United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia

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Northern District of Georgia
Eleventh Circuit
Georgia-northern.gif
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:
Clarence Cooper, Orinda Evans, Willis Hunt, Harold Murphy, Charles Pannell, Richard Story, Thomas Thrash, Amy Totenberg, Robert Vining


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.

Vacancies[edit]

See also: Current federal judicial vacancies

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.

Pending nominations[edit]

Judge Appointed By Assumed Office Bachelors Law

Sarah Geraghty

Joe Biden (D)

Northwestern University, 1996

University of Michigan Law School, 1999

Victoria Calvert

Joe Biden (D)

Duke University, 2003

New York University Law School, 2006


Active judges[edit]

Article III judges[edit]

Judge Appointed By Assumed Office Bachelors Law

Timothy Batten

George W. Bush (R)

March 28, 2006

Georgia Institute of Technology, 1981

University of Georgia Law, 1984

Steve C. Jones

Barack Obama (D)

March 3, 2011

University of Georgia, 1978

University of Georgia Law, 1987

Leigh Martin May

Barack Obama (D)

November 14, 2014

Georgia Inst. of Tech, 1993

University of Georgia Law, 1998

Eleanor L. Ross

Barack Obama (D)

November 20, 2014

American University, 1989

University of Houston, 1994

Mark Howard Cohen

Barack Obama (D)

November 20, 2014

Emory, 1976

Emory Law, 1979

Michael L. Brown

Donald Trump (R)

January 17, 2018

Georgetown University, 1991

University of Georgia School of Law, 1994

William Ray

Donald Trump (R)

October 25, 2018

University of Georgia, 1985

University of Georgia School of Law, 1990

Jean-Paul Boulee

Donald Trump (R)

June 14, 2019

Washington and Lee University, 1993

University of Georgia School of Law, 1996

Steven Grimberg

Donald Trump (R)

September 13, 2019

University of Florida, 1995

Emory University School of Law, 1998


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: 4
  • Republican appointed: 5

Senior judges[edit]

Judge Appointed By Assumed Office Bachelors Law

Robert Vining

Jimmy Carter (D)

March 31, 1996

University of Georgia, 1959

University of Georgia School of Law, 1959

Willis Hunt

Bill Clinton (D)

June 30, 2005

Emory University, 1954

University of Virginia School of Law, 1990

Orinda Evans

Jimmy Carter (D)

December 31, 2008

Duke University, 1965

Emory University School of Law, 1968

Clarence Cooper

Bill Clinton (D)

February 9, 2009

Clark College, 1964

Emory University School of Law, 1967

Charles Pannell

Bill Clinton (D)

January 31, 2013

University of Georgia, 1967

University of Georgia Law, 1970

Harold Murphy

Jimmy Carter (D)

March 31, 2017

University of Georgia Law, 1949

Richard Story

Bill Clinton (D)

December 1, 2018

LaGrange College, 1975

University of Georgia Law, 1978

Amy Totenberg

Barack Obama (D)

April 3, 2021

Harvard-Radcliffe, 1974

Harvard Law, 1977

Thomas Thrash

May 8, 2021

University of Virginia, 1973

Harvard Law, 1976


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: 9
  • Republican appointed: 0

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

Linda T. Walker

January 2, 2000

Southern University, 1983

University of Georgia Law, 1989

Alan Baverman

February 1, 2001

University of Maryland, 1978

Emory University School of Law, 1981

Walter E. Johnson

March 18, 2002

University of Georgia, 1982

University of Georgia Law, 1985

Russell G. Vineyard

October 23, 2006

University of Georgia, 1986

University of Georgia Law, 1989

Justin S. Anand

June 4, 2012

Swarthmore College, 1993

Harvard Law School, 1998

J. Clay Fuller

September 4, 2012

University of Georgia, 1988

University of Georgia Law, 1999

Catherine M. Salinas

July 1, 2015

Emory University, 1990

University of Texas, 1994

John Larkins

January 19, 2016

Wake Forest University, 2000

University of Georgia Law, 2003

Christopher Bly

November 26, 2018

Emory University, 1999

Emory University School of Law, 2002

Regina Cannon

United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia

February 3, 2020

University of Oklahoma

University of Oklahoma College of Law


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]

Former judges[edit]

For more information about the judges of the Northern District of Georgia, see former federal judges of the Northern District of Georgia.

Jurisdiction[edit]

Northern District of Georgia counties (click for larger map)

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.

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.

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

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. 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]

Judicial posts[edit]

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

Noteworthy cases[edit]

You can find links to Searchable lists of decisions at the courts official page.

Noteworthy events[edit]

Federal Judicial Conference recommendation (2019)[edit]

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]

Federal courthouse[edit]

Four courthouses serve the Northern District of Georgia:[16]

  • Richard B. Russell Federal Building in Atlanta
  • Sidney O. Smith Federal Building & United States Courthouse in Gainesville
  • Lewis R. Morgan Federal Building & United States Courthouse in Newnan
  • United States Courthouse in Rome

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.[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]

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.[18]

Step ApprovedA Candidacy Proceeds DefeatedA 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.[20]


External links[edit]

See also[edit]

Footnotes[edit]

  1. U.S. District Court - NH, "Magistrate Judges," archived April 14, 2014
  2. United States Courts, "Frequently Asked Questions," accessed April 23, 2021
  3. 3.0 3.1 Federal Judicial Center, "The U.S. District Courts and the Federal Judiciary," accessed April 26, 2021
  4. New York Daily News, "Georgia teen wants $2 million after school uses Facebook photo without permission," June 22, 2013
  5. CyberCrime Review, "Court dismisses most of teen's suit for use of bikini-clad photo from Facebook in high school "Internet Safety" class," October 7, 2013
  6. Courthouse News Service, "Georgia Fee on Phone Subsidies Eliminated," December 27, 2013
  7. CNN, "Judge blocks key parts of Georgia immigration law," June 28, 2011
  8. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "Federal judge blocks Georgia immigration law," March 20, 2013
  9. Daily Business Review, "Lawsuit Blaming Fla. Judge's Death on Courthouse Mold Dismissed," August 21, 2009
  10. 10.0 10.1 Atlanta Journal Constitution, "Federal judge rejects plan for Georgia's mental hospitals," September 30, 2009
  11. The United States Department of Justice, "Justice Department Obtains Comprehensive Agreement Regarding the State of Georgia’s Mental Health and Developmental Disability System," Oct. 19, 2010
  12. Federal Judicial Conference, "March 2019 Recommendations," accessed April 26, 2021
  13. US Courts, "Table X-1A—Other Judicial Business (September 30, 2018)," accessed April 23, 2021
  14. US Courts, "Governance & the Judicial Conference," accessed April 23, 2021
  15. US Courts, "About the Judicial Conference," accessed April 21, 2021
  16. United States District Court Northern District of Georgia, "Court Locations," accessed May 7, 2021
  17. US Courts, "Federal Judgeships," accessed May 10, 2021 (archived)
  18. 18.0 18.1 U.S. Courts, "United States District Court Federal Judiciary Frequently Asked Questions," accessed May 10, 2021 (archived)
  19. United States District Courts, "District Courts," accessed May 10, 2021
  20. The 'Lectric Law Library, "Understanding the U.S. federal courts"


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