Northern District of Georgia |
---|
Eleventh Circuit |
Judgeships |
Posts: 11 |
Judges: 9 |
Vacancies: 2 |
Judges |
Chief: Timothy Batten |
Active judges: Timothy Batten, Jean-Paul Boulee, Michael L. Brown, Mark Howard Cohen, Steven Grimberg, Steve C. Jones, Leigh Martin May, William Ray, Eleanor L. Ross Senior judges: |
The United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia is one of 94 United States district courts. The district operates out of courthouses in Atlanta, Gainesville, Newnan, and Rome. 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.
There are two current vacancies on the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, out of the court's 11 judicial positions.
Judge | Appointed By | Assumed Office | Bachelors | Law |
---|---|---|---|---|
Northwestern University, 1996 |
University of Michigan Law School, 1999 |
|||
Duke University, 2003 |
New York University Law School, 2006 |
Judge | Appointed By | Assumed Office | Bachelors | Law |
---|---|---|---|---|
March 28, 2006 |
Georgia Institute of Technology, 1981 |
University of Georgia Law, 1984 |
||
March 3, 2011 |
University of Georgia, 1978 |
University of Georgia Law, 1987 |
||
November 14, 2014 |
Georgia Inst. of Tech, 1993 |
University of Georgia Law, 1998 |
||
November 20, 2014 |
American University, 1989 |
University of Houston, 1994 |
||
November 20, 2014 |
Emory, 1976 |
Emory Law, 1979 |
||
January 17, 2018 |
Georgetown University, 1991 |
University of Georgia School of Law, 1994 |
||
October 25, 2018 |
University of Georgia, 1985 |
University of Georgia School of Law, 1990 |
||
June 14, 2019 |
Washington and Lee University, 1993 |
University of Georgia School of Law, 1996 |
||
September 13, 2019 |
University of Florida, 1995 |
Emory University School of Law, 1998 |
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.
Judge | Appointed By | Assumed Office | Bachelors | Law |
---|---|---|---|---|
March 31, 1996 |
University of Georgia, 1959 |
University of Georgia School of Law, 1959 |
||
June 30, 2005 |
Emory University, 1954 |
University of Virginia School of Law, 1990 |
||
December 31, 2008 |
Duke University, 1965 |
Emory University School of Law, 1968 |
||
February 9, 2009 |
Clark College, 1964 |
Emory University School of Law, 1967 |
||
January 31, 2013 |
University of Georgia, 1967 |
University of Georgia Law, 1970 |
||
March 31, 2017 |
University of Georgia Law, 1949 |
|||
December 1, 2018 |
LaGrange College, 1975 |
University of Georgia Law, 1978 |
||
April 3, 2021 |
Harvard-Radcliffe, 1974 |
Harvard Law, 1977 |
||
May 8, 2021 |
University of Virginia, 1973 |
Harvard Law, 1976 |
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.
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 |
---|---|---|---|---|
January 2, 2000 |
Southern University, 1983 |
University of Georgia Law, 1989 |
||
February 1, 2001 |
University of Maryland, 1978 |
Emory University School of Law, 1981 |
||
March 18, 2002 |
University of Georgia, 1982 |
University of Georgia Law, 1985 |
||
October 23, 2006 |
University of Georgia, 1986 |
University of Georgia Law, 1989 |
||
June 4, 2012 |
Swarthmore College, 1993 |
Harvard Law School, 1998 |
||
September 4, 2012 |
University of Georgia, 1988 |
University of Georgia Law, 1999 |
||
July 1, 2015 |
Emory University, 1990 |
University of Texas, 1994 |
||
January 19, 2016 |
Wake Forest University, 2000 |
University of Georgia Law, 2003 |
||
November 26, 2018 |
Emory University, 1999 |
Emory University School of Law, 2002 |
||
United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia |
February 3, 2020 |
University of Oklahoma |
University of Oklahoma College of Law |
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]
|
|
For more information about the judges of the Northern District of Georgia, see former federal judges of the Northern District of Georgia.
The Northern 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 four court divisions, each covering the following counties:
The Atlanta Division, covering Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Douglas, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry, Newton, and Rockdale counties.
The Gainesville Division, covering Banks, Barrow, Dawson, Fannin, Forsyth, Gilmer, Habersham, Hall, Jackson, Lumpkin, Pickens, Rabun, Stephens, Towns, Union, and White counties.
The Newnan Division, covering Carroll, Coweta, Fayette, Haralson, Heard, Meriwether, Pike, Spalding, and Troup counties.
The Rome Division, covering Bartow, Catoosa, Chattooga, Dade, Floyd, Gordon, Murray, Paulding, Polk, Walker, and Whitfield counties.
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 Northern 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 | 6,026 | 5,792 | 4,894 | 11 | 47 | 548 | 20 | 10 | 7 | 114 | 3 |
2011 | 6,262 | 6,033 | 4,588 | 11 | 28 | 569 | 21 | 9 | 6 | 93 | 2 |
2012 | 6,191 | 6,287 | 4,958 | 11 | 24 | 563 | 20 | 10 | 6 | 86 | 2 |
2013 | 6,129 | 6,071 | 5,011 | 11 | 35 | 557 | 21 | 10 | 7 | 92 | 2 |
2014 | 6,005 | 6,004 | 4,984 | 11 | 32 | 546 | 21 | 10 | 7 | 97 | 3 |
2015 | 6,179 | 5,964 | 5,189 | 11 | 12 | 562 | 22 | 9 | 6 | 188 | 5 |
2016 | 6,746 | 6,234 | 5,692 | 11 | 12 | 613 | 21 | 10 | 6 | 344 | 8 |
2017 | 7,254 | 6,781 | 6,158 | 11 | 21 | 659 | 20 | 11 | 6 | 402 | 8 |
2018 | 7,773 | 6,911 | 7,000 | 11 | 31 | 707 | 19 | 10 | 7 | 96 | 2 |
2019 | 7,693 | 6,579 | 8,060 | 11 | 14 | 699 | 16 | 9 | 6 | 134 | 2 |
Average | 6,626 | 6,266 | 5,653 | 11 | 26 | 602 | 20 | 10 | 6 | 165 | 4 |
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. On April 25, 1882, Congress assigned a new post to the Northern District of Georgia and permanently assigned the previous post to the Southern District of Georgia. Since then, nine additional posts have been added to the court for a total of 11 posts.[3]
The following table highlights the development of judicial posts for the Northern District of Georgia:[3]
Year | Statute | Total Seats |
April 25, 1882 | 22 Stat. 47 | 1 |
May 24, 1940 | 54 Stat. 219 | 2 |
1948 | Temporary post expired | 1 |
August 3, 1949 | 63 Stat. 493 | 2 |
May 19, 1961 | 75 Stat. 80 | 3 |
June 2, 1970 | 84 Stat. 294 | 6 |
October 20, 1978 | 92 Stat. 1629 | 11 |
You can find links to Searchable lists of decisions at the courts official page.
• Woman sues school for using her Facebook photo without permission (2014) | Click for summary→ |
---|---|
A photo of teenager Chelsea Chaney in a bikini was used by an instructor in Fayette County, Georgia, as an example of online privacy (or lack thereof) for an Internet safety class. After discovering this, Chaney sued her school district for $2 million, claiming that her privacy was violated and that she did not authorize that use of her photo.[4]
The court, in a majority opinion written by Judge Timothy Batten, sided with the school district and granted a motion to dismiss most of the lawsuit. The court noted that the privacy setting chosen by Chaney for the photo allowed "friends and friends of friends" on Facebook to see the photo, so she had authorized strangers to view it. The opinion stated, "The Supreme Court consistently has held that a person has no legitimate expectation of privacy in information he voluntarily turns over to third parties."[5] Articles:
|
• Injunction granted regarding Georgia's phone subsidy fee (2013) Judge(s):Richard Story (CTIA - The Wireless Association, et al v. Echols, et al, 1:13-cv-00399-RWS) | Click for summary→ |
---|---|
On December 17, 2013, Judge Richard Story granted a preliminary injunction in CTIA - The Wireless Association's favor, enjoining the Georgia Public Service Commission from imposing a $5 per month fee or 500 minute limit on subsidized telephone services provided to low-income residents through the federal Lifeline program. In the underlying case, the state of Georgia attempted to institute the rate regulation to curb fraudulent use of the subsidized phone lines. CTIA filed suit and requested an injunction, arguing that the state's new rule was prohibited under the Federal Communications Act of 1934. Story found that CTIA would be likely to succeed in its suit, and granted an injunction pending its ultimate resolution, noting that "while the status quo may permit some level of fraud to continue, the public interest tilts in favor of providing telephone services to low-income households that otherwise would be unable to afford mobile phones."[6] | |
• Georgia immigration law enjoined (2011) Judge(s):Thomas Thrash (GEORGIA LATINO ALLIANCE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS, et al. v. Nathan Deal, et al., No. 1:11-CV-1804-TWT) | Click for summary→ |
---|---|
On June 27, 2011, Judge Thomas Thrash issued an injunction preventing portions of a Georgia immigration law from going into effect as scheduled, in response to a suit brought against the law by the American Civil Liberties Union and other groups. Thrash struck the provisions prohibiting the knowing transport or shelter of persons in the U.S. illegally and allowing law enforcement to investigate the immigration status of criminal suspects without identification. Thrash allowed a number of the law's other provisions to enter into effect, including criminal penalties for using a fake ID to obtain employment.[7] On March 20, 2013, Thrash permanently enjoined the provision regarding the transport or shelter of persons in the U.S. illegally after the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit ruled it was preempted by federal law.[8] | |
• Richard Allen Hughes robbery case (2010) Judge(s):Richard Story (USA v. Hughes, 2:09-cr-00002-RWS) | Click for summary→ |
---|---|
Judge Richard Story was the presiding judge over the case of Richard Allen Hughes, known popularly as the "Crown Royal Bandit," who committed a string of thirty robberies by using Crown Royal Whiskey bags to hide the money he stole.Cite error: Closing | |
• Courthouse mold case (2009) Judge(s):Richard Story | Click for summary→ |
---|---|
Judge Richard Story dismissed a case filed against the General Services Administration by the children of the late Robert Klein, a former federal magistrate judge. The family sued the Government Services Administration over mold in the federal courthouse in Miami where the judge worked, claiming that GSA contractors did a poor job of remodeling the courthouse. Story dismissed the case after ruling he had no jurisdiction since the Federal Employees' Compensation Act prohibited lawsuits seeking damages against the federal government.[9] | |
• Federal lawsuit against the state for ADA violations (2009) Judge(s):Charles Pannell | Click for summary→ |
---|---|
In 2007, the Department of Justice opened an investigation into Georgia's behavioral health facilities following a series of articles published by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution detailing instances of substandard medical care, neglect, and abuse of patients. As a result of this investigation, the Justice Department filed a lawsuit against the state alleging violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act. In an initial agreement, the state said it would develop a plan to address the identified deficiencies. [10] On September 30, 2009, Judge Charles Pannell rejected the plan developed by the state, saying the Department of Justice did not believe the issues had been addressed.[10] On October 10, 2010, the State of Georgia and the Justice Department entered an agreement where the state would increase its funding and support of multiple social health programs over the course of the following five years.[11] | |
In March 2019, the Federal Judicial Conference (FJC) recommended that one judgeship be added to the district.[12] Based on FJC data, the district handled 633 weighted filings per judgeship from September 2017 to September 2018. Weighted filings are a specific metric used by the federal judiciary that accounts for the different amounts of time judges require to resolve types of civil and criminal cases. The national average in that period for weighted filings per judgeship was 513.[13]
The FJC is the policy-making body for the United States federal courts system. It was first organized as the Conference of Senior Circuit Judges in 1922.[14] The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States serves as chair of the conference. The members of the conference are the chief judge of each judicial circuit, the Chief Judge of the Court of International Trade, and a district judge from each regional judicial circuit.[15]
Four courthouses serve the Northern District of Georgia:[16]
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.[17][18]
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.[19]
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.
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.
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.[18]
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 |
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.[20]
State of Georgia Atlanta (capital) | |
---|---|
Elections |
What's on my ballot? | Elections in 2021 | How to vote | How to run for office | Ballot measures |
Government |
Who represents me? | U.S. President | U.S. Congress | Federal courts | State executives | State legislature | State and local courts | Counties | Cities | School districts | Public policy |
| |||
---|---|---|---|
Active judges |
Chief Judge: Timothy Batten • William M. Ray, II • Steve C. Jones • Eleanor L. Ross • Mark Howard Cohen • Leigh Martin May • Jean-Paul Boulee • Michael L. Brown (Georgia) • Steven Grimberg | ||
Senior judges |
Orinda Evans • Clarence Cooper • Richard Story • Willis Hunt • Charles Pannell • Harold Murphy • Robert Vining • Amy Totenberg • Thomas Thrash (Georgia) • | ||
Magistrate judges | Alan Baverman • Walter E. Johnson • Russell G. Vineyard • Linda T. Walker • J. Clay Fuller • Justin Anand • John Larkins (Georgia) • Catherine Salinas • Christopher Bly • Regina Cannon • | ||
Former Article III judges |
Jack Camp • Marvin Shoob • Horace Ward • Owen Forrester • Beverly Martin • Charles Moye • William O'Kelley • Ernest Tidwell • Julie Carnes • William Duffey • John Cochran Nicoll • John Erskine • Albert Henderson • Lewis Morgan • Frank Hull • James Hill (Eleventh Circuit) • Henry Kent McCay • William Truslow Newman • Samuel Hale Sibley • Emory Marvin Underwood • Maurice Andrews • Newell Edenfield • Richard Freeman • Robert Hall (Georgia) • Frank Hooper • William Sloan • Sidney Smith • Robert Lee Russell (Federal judge) • | ||
Former Chief judges |
Orinda Evans • Charles Moye • William O'Kelley • Ernest Tidwell • Robert Vining • Albert Henderson • Lewis Morgan • Maurice Andrews • Newell Edenfield • Frank Hooper • Sidney Smith • Robert Lee Russell (Federal judge) • Thomas Thrash (Georgia) • |