 1864, by . Congress again divided Virginia into Eastern and the Western Districts on February 3, 1871, by .
| Judge | Appointed by | Began active service |
Ended active service |
End reason |
| George Washington George Washington George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of... |
death | |||
| James Madison James Madison James Madison, Jr. was an American statesman and political theorist. He was the fourth President of the United States and is hailed as the “Father of the Constitution” for being the primary author of the United States Constitution and at first an opponent of, and then a key author of the United... |
District of Virginia
|-
| ||James Madison
James Madison
James Madison, Jr. was an American statesman and political theorist. He was the fourth President of the United States and is hailed as the “Father of the Constitution” for being the primary author of the United States Constitution and at first an opponent of, and then a key author of the United...
||||||death
|-
| ||Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
||||||reassigned to Eastern
District of Virginia
|}
Washington
The United States District Court for the District of Washington was established on April 5, 1890, by . The District was subdivided into EasternUnited States District Court for the Eastern District of Washington
The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Washington is the Federal district court whose jurisdiction comprises the following counties of the state of Washington: Adams, Asotin, Benton, Chelan, Columbia, Douglas, Ferry, Franklin, Garfield, Grant, Kittitas, Klickitat, Lincoln,...
and Western
United States District Court for the Western District of Washington
The United States District Court for the Western District of Washington is the Federal district court whose jurisdiction comprises the following counties of the state of Washington: Clallam, Clark, Cowlitz, Grays Harbor, Island, Jefferson, King, Kitsap, Lewis, Mason, Pacific, Pierce, San Juan,...
Districts on March 2, 1905, by . Only one judge was ever appointed to the District of Washington.
| Judge | Appointed by | Began active service |
Ended active service |
End reason |
| Cornelius Holgate Hanford Cornelius Holgate Hanford Cornelius Holgate Hanford was a United States federal judge.Born in Winchester, Iowa, Hanford read law to enter the bar in 1875. He was a Commissioner, U.S. District Court for the Territory of Washington from 1875 to 1876. He was in private practice in Seattle, Washington Territory from 1875 to 1889... |
Benjamin Harrison Benjamin Harrison Benjamin Harrison was the 23rd President of the United States . Harrison, a grandson of President William Henry Harrison, was born in North Bend, Ohio, and moved to Indianapolis, Indiana at age 21, eventually becoming a prominent politician there... |
reassigned to Western District of Washington |
West Virginia
West VirginiaWest Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
split from the state of Virginia during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. At that time, Virginia was already divided into an Eastern and Western District. Congress reorganized the Western District of Virginia to conform to the boundaries of the new state of West Virginia, renaming it the United States District Court for the District of West Virginia on June 11, 1864, by . This District was subdivided into Northern
United States District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia
The United States District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia is a federal court in the Fourth Circuit The United States District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia (in case citations, N.D. W.Va.) is a federal court in the Fourth Circuit The United States District Court...
and Southern
United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia
The United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia is a trial-level federal court. Decisions from the Court may be appealed to the Fourth Circuit Fourth Circuit, except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are appealed to...
Districts on January 22, 1901, by .
John Jay Jackson, Jr.
John Jay Jackson, Jr.
John Jay Jackson, Jr. was a United States federal judge, first from Virginia, and then from West Virginia, at the time of its creation as a separate state.-Early life and career:...
, who had been appointed by Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
to what was then the Western District of Virginia, became the first judge of the District of West Virginia. He remained the only judge on that court until its subdivision.
| Judge | Appointed by | Began active service |
Ended active service |
End reason |
| John Jay Jackson, Jr. John Jay Jackson, Jr. John Jay Jackson, Jr. was a United States federal judge, first from Virginia, and then from West Virginia, at the time of its creation as a separate state.-Early life and career:... |
Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and... |
reassigned to Northern District of West Virginia |
Wisconsin
The United States District Court for the District of WisconsinWisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
was established on May 29, 1848, by . It was subdivided into Eastern
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin
The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin serves the residents of twenty-eight counties from its two courthouses...
and Western
United States District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin
The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin sits in Madison at the Robert W. Kastenmeier United States Courthouse. It has two district judges and one full-time magistrate judge. The clerk of the court is a part-time magistrate judge...
Districts on June 30, 1870, by . Only one judge was ever appointed to the District of Wisconsin.
| Judge | Appointed by | Began active service |
Ended active service |
End reason |
| Andrew G. Miller Andrew G. Miller Andrew Glenn Miller was an associate justice of the territorial Wisconsin Supreme Court and later a United States federal judge.... |
James K. Polk James K. Polk James Knox Polk was the 11th President of the United States . Polk was born in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. He later lived in and represented Tennessee. A Democrat, Polk served as the 17th Speaker of the House of Representatives and the 12th Governor of Tennessee... |
District of Wisconsin
|}
See also
- Courts of the United StatesCourts of the United StatesCourts of the United States include both the United States federal courts, comprising the judicial branch of the federal government of the United States and state and territorial courts of the individual U.S...
- List of United States district and territorial courts
- List of United States federal courthouses