United States District Court for the District of Connecticut

United States District Court for the District of Connecticut
(D. Conn.)
Location	Richard C. Lee U.S. Courthouse (New Haven) More locations Hartford Bridgeport
Appeals to	Second Circuit
Established	September 24, 1789
Judges	8
Chief Judge	Michael P. Shea
Officers of the court
U.S. Attorney	Vanessa R. Avery
U.S. Marshal	Lawrence Bobnick (acting)
www.ctd.uscourts.gov

The United States District Court for the District of Connecticut (in case citations, D. Conn.) is the federal district court whose jurisdiction is the state of Connecticut. The court has offices in Bridgeport, Hartford, and New Haven. Appeals from the court are heard by the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. It was one of the original 13 courts established by the Judiciary Act of 1789, 1 Stat. 73, on September 24, 1789. ^[1] The Court initially had a single judge, and remained so composed until March 3, 1927, when a second judge was added by 1927 44 Stat. 1348. ^[1] Six additional judgeships were created between 1961 and 1990 to bring about the current total of eight judges. ^[1] Court offices at Hartford and New Haven are located in the Abraham A. Ribicoff Federal Building and the Richard C. Lee United States Courthouse.

Cases decided by the District of Connecticut are appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are appealed to the Federal Circuit).

The United States Attorney's Office for the District of Connecticut represents the United States in civil and criminal litigation in the court. As of May 9,2022 ^[update] the United States attorney is Vanessa R. Avery. ^[2]

The United States marshal for the District of Connecticut is Lawrence Bobnick.

Current judges

As of February 18,2025 ^[update] :

#	Title	Judge	Duty station	Born	Term of service			Appointed by
					Active	Chief	Senior
36	Chief Judge	Michael P. Shea	Hartford	1967	2012–present	2022–present	—	Obama
38	District Judge	Victor Allen Bolden	New Haven	1965	2014–present	—	—	Obama
39	District Judge	Kari A. Dooley	Bridgeport	1963	2018–present	—	—	Trump
41	District Judge	Sarala Nagala	Hartford	1983	2021–present	—	—	Biden
42	District Judge	Omar A. Williams	Hartford	1977	2021–present	—	—	Biden
43	District Judge	Vernon D. Oliver	Hartford	1971	2023–present	—	—	Biden
44	District Judge	Sarah F. Russell	Bridgeport	1976	2024–present	—	—	Biden
45	District Judge	vacant	—	—	—	—	—	—
27	Senior Judge	Robert Chatigny	Hartford	1951	1994–2016	2003–2009	2016–present	Clinton
29	Senior Judge	Alvin W. Thompson	Hartford	1953	1994–2018	2009–2013	2018–present	Clinton
30	Senior Judge	Janet Bond Arterton	inactive	1944	1995–2014	—	2014–present	Clinton
32	Senior Judge	Janet C. Hall	New Haven	1948	1997–2021	2013–2018	2021–present	Clinton
33	Senior Judge	Stefan R. Underhill	Bridgeport	1956	1999–2022	2018–2022	2022–present	Clinton
35	Senior Judge	Vanessa Lynne Bryant	inactive	1954	2007–2021	—	2021–present	G.W. Bush

Vacancies and pending nominations

Seat	Prior judge's duty station	Seat last held by	Vacancy reason	Date of vacancy	Nominee	Date of nomination
7	New Haven	Jeffrey A. Meyer	Death	January 12, 2025	—	—

Former judges

#	Judge	State	Born–died	Active service	Chief Judge	Senior status	Appointed by	Reason for termination
1	Richard Law	CT	1733–1806	1789–1806	—	—	Washington	death
2	Pierpont Edwards	CT	1750–1826	1806–1826	—	—	Jefferson	death
3	William Bristol	CT	1779–1836	1826–1836	—	—	J.Q. Adams	death
4	Andrew T. Judson	CT	1784–1853	1836–1853	—	—	Jackson	death
5	Charles A. Ingersoll	CT	1798–1860	1853–1860	—	—	Pierce	death
6	William Davis Shipman	CT	1818–1898	1860–1873	—	—	Buchanan	resignation
7	Nathaniel Shipman	CT	1828–1906	1873–1892 [Note 1]	—	—	Grant	elevation to 2d Cir.
8	William Kneeland Townsend	CT	1849–1907	1892–1902	—	—	B. Harrison	elevation to 2d Cir.
9	James Perry Platt	CT	1851–1913	1902–1913	—	—	T. Roosevelt	death
10	Edwin Stark Thomas	CT	1872–1952	1913–1939	—	—	Wilson	resignation
11	Warren Booth Burrows	CT	1877–1952	1928–1930	—	—	Coolidge	resignation
12	Carroll C. Hincks	CT	1889–1964	1931–1953	1948–1953	—	Hoover	elevation to 2d Cir.
13	J. Joseph Smith	CT	1904–1980	1941–1960	1953–1960	—	F. Roosevelt	elevation to 2d Cir.
14	Robert P. Anderson	CT	1906–1978	1954–1964	1960–1964	—	Eisenhower	elevation to 2d Cir.
15	William H. Timbers	CT	1915–1994	1960–1971	1964–1971	—	Eisenhower	elevation to 2d Cir.
16	Mosher Joseph Blumenfeld	CT	1904–1988	1961–1977	1971–1974	1977–1988	Kennedy	death
17	T. Emmet Clarie	CT	1913–1997	1961–1983	1974–1983	1983–1997	Kennedy	death
18	Robert C. Zampano	CT	1928–2004	1964–1977	—	1977–1994	L. Johnson	retirement
19	Jon O. Newman	CT	1932–present	1971–1979	—	—	Nixon	elevation to 2d Cir.
20	T. F. Gilroy Daly	CT	1931–1996	1977–1996	1983–1988	—	Carter	death
21	Ellen Bree Burns	CT	1923–2019	1978–1992	1988–1992	1992–2019	Carter	death
22	Warren William Eginton	CT	1924–2019	1979–1992	—	1992–2019	Carter	death
23	José A. Cabranes	CT	1940–present	1979–1994	1992–1994	—	Carter	elevation to 2d Cir.
24	Peter Collins Dorsey	CT	1931–2012	1983–1998	1994–1998	1998–2012	Reagan	death
25	Alan Harris Nevas	CT	1928–present	1985–1997	—	1997–2009	Reagan	retirement
26	Alfred V. Covello	CT	1933–2025	1992–2003	1998–2003	2003–2025	G.H.W. Bush	death
28	Dominic J. Squatrito	CT	1938–2021	1994–2004	—	2004–2021	Clinton	death
31	Christopher F. Droney	CT	1954–present	1997–2011	—	—	Clinton	elevation to 2d Cir.
34	Mark R. Kravitz	CT	1950–2012	2003–2012	—	—	G.W. Bush	death
37	Jeffrey A. Meyer	CT	1963–2025	2014–2025	—	—	Obama	death
40	Sarah A. L. Merriam	CT	1971–present	2021–2022	—	—	Biden	elevation to 2d Cir.

1. Recess appointment; formally nominated on December 2, 1873, confirmed by the United States Senate on December 8, 1873, and received commission the same day.

Chief judges

Chief Judge
Hincks	1948–1953
Smith	1953–1960
Anderson	1960–1964
Timbers	1964–1971
Blumenfeld	1971–1974
Clarie	1974–1983
Daly	1983–1988
Burns	1988–1992
Cabranes	1992–1994
Dorsey	1994–1998
Covello	1998–2003
Chatigny	2003–2009
Thompson	2009–2013
Hall	2013–2018
Underhill	2018–2022
Shea	2022–present

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

Seat 1 Seat established on September 24, 1789 by 1 Stat. 73 Law 1789–1806 Edwards 1806–1826 Bristol 1826–1836 Judson 1836–1853 Ingersoll 1853–1860 W. Shipman 1860–1873 N. Shipman 1873–1892 Townsend 1892–1902 Platt 1902–1913 Thomas 1913–1939 Smith 1941–1960 Timbers 1960–1971 Newman 1971–1979 Cabranes 1979–1994 Arterton 1995–2014 Bolden 2014–present

Seat 2 Seat established on March 3, 1927 by 44 Stat. 1348 Burrows 1928–1930 Hincks 1931–1953 Anderson 1954–1964 Zampano 1964–1977 Daly 1977–1996 Hall 1997–2021 Merriam 2021–2022 Russell 2024–present

Seat 3 Seat established on May 19, 1961 by 75 Stat. 80 Blumenfeld 1961–1977 Burns 1978–1992 Thompson 1994–2018 Williams 2021–present

Seat 4 Seat established on May 19, 1961 by 75 Stat. 80 Clarie 1961–1983 Dorsey 1983–1998 Underhill 1999–2022 Oliver 2023–present

Seat 5 Seat established on October 20, 1978 by 92 Stat. 1629 Eginton 1979–1992 Chatigny 1994–2016 Dooley 2018–present

Seat 6 Seat established on July 10, 1984 by 98 Stat. 333 Nevas 1985–1997 Droney 1997–2011 Shea 2012–present

Seat 7 Seat established on December 1, 1990 by 104 Stat. 5089 Covello 1992–2003 Kravitz 2003–2012 Meyer 2014–2025 vacant 2025–present

Seat 8 Seat established on December 1, 1990 by 104 Stat. 5089 Squatrito 1994–2004 Bryant 2007–2021 Nagala 2021–present

List of U.S. attorneys

U.S. Attorney		Term started	Term ended	Presidents served under
Pierpont Edwards [3]		1789	1806	George Washington, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson
Hezekiah Huntington		1806	1829	Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, and John Quincy Adams
Nathan Smith		1829	1829	Andrew Jackson
Asa Child		1829	1834	Andrew Jackson
William S. Holabird		1834	1841	Andrew Jackson, Martin Van Buren, and William Henry Harrison
Charles Chapman		1841	1844	John Tyler
Jonathan Stoddard		1844	1849	John Tyler and James K. Polk
Thomas Clap Perkins		1849	1853	Zachary Taylor and Millard Fillmore
Elisha S. Abernethy		1853	1853	Franklin Pierce
William Davis Shipman		1853	1860	Franklin Pierce and James Buchanan
Tilton E. Doolittle		1860	1861	James Buchanan
Hiram Willey		1861	1869	Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Johnson, and Ulysses S. Grant
Calvin G. Child		1870	1880	Ulysses S. Grant and Rutherford B. Hayes
Daniel Chadwick		1880	1884	Rutherford B. Hayes, James Garfield, and Chester A. Arthur
Lewis E. Stanton		1884	1888	Chester A. Arthur and Grover Cleveland
George G. Sill		1888	1892	Grover Cleveland and Benjamin Harrison
George P. McLean		1892	1896	Benjamin Harrison and Grover Cleveland
Charles W. Comstock		1896	1900	Grover Cleveland and William McKinley
Francis H. Parker		1900	1908	William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt
John T. Robinson		1908	1912	Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft
Frederick A. Scott		1912	1915	William Howard Taft and Woodrow Wilson
Thomas J. Spellacy		1915	1918	Woodrow Wilson
John F. Crosby		1918	1919	Woodrow Wilson
Edward L. Smith		1919	1923	Woodrow Wilson and Warren Harding
Allan K. Smith		1923	1925	Calvin Coolidge
John Buckley		1925	1933	Calvin Coolidge and Herbert Hoover
Frank Bergin		1933	1934	Franklin D. Roosevelt
George H. Cohen		1934	1934	Franklin D. Roosevelt
Robert P. Butler		1934	1945	Franklin D. Roosevelt
Adrian W. Maher		1945	1953	Harry Truman
Simon S. Cohen		1953	1958	Dwight D. Eisenhower
Harry W. Hultgren Jr.		1958	1961	Dwight D. Eisenhower
Robert C. Zampano		1961	1964	John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson
F. Owen Eagan		1964	1964	Lyndon B. Johnson
Jon O. Newman		1964	1969	Lyndon B. Johnson
Stewart H. Jones		1969	1974	Richard Nixon
Harold J. Pickerstein		1974	1974	Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford
Peter Collins Dorsey		1974	1977	Gerald Ford
Richard Blumenthal		1977	1981	Jimmy Carter
Alan Harris Nevas		1981	1985	Ronald Reagan
Stanley A. Twardy Jr.		1985	1991	Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush
Richard N. Palmer		1991	1991	George H. W. Bush
Albert S. Dabrowski		1991	1993	George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton
Christopher F. Droney		1993	1997	Bill Clinton
John H. Durham		1997	1998	Bill Clinton
Stephen C. Robinson		1998	2001	Bill Clinton and George W. Bush
John A. Danaher III		2001	2002	George W. Bush
Kevin J. O’Connor		2002	2008	George W. Bush
Nora R. Dannehy		2008	2010	George W. Bush and Barack Obama
David B. Fein		2010	2013	Barack Obama
Deirdre M. Daly		2013	2017	Barack Obama and Donald Trump
John H. Durham		2017	2021	Donald Trump and Joe Biden
Vanessa R. Avery		2022	2025	Joe Biden
Marc H. Silverman (Acting)		2025

See also

• Connecticut portal

• Courts of Connecticut
• List of current United States district judges
• List of United States federal courthouses in Connecticut

Notes

1. U.S. District Courts of Connecticut, Legislative history, Federal Judicial Center .
2. "Vanessa Roberts Avery Sworn in as United States Attorney" (Press release). New Haven, Connecticut: U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut. May 9, 2022. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
3. "About the Office". www.justice.gov. March 18, 2015.

External links

• United States District Court for the District of Connecticut Official Website
• United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut Official Website