United States District Court for the Southern District of Georgia
The United States District Court for the Southern District of Georgia (in case citations, S.D. Ga.) 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 Southern District of Georgia | |
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(S.D. Ga.) | |
Location | Tomochichi Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse (Savannah) |
Appeals to | Eleventh Circuit |
Established | August 11, 1848 |
Judges | 3 |
Chief Judge | James Randal Hall |
Officers of the court | |
U.S. Attorney | Bobby Christine |
U.S. Marshal | David L. Lyons |
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The current United States Attorney for the District is Bobby Christine since November 22, 2017.
History
The United States District Court for the District of Georgia was one of the original thirteen courts established by the Judiciary Act of 1789, 1 Stat. 73, on September 24, 1789. The District was further subdivided into Northern and Southern Districts on August 11, 1848, by {9 Stat. 280. The Middle District was formed from portions of both the Northern and Southern Districts on May 28, 1926, by 44 Stat. 670.[1]
Jurisdiction
The Augusta Division comprises the following counties: Burke, Columbia, Glascock, Jefferson, Lincoln, McDuffie, Richmond, Taliaferro, Warren and Wilkes.
The Brunswick Division comprises the following counties: Appling, Camden, Glynn, Long, McIntosh, and Wayne.
The Dublin Division comprises the following counties: Dodge, Jeff Davis, Johnson, Laurens, Montgomery, Telfair, Treutlen, and Wheeler.
The Savannah Division comprises the following counties: Bryan, Chatham, Effingham, and Liberty.
The Statesboro Division comprises the following counties: Bulloch, Candler, Emanuel, Evans, Jenkins, Screven, Tattnall, and Toombs.
The Waycross Division comprises the following counties: Atkinson, Bacon, Brantley, Charlton, Coffee, Pierce, and Ware.
Current judges
As of August 30, 2018:
# | Title | Judge | Duty station | Born | Term of service | Appointed by | ||
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Active | Chief | Senior | ||||||
15 | Chief Judge | James Randal Hall | Augusta | 1958 | 2008–present | 2017–present | — | G.W. Bush |
14 | District Judge | Lisa Godbey Wood | Brunswick | 1963 | 2007–present | 2010–2017 | — | G.W. Bush |
16 | District Judge | R. Stan Baker | Savannah | 1977 | 2018–present | — | — | Trump |
12 | Senior Judge | Dudley Hollingsworth Bowen Jr. | Augusta | 1941 | 1979–2006 | 1997–2004 | 2006–present | Carter |
13 | Senior Judge | William Theodore Moore Jr. | Savannah | 1940 | 1994–2017 | 2004–2010 | 2017–present | Clinton |
Former judges
# | Judge | State | Born–died | Active service | Chief Judge | Senior status | Appointed by | Reason for termination |
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1 | John Cochran Nicoll | GA | 1793–1863 | 1848–1861[Note 1] | — | — | Van Buren/Operation of law | resignation |
2 | John Erskine | GA | 1813–1895 | 1865–1883[Note 2] | — | — | A. Johnson | retirement |
3 | Emory Speer | GA | 1848–1918 | 1885–1918 | — | — | Arthur | death |
4 | William Wallace Lambdin | GA | 1861–1916 | 1915–1916 | — | — | Wilson | death |
5 | Beverly Daniel Evans Jr. | GA | 1865–1922 | 1917–1922 | — | — | Wilson | death |
6 | William Hale Barrett | GA | 1866–1941 | 1922–1941 | — | — | Harding | death |
7 | Archibald Battle Lovett | GA | 1884–1945 | 1941–1945 | — | — | F. Roosevelt | death |
8 | Francis Muir Scarlett | GA | 1891–1971 | 1946–1968 | — | 1968–1971 | F. Roosevelt | death |
9 | Alexander Atkinson Lawrence Jr. | GA | 1906–1979 | 1968–1978 | 1970–1976 | 1978–1979 | L. Johnson | death |
10 | Anthony A. Alaimo | GA | 1920–2009 | 1971–1991 | 1976–1990 | 1991–2009 | Nixon | death |
11 | Berry Avant Edenfield | GA | 1934–2015 | 1978–2006 | 1990–1997 | 2006–2015 | Carter | death |
- Reassigned from the District of Georgia; jointly appointed to the Northern and Southern Districts of Georgia.
- Recess appointment; formally nominated on December 20, 1865, confirmed by the United States Senate on January 22, 1866, and received commission the same day; from 1865–1882, Judge Erskine was jointly appointed to the Northern and Southern Districts of Georgia.
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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