United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida
United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida | |
---|---|
(M.D. Fla.) | |
Location | Orlando |
Appeals to | Eleventh Circuit |
Established | July 30, 1962 |
Judges | 15 |
Chief Judge | Steven Douglas Merryday |
Officers of the court | |
U.S. Attorney | Maria Chapa Lopez |
www |
The United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida (in case citations, M.D. Fla.) 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).
The District was established on July 30, 1962 with parts of the Northern and Southern Districts transferring into the newly created Middle District [1]
The United States Attorney for the District is Maria Chapa Lopez since January 5, 2018.
Organization of the court
The United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida is one of three federal judicial districts in Florida.[2] Court for the District is held at Fort Myers, Jacksonville, Ocala, Orlando, and Tampa.
Fort Myers Division comprises the following counties: Charlotte, Collier, Desoto, Glades, Hendry, and Lee.
Jacksonville Division comprises the following counties: Baker, Bradford, Clay, Columbia, Duval, Flagler, Hamilton, Nassau, Putnam, St. Johns, Suwannee, and Union.
Ocala Division comprises the following counties: Citrus, Lake, Marion, and Sumter.
Orlando Division comprises the following counties: Brevard, Orange, Osceola, Seminole, and Volusia.
Tampa Division comprises the following counties: Hardee, Hernando, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, and Sarasota.
Current judges
# | Title | Judge | Duty station | Born | Term of service | Appointed by | ||
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Active | Chief | Senior | ||||||
21 | Chief Judge | Steven Douglas Merryday | Tampa | 1950 | 1992–present | 2015–present | — | G.H.W. Bush |
15 | District Judge | Elizabeth A. Kovachevich | Tampa | 1936 | 1982–present | 1996–2002 | — | Reagan |
30 | District Judge | Timothy J. Corrigan | Jacksonville | 1956 | 2002–present | — | — | G.W. Bush |
31 | District Judge | Virginia M. Hernandez Covington | Tampa | 1955 | 2004–present | — | — | G.W. Bush |
32 | District Judge | Marcia Morales Howard | Jacksonville | 1965 | 2007–present | — | — | G.W. Bush |
33 | District Judge | Mary Stenson Scriven | Tampa | 1962 | 2008–present | — | — | G.W. Bush |
34 | District Judge | Charlene Honeywell | Tampa | 1957 | 2009–present | — | — | Obama |
35 | District Judge | Roy B. Dalton Jr. | Orlando | 1952 | 2011–present | — | — | Obama |
36 | District Judge | Sheri Polster Chappell | Ft. Myers | 1962 | 2013–present | — | — | Obama |
37 | District Judge | Brian J. Davis | Jacksonville | 1953 | 2013–present | — | — | Obama |
38 | District Judge | Paul G. Byron | Orlando | 1959 | 2014–present | — | — | Obama |
39 | District Judge | Carlos Eduardo Mendoza | Orlando | 1970 | 2014–present | — | — | Obama |
40 | District Judge | William F. Jung | Tampa | 1958 | 2018–present | — | — | Trump |
41 | District Judge | vacant | — | — | — | — | — | — |
42 | District Judge | vacant | — | — | — | — | — | — |
8 | Senior Judge | William Terrell Hodges | Ocala | 1934 | 1971–1999 | 1982–1989 | 1999–present | Nixon |
13 | Senior Judge | William J. Castagna | Tampa | 1924 | 1979–1992 | — | 1992–present | Carter |
16 | Senior Judge | G. Kendall Sharp | Orlando | 1934 | 1983–2000 | — | 2000–present | Reagan |
17 | Senior Judge | Patricia C. Fawsett | Orlando | 1943 | 1986–2008 | 2003–2008 | 2008–present | Reagan |
19 | Senior Judge | Harvey E. Schlesinger | Jacksonville | 1940 | 1991–2006 | — | 2006–present | G.H.W. Bush |
20 | Senior Judge | Anne C. Conway | Orlando | 1950 | 1991–2015 | 2008–2015 | 2015–present | G.H.W. Bush |
22 | Senior Judge | Henry Lee Adams Jr. | Jacksonville | 1945 | 1993–2010 | — | 2010–present | Clinton |
23 | Senior Judge | Susan C. Bucklew | Tampa | 1942 | 1993–2008 | — | 2008–present | Clinton |
24 | Senior Judge | Richard A. Lazzara | Tampa | 1945 | 1997–2011 | — | 2011–present | Clinton |
25 | Senior Judge | James D. Whittemore | Tampa | 1952 | 2000–2017 | — | 2017–present | Clinton |
26 | Senior Judge | John Antoon II | Orlando | 1946 | 2000–2013 | — | 2013–present | Clinton |
27 | Senior Judge | John E. Steele | Ft. Myers | 1949 | 2000–2015 | — | 2015–present | Clinton |
28 | Senior Judge | James S. Moody Jr. | Tampa | 1947 | 2000–2014 | — | 2014–present | Clinton |
29 | Senior Judge | Gregory A. Presnell | Orlando | 1942 | 2000–2012 | — | 2012–present | Clinton |
Vacancies and pending nominations
Seat | Seat last held by | Vacancy reason | Date of vacancy | Nominee | Date of nomination |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
12 | John E. Steele | Senior Status | June 3, 2015 | Wendy Williams Berger | April 10, 2018 |
2 | James D. Whittemore | August 29, 2017 | Thomas P. Barber | May 7, 2018 | |
4 | Elizabeth A. Kovachevich | December 14, 2018[3] | – | – |
Former judges
# | Judge | State | Born–died | Active service | Chief Judge | Senior status | Appointed by | Reason for termination |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | John Milton Bryan Simpson | FL | 1903–1987 | 1962–1966 | 1962–1966 | — | Truman | appointment to 5th Cir. |
2 | Joseph Patrick Lieb | FL | 1901–1971 | 1962–1971 | 1966–1971 | — | Eisenhower | death |
3 | William McRae | FL | 1909–1973 | 1962–1973 | 1971–1973 | — | Kennedy | death |
4 | George C. Young | FL | 1916–2015 | 1961–1981 | 1973–1981 | 1981–2015 | Kennedy | death |
5 | Charles R. Scott | FL | 1904–1983 | 1966–1976 | — | 1976–1983 | L. Johnson | death |
6 | Ben Krentzman | FL | 1914–1998 | 1967–1982 | 1981–1982 | 1982–1998 | L. Johnson | death |
7 | Gerald Bard Tjoflat | FL | 1929–present | 1970–1975 | — | — | Nixon | appointment to 5th Cir. |
9 | John A. Reed Jr. | FL | 1931–2015 | 1973–1984 | — | — | Nixon | resignation |
10 | Howell W. Melton | FL | 1923–2015 | 1977–1991 | — | 1991–2015 | Carter | death |
11 | George C. Carr | FL | 1929–1990 | 1977–1990 | 1989–1990 | — | Carter | death |
12 | Susan H. Black | FL | 1943–present | 1979–1992 | 1990–1992 | — | Carter | appointment to 11th Cir. |
14 | John H. Moore II | FL | 1929–2013 | 1981–1995 | 1992–1995 | 1995–2013 | Reagan | death |
18 | Ralph Wilson Nimmons Jr. | FL | 1938–2003 | 1991–2003 | — | — | G.H.W. Bush | death |
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.
Seat succession
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Courthouse history
Completed in 1908 by architect John Knox Taylor, the historic Federal courthouse in Tampa stands as the only civic building constructed in the eclectic renaissance style.[4] Initially serving as a U.S. Post Office, the courthouse moved two blocks down to its current location in 1998.[5] Congress named the court in honor of long-time Tampa representative and University of Florida Law alumnus Sam Gibbons; the congressman is largely recognized as the founder of the University of South Florida.[6]
See also
References
- ↑ "History of the Federal Judiciary - Federal Judicial Center". Fjc.gov. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
- ↑ "28 U.S.C. § 89 - U.S. Code Title 28. Judiciary and Judicial Procedure § 89 - FindLaw". Codes.lp.findlaw.com. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
- ↑ Future Judicial Vacancies
- ↑ "National Registry". Npgallery.nps.gov. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
- ↑ Wade-Bahr, Linda H. "Official Site of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida". Flmd.uscourts.gov. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
- ↑ "Public Law 104-230" (PDF). Gpo.gov. Retrieved 1 August 2017.