United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama

Last updated

United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama
(M.D. Ala.)
Seal of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama.gif
MDAla.png
Location Frank M. Johnson Jr. Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse
More locations
Appeals to Eleventh Circuit
EstablishedFebruary 6, 1839
Judges3
Chief Judge Emily C. Marks
Officers of the court
U.S. Attorney Kevin P. Davidson (acting)
U.S. Marshal Jesse Seroyer Jr.
almd.uscourts.gov

The United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama (in case citations, M.D. Ala.) is a United States district 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).

Contents

The District was established on February 6, 1839. [1]

The United States Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Alabama represents the United States in civil and criminal litigation in the court. As of August 25,2024 the acting United States attorney is Kevin P. Davidson. [2]

Organization of the court

The United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama is one of three federal judicial districts in Alabama. [3] Court for the District is held at Dothan, Montgomery, and Opelika.

Eastern Division comprises the following counties: Chambers, Lee, Macon, Randolph, Russell, and Tallapoosa.

Northern Division comprises the following counties: Autauga, Barbour, Bullock, Butler, Chilton, Coosa, Covington, Crenshaw, Elmore, Lowndes, Montgomery, and Pike.

Southern Division comprises the following counties: Coffee, Dale, Geneva, Henry, and Houston.

Current judges

As of June 30,2020:

#TitleJudgeDuty stationBornTerm of serviceAppointed by
Active Chief Senior
20Chief Judge Emily C. Marks Montgomery 19732018–present2019–present Trump
22District Judge R. Austin Huffaker Jr. Montgomery 19732019–present Trump
23District Judgevacant
14Senior Judge Myron H. Thompson Montgomery 19471980–20131991–19982013–present Carter
16Senior Judge Harold Albritton Montgomery 19361991–20041998–20042004–present G.H.W. Bush
19Senior Judge William Keith Watkins Montgomery 19512005–20192011–20192019–present G.W. Bush

Vacancies and pending nominations

SeatPrior judge's duty stationSeat last held byVacancy reasonDate of vacancyNomineeNominated
4 Montgomery Andrew L. Brasher ElevationJune 30, 2020 Bill Lewis September 2, 2025

Former judges

#JudgeStateBorn–diedActive service Chief Judge Senior status Appointed byReason for
termination
1 William Crawford AL 1784–18491839–1849 [Note 1] J.Q. Adams/Operation of law death
2 John Gayle AL 1792–18591849–1859 [Note 1] Taylor death
3 William Giles Jones AL 1808–18831859–1861 [Note 2] [Note 1] Buchanan resignation
4 George Washington Lane AL 1806–18631861–1863 [Note 1] Lincoln death
5 Richard Busteed AL 1822–18981863–1874 [Note 3] [Note 1] Lincoln resignation
6 John Bruce AL 1832–19011875–1901 [Note 4] [Note 5] Grant death
7 Thomas G. Jones AL 1844–19141901–1914 [Note 6] [Note 4] T. Roosevelt death
8 Henry De Lamar Clayton Jr. AL 1857–19291914–1929 [Note 4] Wilson death
9 Charles Brents Kennamer AL 1874–19551931–1955 [Note 7] Hoover death
10 Frank Minis Johnson AL 1918–19991955–1979 [Note 8] 1966–1979 Eisenhower elevation to 5th Cir.
11 Thomas Virgil Pittman AL 1916–20121966–1970 [Note 9] L. Johnson seat abolished
12 Robert Edward Varner AL 1921–20061971–19861979–19841986–2006 Nixon death
13 Truman McGill Hobbs AL 1921–20151980–19911984–19911991–2015 Carter death
15 Joel Fredrick Dubina AL 1947–present1986–1990 Reagan elevation to 11th Cir.
17 Ira De Ment AL 1931–20111992–20022002–2011 G.H.W. Bush death
18 Mark Fuller AL 1958–present2002–20152004–2011 G.W. Bush resignation
21 Andrew L. Brasher AL 1981–present2019–2020 Trump elevation to 11th Cir.
  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Jointly appointed to the Middle, Northern, and Southern Districts of Alabama.
  2. Recess appointment; formally nominated on January 23, 1860, confirmed by the United States Senate on January 30, 1860, and received commission on January 30, 1860.
  3. Recess appointment; formally nominated on January 5, 1864, confirmed by the Senate on January 20, 1864, and received commission on January 20, 1864.
  4. 1 2 3 Jointly appointed to the Middle and Northern Districts of Alabama.
  5. From 1875 to 1886, Judge Bruce was jointly appointed to the Southern District of Alabama.
  6. Recess appointment; formally nominated on December 5, 1901, confirmed by the Senate on December 17, 1901, and received commission the same day.
  7. From 1931 to 1936, Judge Kennamer was jointly appointed to the Middle and Northern Districts of Alabama.
  8. Recess appointment; formally nominated on January 12, 1956, confirmed by the Senate on January 31, 1956, and received commission the same day.
  9. Judge Pittman was jointly appointed to the Middle and Southern Districts of Alabama.

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

Court decisions

Browder v. Gayle (1956) – Court rules that bus segregation in Montgomery was unconstitutional under the Fourteenth Amendment. Decision upheld by U.S. Supreme Court six months later.

Gomillion v. Lightfoot (1958) – Court dismissed action, which was later affirmed by the Fifth Circuit. In 1960, the U.S. Supreme Court reversed the decision, finding that electoral districts drawn in Tuskegee, with the purpose of disenfranchising black voters, violated the Fifteenth Amendment.

Lee v. Macon County Board of Education (1963) – Court rules segregation in schooling was unconstitutional under the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendment. Decision upheld by U.S. Supreme Court. [4]

United States v. Alabama (1966) – Court rules poll tax violates the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendment. U.S. Supreme Court concurred three weeks later in an unrelated case, Harper v. Virginia Board of Elections.

Glassroth v. Moore (2002) – Court rules that a display of the Ten Commandments, erected by Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore in the Alabama Judicial Building violated the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.

U.S. attorneys

NameTerm StartedTerm EndedPresidents served under
John A. Minnis 18701874 Ulysses S. Grant
N. S. McAfee 18741875Ulysses S. Grant
Charles B. Mayer 18761880Ulysses S. Grant
Rutherford B. Hayes
William Hugh Smith 18801885Rutherford B. Hayes
James A. Garfield
Chester A. Arthur
Grover Cleveland
George H. Craig 18851885Grover Cleveland
William H. Denson 18851889Grover Cleveland
Benjamin Harrison
Lewis E. Parsons, Jr. 18891893Benjamin Harrison
Grover Cleveland
Henry D. Clayton, Jr. 18931896Grover Cleveland
George F. Moore, Jr. 18961897Grover Cleveland
William McKinley
Warren S. Reese, Jr. 18971906William McKinley
Theodore Roosevelt
Erastus J. Parsons [5] 19061913Theodore Roosevelt
William H. Taft
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas D. Samford 19131924Woodrow Wilson
Warren G. Harding
Calvin Coolidge
Grady Reynolds 19241931Calvin Coolidge
Herbert Hoover
Arthur B. Chilton 19311934Herbert Hoover
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Thomas D. Samford 19341942Franklin D. Roosevelt
Edward B. Parker 19421953Franklin D. Roosevelt
Harry S. Truman
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Hartwell Davis 19531962Dwight D. Eisenhower
John F. Kennedy
Ben Hardeman 19621969John F. Kennedy
Lyndon B. Johnson
Richard Nixon
Leon J. Hopper 19691969Richard Nixon
Ira De Ment 19691977Richard Nixon
Gerald Ford
Jimmy Carter
Barry E. Teague 19771981Jimmy Carter
Ronald Reagan
John C. Bell 19811987Ronald Reagan
James E. Wilson 19871994Ronald Reagan
George H. W. Bush
Bill Clinton
Charles R. Pitt [6] 19942001 [6] Bill Clinton
George W. Bush
Leura G. Canary [7] [8] 2001 [7] [8] 2011 [7] [8] George W. Bush
Barack Obama
George L. Beck Jr. [9] 2011 [9] 2017 [10] Barack Obama
Donald Trump
A. Clark Morris [11] [12] 20172017Donald Trump
Louis V. Franklin Sr. [13] 2017 [13] 2021Donald Trump
Sandra J. Stewart [14] 20212023 Joe Biden
Jonathan S. Ross (Acting) [15] 2023present Joe Biden

See also

References

  1. U.S. District Courts of Alabama, Legislative history, Federal Judicial Center
  2. "Middle District of Alabama | Meet The Acting U.S. Attorney". www.justice.gov. March 12, 2015. Retrieved October 18, 2023.
  3. 28 U.S.C.   § 81
  4. "LEE v. MACON COUNTY BOARD | 231 F.Supp. 743 (1964) | supp7431831 | Leagle.com". Leagle.
  5. Annual Report of the Attorney General of the United States (1906)
  6. 1 2 "Redding Pitt Dies". February 9, 2016.
  7. 1 2 3 "LinkedIn Profile".
  8. 1 2 3 Office (USAO), U. S. Attorney's. "U.S. Attorney's Office - U.S. Department of Justice". www.justice.gov.
  9. 1 2 Office (USAO), U. S. Attorney's. "U.S. Attorney's Office - U.S. Department of Justice". www.justice.gov.
  10. "Alabama U.S. Attorney George Beck Resigns After Six Years of Service". March 13, 2017.
  11. "Florida Woman Sentenced to Prison for Stolen Identity Refund Fraud". www.justice.gov. September 12, 2017.
  12. "Social Security Administration Employee and Husband Indicted in Public Benefit Fraud Scheme". www.justice.gov. March 23, 2017.
  13. 1 2 "Louis V. Franklin, Sr. Sworn in as United States Attorney for the Middle District Of Alabama". www.justice.gov. October 5, 2017.
  14. "Middle District of Alabama | Acting U.S. Attorney Sandra J. Stewart Recognizes Law Enforcement During Police Week | United States Department of Justice". www.justice.gov. May 10, 2021. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
  15. "Middle District of Alabama | Meet the Acting U.S. Attorney". www.justice.gov. March 12, 2015. Retrieved March 26, 2024.