United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida
The United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida (in case citations, N.D. Fla.) is a federal court in the Eleventh Circuit (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are appealed to the Federal Circuit).
United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida | |
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(N.D. Fla.) | |
Location | Tallahassee |
Appeals to | Eleventh Circuit |
Established | February 23, 1847 |
Judges | 4 |
Chief Judge | Mark E. Walker |
Officers of the court | |
U.S. Attorney | Larry Keefe |
U.S. Marshal | R. Don Ladner Jr. |
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The District was established on February 23, 1847, with the division of the state into a Northern and Southern district.[1]
The current United States Attorney for the District is Larry Keefe, who was confirmed by the United States Senate on January 2, 2019.
Organization of the court
The United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida is one of three federal judicial districts in Florida.[2] Court for the District is held at Gainesville, Panama City, Pensacola, and Tallahassee. The court serves approximately 1.75 million people.[3]
Gainesville Division comprises the following counties: Alachua, Dixie, Gilchrist, Lafayette, and Levy.
Panama City Division comprises the following counties: Bay, Calhoun, Gulf, Holmes, Jackson, and Washington.
Pensacola Division comprises the following counties: Escambia, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, and Walton.
Tallahassee Division comprises the following counties: Franklin, Gadsden, Jefferson, Leon, Liberty, Madison, Taylor, and Wakulla.
Current judges
As of January 26, 2021:
# | Title | Judge | Duty station | Born | Term of service | Appointed by | ||
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Active | Chief | Senior | ||||||
24 | Chief Judge | Mark E. Walker | Tallahassee | 1967 | 2012–present | 2018–present | — | Obama |
22 | District Judge | Margaret Catharine Rodgers | Pensacola | 1964 | 2003–present | 2011–2018 | — | G.W. Bush |
25 | District Judge | Allen C. Winsor | Tallahassee | 1976 | 2019–present | — | — | Trump |
26 | District Judge | T. Kent Wetherell II | Pensacola | 1970 | 2019–present | — | — | Trump |
15 | Senior Judge | William Henry Stafford Jr. | Tallahassee | 1931 | 1975–1996 | 1981–1993 | 1996–present | Ford |
18 | Senior Judge | Roger Vinson | Pensacola | 1940 | 1983–2005 | 1997–2004 | 2005–present | Reagan |
19 | Senior Judge | Lacey A. Collier | Pensacola | 1935 | 1991–2003 | — | 2003–present | G.H.W. Bush |
20 | Senior Judge | Robert Lewis Hinkle | Tallahassee | 1951 | 1996–2016 | 2004–2009 | 2016–present | Clinton |
23 | Senior Judge | John Richard Smoak Jr. | inactive | 1943 | 2005–2015 | – | 2015–present | G.W. Bush |
Former judges
# | Judge | State | Born–died | Active service | Chief Judge | Senior status | Appointed by | Reason for termination |
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1 | Isaac H. Bronson | FL | 1802–1855 | 1847–1855[Note 1] | — | — | Polk/Operation of law | death |
2 | McQueen McIntosh | FL | 1822–1868 | 1856–1861 | — | — | Pierce | resignation |
3 | Philip Fraser | FL | 1814–1876 | 1862–1876 | — | — | Lincoln | death |
4 | Thomas Settle | FL | 1831–1888 | 1877–1888 | — | — | Grant | death |
5 | Charles Swayne | FL | 1842–1907 | 1889–1907[Note 2] | — | — | B. Harrison | death |
6 | William Bostwick Sheppard | FL | 1860–1934 | 1907–1934[Note 3] | — | — | T. Roosevelt | death |
7 | Augustus V. Long | FL | 1877–1955 | 1934–1947 | — | 1947–1955 | F. Roosevelt | death |
8 | Curtis L. Waller | FL | 1887–1950 | 1940–1943[Note 4] | — | — | F. Roosevelt | elevation to 5th Cir. |
9 | Dozier A. DeVane | FL | 1883–1963 | 1943–1958[Note 5] | — | 1958–1963 | F. Roosevelt | death |
10 | George William Whitehurst | FL | 1891–1974 | 1950–1961[Note 4] | — | 1961–1974 | Truman | death |
11 | G. Harrold Carswell | FL | 1919–1992 | 1958–1969 | 1958–1969 | — | Eisenhower | elevation to 5th Cir. |
12 | George C. Young | FL | 1916–2015 | 1961–1966[Note 6] | — | — | Kennedy | seat abolished |
13 | Winston E. Arnow | FL | 1911–1994 | 1967–1981 | 1969–1981 | 1981–1994 | L. Johnson | death |
14 | David Lycurgus Middlebrooks Jr. | FL | 1926–1997 | 1969–1974 | — | — | Nixon | resignation |
16 | Lynn Carlton Higby | FL | 1938–1992 | 1979–1983 | — | — | Carter | resignation |
17 | Maurice M. Paul | FL | 1932–2016 | 1982–1997 | 1993–1997 | 1997–2016 | Reagan | death |
21 | Stephan P. Mickle | FL | 1944–2021 | 1998–2011 | 2009–2011 | 2011–2021 | Clinton | death |
- Reassigned from the District of Florida.
- Recess appointment; formally nominated on December 5, 1889, confirmed by the United States Senate on April 1, 1890, and received commission the same day.
- Recess appointment; formally nominated on December 3, 1907, confirmed by the Senate on May 20, 1908, and received commission the same day.
- Jointly appointed to the Northern and Southern Districts of Florida.
- From 1943-1947, Judge DeVane was jointly appointed to the Northern and Southern Districts of Florida.
- From 1961-1962, Judge Young was jointly appointed to the Northern and Southern Districts of Florida. From 1962-1966, Judge Young was jointly appointed to the Middle, Northern, and Southern Districts of Florida.
Chief judges
Chief judges have administrative responsibilities with respect to their district court. Unlike the Supreme Court, where one justice is specifically nominated to be chief, the office of chief judge rotates among the district court judges. To be chief, a judge must have been in active service on the court for at least one year, be under the age of 65, and have not previously served as chief judge. A vacancy is filled by the judge highest in seniority among the group of qualified judges. The chief judge serves for a term of seven years or until age 70, whichever occurs first. The age restrictions are waived if no members of the court would otherwise be qualified for the position.
When the office was created in 1948, the chief judge was the longest-serving judge who had not elected to retire on what has since 1958 been known as senior status or declined to serve as chief judge. After August 6, 1959, judges could not become or remain chief after turning 70 years old. The current rules have been in operation since October 1, 1982.
Succession of seats
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See also
- Courts of Florida
- List of current United States district judges
- List of United States federal courthouses in Florida
- United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
- United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida
- United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida
References
- http://www.fjc.gov/history/home.nsf/page/courts_district_fl.html U.S. District Courts Florida, Legislative history, Federal Judicial Center
- 28 U.S.C. § 89
- http://www.flnd.uscourts.gov/