United States District Court for the Middle District of Georgia
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| Middle District of Georgia |
|---|
| Eleventh Circuit |
|
| Judgeships |
| Posts: 4 |
| Judges: 4 |
| Vacancies: 0 |
| Judges |
| Chief: Marc Thomas Treadwell |
| Active judges: Leslie Abrams Gardner, Clay Land, Tilman E. Self, Marc Thomas Treadwell Senior judges: |
The United States District Court for the Middle District of Georgia is one of 94 United States district courts. The district operates out of courthouses in Macon, Albany, Athens, Columbus, and Valdosta. When decisions of the court are appealed, they are appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit based in downtown Atlanta at the Elbert P. Tuttle Federal Courthouse.
Vacancies[edit]
- See also: Current federal judicial vacancies
There are no current vacancies on the United States District Court for the Middle District of Georgia, out of the court's four judicial positions.
Pending nominations[edit]
There are no pending nominees for this court.
Active judges[edit]
Article III judges[edit]
| Judge | Appointed By | Assumed Office | Bachelors | Law |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 21, 2001 |
University of Georgia, 1982 |
University of Georgia Law, 1985 |
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| June 22, 2010 |
Valdosta State University, 1978 |
Mercer University Law, 1981 |
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| November 20, 2014 |
Brown University, 1997 |
Yale Law, 2002 |
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| March 7, 2018 |
The Military College of South Carolina, 1990 |
University of Georgia School of Law, 1997 |
Active Article III judges by appointing political party[edit]
The list below displays the number of active judges by the party of the appointing president. It does not reflect how a judge may rule on specific cases or their own political preferences.
- Democrat appointed: 2
- Republican appointed: 2
Senior judges[edit]
| Judge | Appointed By | Assumed Office | Bachelors | Law |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 31, 2008 |
Emory University, 1963 |
Emory University School of Law, 1964 |
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| April 12, 2014 |
Mercer University, 1971 |
Mercer University Law, 1974 |
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| September 1, 2016 |
University of Georgia, 1971 |
University of Georgia Law, 1974 |
Senior judges by appointing political party[edit]
The list below displays the number of senior judges by the party of the appointing president. It does not reflect how a judge may rule on specific cases or their own political preferences.
- Democrat appointed: 2
- Republican appointed: 1
Magistrate judges[edit]
Federal magistrate judges are federal judges who serve in United States district courts, but they are not appointed by the president and they do not serve life terms. Magistrate judges are assigned duties by the district judges in the district in which they serve. They may preside over most phases of federal proceedings, except for criminal felony trials. The specific duties of a magistrate judge vary from district to district, but the responsibilities always include handling matters that would otherwise be on the dockets of the district judges. Full-time magistrate judges serve for renewable terms of eight years. Some federal district courts have part-time magistrate judges, who serve for renewable terms of four years.[1]
| Judge | Appointed By | Assumed Office | Bachelors | Law |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 30, 2010 |
Georgia Institute of Technology, 1982 |
University of Georgia, 1986 |
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| July 1, 2010 |
University of Georgia, 1977 |
University of Georgia, 1979 |
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| October 19, 2010 |
Vanderbilt University, 1992 |
University of Virginia, 1996 |
Former chief judges[edit]
In order to qualify for the office of chief judge in one of the federal courts, 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 in the office of chief judge 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. A statutory change in the 1950s created the seven-year term. The age restrictions are waived if no members of the court would otherwise be qualified for the position.
Unlike the chief justice of the United States, a chief judge returns to active service after the expiration of his or her term and does not create a vacancy on the bench by the fact of his or her promotion.[2]
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Former judges[edit]
For more information about the judges of the Middle District of Georgia, see former federal judges of the Middle District of Georgia.
Jurisdiction[edit]
The Middle District of Georgia has original jurisdiction over cases filed within its jurisdiction. These cases can include civil and criminal matters that fall under federal law.
There are five court divisions, each covering the following counties:
The Albany Division, covering Baker, Ben Hill, Calhoun, Crisp, Dougherty, Early, Grady, Lee, Miller, Mitchell, Schley, Seminole, Sumter, Terrell, Turner, Webster, and Worth counties.
The Athens Division, covering Clarke, Decatur, Elbert, Franklin, Greene, Hart, Madison, Morgan, Oconee, Oglethorpe, and Walton counties.
The Columbus Division, covering Chattahoochee, Clay, Harris, Marion, Muscogee, Quitman, Randolph, Stewart, Talbot, and Taylor counties.
The Macon Division, covering Baldwin, Bibb, Bleckley, Butts, Crawford, Dooly, Hancock, Houston, Jasper, Jones, Lamar, Macon, Monroe, Peach, Pulaski, Putnam, Twiggs, Upson, Washington, Wilcox, and Wilkinson counties.
The Valdosta Division, covering Berrien, Brooks, Clinch, Colquitt, Cook, Echols, Irwin, Lanier, Lowndes, Thomas, and Tift counties.
Caseloads[edit]
This section contains court management statistics dating back to 2010. It was last updated in April 2021. Click [show] below for more information on caseload terms and definitions.
| Caseload statistics explanation | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Term | Explanation | ||||||||
| Cases filed and terminated | The number of civil and criminal lawsuits formally initiated or decided by the court in a calendar year. The chart below reflects the table columns Cases filed and Cases terminated. | ||||||||
| Average time from filing to disposition | The average amount of time, in months, from a case's date of filing to date of disposition (acquittal, sentencing, dismissal, etc.). The chart below reflects the table columns Median time (Criminal) and Median time (Civil). | ||||||||
| Starting case load | The number of cases pending from the previous calendar year. | ||||||||
| Cases filed | The number of civil and criminal lawsuits formally initiated in a calendar year. | ||||||||
| Cases terminated | The total number of civil and criminal lawsuits decided by the court in a calendar year. | ||||||||
| Remaining cases | The number of civil and criminal cases pending at the end of a given year. | ||||||||
| Median time (Criminal) | The average amount of time, in months, from a case's date of filing to the date of disposition. In criminal cases, the date of disposition occurs on the day of sentencing or acquittal/dismissal. | ||||||||
| Median time (Civil) | The average amount of time, in months, from a case's date of filing to the date of disposition. | ||||||||
| Three-year civil cases | The number and percent of civil cases that were filed more than three years before the end of the given calendar year. | ||||||||
| Vacant posts | The number of months during the year an authorized judgeship was vacant. | ||||||||
| Trial/Post | The number of trials completed divided by the number of authorized judgeships on the court. Trials include evidentiary trials, hearings on temporary restraining orders, and preliminary injunctions. | ||||||||
| United States District Court for the Middle District of Georgia caseload stats, 2010-2019 | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Cases Filed | Cases Terminated | Cases Pending | Number of Judgeships | Vacant Judgeship Months | Average Total Filings per Judgeship | Trials Completed per Judgeship | Median time from filing to disposition, criminal | Median time from filing to disposition, civil | Three-year civil cases (#) | Three-year civil cases (%) |
| 2010 | 1,505 | 1,654 | 1,272 | 4 | 6 | 376 | 16 | 10 | 11 | 62 | 6 |
| 2011 | 1,697 | 1,714 | 1,233 | 4 | 0 | 425 | 13 | 9 | 9 | 34 | 3 |
| 2012 | 1,893 | 1,759 | 1,550 | 4 | 0 | 473 | 15 | 10 | 9 | 28 | 2 |
| 2013 | 2,036 | 1,797 | 1,828 | 4 | 0 | 509 | 15 | 9 | 10 | 27 | 2 |
| 2014 | 1,768 | 1,896 | 1,703 | 4 | 7 | 442 | 16 | 9 | 12 | 29 | 2 |
| 2015 | 1,710 | 1,648 | 1,771 | 4 | 0 | 428 | 19 | 9 | 10 | 64 | 5 |
| 2016 | 2,052 | 1,953 | 1,897 | 4 | 4 | 513 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 35 | 3 |
| 2017 | 1,879 | 2,070 | 1,720 | 4 | 12 | 470 | 14 | 12 | 10 | 38 | 3 |
| 2018 | 1,876 | 1,946 | 1,674 | 4 | 2 | 469 | 15 | 10 | 9 | 56 | 5 |
| 2019 | 1,860 | 1,841 | 1,723 | 4 | 0 | 465 | 16 | 10 | 7 | 43 | 4 |
| Average | 1,828 | 1,828 | 1,637 | 4 | 3 | 457 | 15 | 10 | 10 | 42 | 4 |
History[edit]
The District of Georgia was established by the Judiciary Act of 1789 and established the entire state as one district with one post. On August 11, 1848, Congress reorganized the District of Georgia into the Northern District of Georgia and the Southern District of Georgia with one post split between the two districts. The Middle District of Georgia was added on May 28, 1926, and was established with one post. Since then, three additional posts have been added to the court for a total of four posts.[3]
Judicial posts[edit]
The following table highlights the development of judicial posts for the Middle District of Georgia:[3]
| Year | Statute | Total Seats |
| May 28, 1926 | 44 Stat. 670 | 1 |
| March 29, 1949 | 63 Stat. 16 | 2 |
| July 10, 1984 | 98 Stat. 333 | 3 |
| December 1, 1990 | 104 Stat. 5089 | 4 |
Noteworthy cases[edit]
You can find a list of opinions from the Middle District of Georgia here.
| • Cases regarding President Barack Obama's birth certificate (2009) Judge(s):Clay Land (Cook v. Good et al, 4:2009cv00082) | Click for summary→ | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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On July 16, 2009, Judge Clay Land dismissed the lawsuit of Major Stefan Cook. Cook filed a lawsuit to demand proof of President Barack Obama’s (D) American citizenship before accepting orders to be deployed to Afghanistan.[4] Land sided with the Department of Defense in holding that Cook’s suit was moot, and therefore beyond the subject matter jurisdiction of the court, because his deployment orders were revoked and "the relief he [was] seeking [had] been granted."[4] On September 16, 2009, Judge Land dismissed a similar lawsuit filed by another reservist who had retained the same attorney as Cook. In Connie Rhodes, M.D. v. Col. Thomas MacDonald, et al., the plaintiff made similar arguments Cook had. Land denied a motion for a temporary restraining order sought by Rhodes and dismissed the case with a warning to her attorney that the filing of any similar actions would "subject counsel to sanctions" under Rule 11 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. In a footnote to his opinion, the judge remarked (internal citations omitted):
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| • Mark Shelnutt case (2009) Judge(s):Clay Land (United States of America v. Shelnutt, 4:09-cr-00014-CDL) | Click for summary→ |
|---|---|
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Judge Clay Land presided in the case of Georgia attorney Mark Shelnutt. Shelnutt faced charges of aiding and abetting a conspiracy to distribute cocaine, money laundering, witness tampering, and attempted bribery. The charges came from a complaint that alleged Shelnutt had a working relationship with convicted drug dealer and former client Torrance Hill.[7] On July 14, 2009, Judge Land dismissed motions from the Shelnutt defense team to dismiss all but two charges against him.[7] Attorneys for Shelnutt requested the Judge to dismiss the charges based on a claim that a U.S. attorney and FBI agent misled Shelnutt during an interrogation.[7] "The defendant's arguments relate to deficiency of evidence and that will be heard at trial," Land said after denying the motion.[7] | |
Federal courthouse[edit]
Five separate courthouses serve the Middle District of Georgia:[8]
- William A. Bootle Federal Building & U.S. Courthouse in Macon
- C.B. King United States Courthouse in Albany
- U.S. District Courthouse in Athens
- U.S. Post Office & Court House in Columbus
- U.S. District Courthouse in Valdosta
About United States District Courts[edit]
The United States district courts are the general trial courts of the United States federal courts. There are 94 such courts. Both civil and criminal cases are filed in the district court, which is a court of both law and equity.
There is a United States bankruptcy court and a number of bankruptcy judges associated with each United States district court. Each federal judicial district has at least one courthouse, and most districts have more than one.
There is at least one judicial district for each state, and one each for Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. District courts in three insular areas—the United States Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands—exercise the same jurisdiction as U.S. district courts. Despite their name, these courts are technically not District Courts of the United States. Judges on these territorial courts do not enjoy the protections of Article III of the Constitution, and serve terms of 10 years rather than for life.
There are currently 677 U.S. District Court judgeships.[9][10]
The number of federal district judge positions is set by the U.S. Congress in Title 28 of the U.S. Code, Section 133, which authorizes a set number of judge positions, or judgeships, making changes and adjustments in these numbers from time to time.
In order to relieve the pressure of trying the hundreds of thousands of cases brought before the federal district courts each year, many trials are tried by juries, along with a presiding judge.[11]
Appointments by president[edit]
The chart below shows the number of district court judges confirmed by the U.S. Senate through November 1 of the first year of each president's term in office. At this point in the term, President Biden made the most district court appointments with 19. President Reagan made 16, the second most for the presidents under study for this period. President Obama had appointed the fewest with three.
Judges by district[edit]
- See also: Judicial vacancies in federal courts
The table below displays the number of judges in each district and indicates how many were appointed by presidents from each major political party. It also includes the number of vacancies in a district and how many pending nominations for that district are before the United States Senate. The table can be sorted by clicking the column headers above the line, and you can navigate through the pages by clicking the arrows at the top of the table. It is updated every Monday.
Judicial selection[edit]
The district courts are served by Article III federal judges who are appointed for life during "good behavior." They are usually first recommended by senators (or members of the House, occasionally). The President of the United States makes the appointments, which must then be confirmed by the U.S. Senate in accordance with Article III of the United States Constitution.[10]
| Step |  Candidacy Proceeds
|
 Candidacy Halts
|
|---|---|---|
| 1. Recommendation made by Congress Member to the President | President Nominates to Senate Judiciary Committee | President Declines Nomination |
| 2. Senate Judiciary Committee interviews Candidate | Sends candidate to Senate for confirmation | Returns candidate to President, who may re-nominate to Committee |
| 3. Senate votes on candidate confirmation | Candidate becomes federal judge | Candidate does not receive judgeship |
Magistrate judges[edit]
The district courts are also served by magistrate judges. Congress created the judicial office of federal magistrate in 1968. In 1990, the position title was changed to magistrate judge. The chief judge of each district appoints one or more magistrate judges, who discharge many of the ancillary duties of district judges so judges can handle more trials. There are both full-time and part-time magistrate judge positions, and these positions are assigned to the district courts according to caseload criteria (subject to funding by Congress). A full-time magistrate judge serves a term of eight years; a part-time magistrate judge's term of office is four years.[12]
External links[edit]
- Search Google News for this topic
- Official website of the Middle District of Georgia
- Opinions of the Middle District of Georgia
- U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Georgia
See also[edit]
- United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
- United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama
- United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama
- United States District Court for the Southern District of Alabama
- United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida
- United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida
- United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida
- United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia
- United States District Court for the Southern District of Georgia
Footnotes[edit]
- ↑ U.S. District Court - NH, "Magistrate Judges," archived April 14, 2014
- ↑ United States Courts, "Frequently Asked Questions," accessed April 23, 2021
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Federal Judicial Center, "The U.S. District Courts and the Federal Judiciary," accessed April 26, 2021
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, "Federal judge dismisses reservist's suit questioning Obama's presidency," July 16, 2009
- ↑ Connie Rhodes, M.D. v. Col. Thomas MacDonald, et al.
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, "Land doesn't dismiss charges, Shelnutt federal corruption trial to start Monday," Nov. 6, 2009
- ↑ United States District Court Middle District of Georgia, "Court Locations," accessed May 7, 2021
- ↑ US Courts, "Federal Judgeships," accessed May 10, 2021 (archived)
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 U.S. Courts, "United States District Court Federal Judiciary Frequently Asked Questions," accessed May 10, 2021 (archived)
- ↑ United States District Courts, "District Courts," accessed May 10, 2021
- ↑ The 'Lectric Law Library, "Understanding the U.S. federal courts"
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State of Georgia Atlanta (capital) |
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|---|---|---|---|
| Active judges |
Chief Judge: Marc Thomas Treadwell • Clay Land • Tilman E. Self III • Leslie Abrams Gardner | ||
| Senior judges | |||
| Magistrate judges | Charles Weigle • Thomas Langstaff • M. Stephen Hyles • | ||
| Former Article III judges |
Duross Fitzpatrick • Wilbur Owens • Bascom Sine Deaver • William Josiah Tilson • William Bootle • Abraham Conger • Thomas Davis (Georgia) • James Robert Elliott • | ||
| Former Chief judges |
Hugh Lawson • Duross Fitzpatrick • Wilbur Owens • Willie Sands • Clay Land • William Bootle • Thomas Davis (Georgia) • James Robert Elliott • | ||
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