United States District Court for the District of Delaware

Last updated

United States District Court for the District of Delaware
(D. Del.)
Delaware Locator Map.PNG
Location Wilmington
Appeals to Third Circuit
EstablishedSeptember 24, 1789
Judges4
Chief Judge Colm Connolly
Officers of the court
U.S. Attorney David C. Weiss
U.S. Marshal Michael C. McGowan
www.ded.uscourts.gov

The United States District Court for the District of Delaware (in case citations, D. Del.) is the Federal district court having jurisdiction over the entire state of Delaware. The Court sits in Wilmington.

Contents

Because Delaware is the state of incorporation for most major U.S. corporations, the District of Delaware hears and tries many patent and other complex commercial disputes that must be heard in federal court for diversity of citizenship reasons, and hears many appeals from bankruptcy disputes which are filed with the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware.

Appeals from the Court are heard by the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, which sits in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are appealed to the Federal Circuit).

The current United States attorney for the District of Delaware is David C. Weiss since January 22, 2018.

History

The court was one of the original 13 courts established by the Judiciary Act of 1789, 1  Stat.   73, on September 24, 1789. From its establishment until 1946, the court had a single judge. A temporary additional judgeship was authorized on July 24, 1946, by 60  Stat.   654, and was made permanent on September 5, 1950, by 64  Stat.   578. A third judge was authorized on February 10, 1954, by 68  Stat.   8, and a fourth on July 10, 1984, by 98  Stat.   333.

Current judges

As of January 4,2024:

#TitleJudgeDuty stationBornTerm of serviceAppointed by
Active Chief Senior
26Chief Judge Colm Connolly Wilmington 19642018–present2021–present Trump
27District Judge Maryellen Noreika Wilmington 19662018–present Trump
28District Judge Gregory B. Williams Wilmington 19692022–present Biden
29District Judge Jennifer L. Hall Wilmington 19762024–present Biden
17Senior Judge Joseph J. Longobardi inactive19301984–19971989–19961997–present Reagan
25Senior Judge Richard G. Andrews Wilmington 19552011–20232023–present Obama

Former judges

#JudgeStateBorn–diedActive service Chief Judge Senior status Appointed byReason for
termination
1 Gunning Bedford Jr. DE 1747–18121789–1812 Washington death
2 John Fisher DE 1771–18231812–1823 Madison death
3 Willard Hall DE 1780–18751823–1871 [Note 1] Monroe retirement
4 Edward Green Bradford DE 1819–18841871–1884 Grant death
5 Leonard Eugene Wales DE 1823–18971884–1897 Arthur death
6 Edward Green Bradford II DE 1848–19281897–1918 McKinley retirement
7 Hugh M. Morris DE 1878–19661919–1930 Wilson resignation
8 John Percy Nields DE 1868–19431930–19411941–1943 Hoover death
9 Paul Conway Leahy DE 1904–19661942–19571948–19571957–1966 F. Roosevelt death
10 Richard Seymour Rodney DE 1882–19631946–19571957–1963 Truman death
11 Caleb Merrill Wright DE 1908–20011955–19731957–19731973–2001 Eisenhower death
12 Caleb Rodney Layton III DE 1907–19881957–19681968–1988 Eisenhower death
13 Edwin DeHaven Steel Jr. DE 1904–19861958–19691969–1986 Eisenhower death
14 James Levin Latchum DE 1918–20041968–19831973–19831983–2004 L. Johnson death
15 Walter King Stapleton DE 1934–20241970–19851983–1985 Nixon elevation to 3d Cir.
16 Murray Merle Schwartz DE 1931–20131974–19891985–19891989–2013 Nixon death
18 Joseph James Farnan Jr. DE 1945–present1985–20101996–2000 Reagan retirement
19 Jane Richards Roth DE 1935–present1985–1991 Reagan elevation to 3d Cir.
20 Sue Lewis Robinson DE 1952–present1991–20172000–20072017 G.H.W. Bush retirement
21 Roderick R. McKelvie DE 1946–present1992–2002 G.H.W. Bush resignation
22 Gregory M. Sleet DE 1951–present1998–20172007–20142017–2018 Clinton retirement
23 Kent A. Jordan DE 1957–present2002–2006 G.W. Bush elevation to 3d Cir.
24 Leonard P. Stark DE 1969–present2010–20222014–2021 Obama elevation to Fed. Cir.
  1. Recess appointment; formally nominated on December 5, 1823, confirmed by the United States Senate on December 9, 1823, and received commission on December 9, 1823.

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

United States attorneys

Source: [1]

U.S. AttorneyTerm StartedTerm EndedPresidents served under
George Read II George Read Jr.jpg 17891816 George Washington and John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison
George Read III 18161836 James Monroe, John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson
James A. Bayard Jr. James A. Bayard, Jr. - Brady-Handy.jpg 18371843 Martin Van Buren, William Henry Harrison, and John Tyler
William Horsey Rogers 18431849John Tyler and James K. Polk
Perry Sheward Johnson 18491853 Zachary Taylor and Millard Fillmore
Thomas F. Bayard Thomas F. Bayard, Brady-Handy photo portrait, circa 1870-1880.jpg 18531855 Franklin Pierce
Daniel Moore Bates Daniel Moore Bates.jpg 18551861Franklin Pierce and James Buchanan
Edward Green Bradford Edward Green Bradford.jpg 18611866 Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson
John Lockwood Pratt 18661869Andrew Johnson
Anthony Higgins HigginsAnthony.jpg 18691876 Ulysses S. Grant
William Corbit Spruance 18761880Ulysses S. Grant and Rutherford B. Hayes
John Cunningham Patterson 18801888Rutherford B. Hayes, James Garfield, Chester A. Arthur, and Grover Cleveland
Alexander Bradshaw Cooper 18881891Grover Cleveland and Benjamin Harrison
Beniah Watson 18911894Benjamin Harrison and Grover Cleveland
Lewis Cass Vandergrift 18941899Grover Cleveland and William McKinley
William Michael Byrne 18991903William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt
John Percy Nields 19031916Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft and Woodrow Wilson
Charles F. Curley 19161920Woodrow Wilson
James H. Hughes, Jr.19201924Woodrow Wilson, Warren Harding, and Calvin Coolidge
David J. Reinhardt 19241927Calvin Coolidge
Leonard E. Wales Leonard Eugene Wales.png 19271935Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover and Franklin D. Roosevelt
John J. Morris, Jr. 19351939Franklin D. Roosevelt
Charles Stewart Lynch 19391944Franklin D. Roosevelt
John J. Morris, Jr. 19441948Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry Truman
William Marvel 19481953Harry Truman
Leonard G. Hagner 19531961 Dwight D. Eisenhower
Alexander Greenfield [2] 19611969 John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson
F. L. Peter Stone 19691973 Richard Nixon
Ralph F. Keil 19731975Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford
W. Laird Stabler Jr. 19751977Gerald Ford
James W. Garvin, Jr. 19771981 Jimmy Carter
Joseph James Farnan Jr. 19811985 Ronald Reagan
William C. Carpenter, Jr. 19851993Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush
Gregory M. Sleet Gregory M. Sleet, U.S. District Court Judge.png 19931998 Bill Clinton
Carl Schnee 19992001Bill Clinton
Colm Connolly Colm Connolly.jpg 20012009 George W. Bush
Charles Oberly Charles Oberly US Attorney.JPG 20102018 Barack Obama and Donald Trump
David C. Weiss David C. Weiss Official Portrait 2018 (cropped).jpg 2018presentDonald Trump and Joe Biden

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    References

    1. "U.S. Attorneys | District of Delaware | United States District Court". www.ded.uscourts.gov. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
    2. "The Political Graveyard: U.S. District Attorneys in Delaware". politicalgraveyard.com. Retrieved April 6, 2024.