United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan

Eastern District of Michigan
Sixth Circuit
Judgeships
Posts: 15
Judges: 15
Vacancies: 0
Judges
Chief: Sean Cox
Active judges: Terrence Berg, Sean Cox, Susan DeClercq, Mark Goldsmith, Jonathan Grey, Frances Kay Behm, Shalina Kumar, Matthew Frederick Leitman, Judith Ellen Levy, Thomas Ludington, Brandy McMillion, Laurie Michelson, Stephen Murphy, Linda V. Parker, Robert White Senior judges: Paul Borman, Robert Cleland, Gershwin Drain, Nancy Edmunds, Bernard Friedman, Denise Hood, David Lawson, George Steeh

The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan is one of 94 United States district courts. It was established by an act of Congress on December 24, 1863. When decisions of the court are appealed, they are appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit based in downtown Cincinnati at the Potter A. Stewart Federal Courthouse and Building.

Vacancies

See also: Current federal judicial vacancies

There are no current vacancies on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, out of the court's 15 judicial positions.

Pending nominations

There are no pending nominees for this court.

Active judges

Article III judges

Judge	Appointed By	Assumed Office	Bachelors	Law
Sean Cox	George W. Bush (R)	June 12, 2006 -	University of Michigan, 1979	Detroit College of Law, 1983
Thomas Ludington	George W. Bush (R)	June 12, 2006 -	Albion College, 1976	University of San Diego School of Law, 1979
Stephen Murphy	George W. Bush (R)	August 18, 2008 -	Marquette University, 1984	St. Louis University School of Law, 1987
Mark Goldsmith	Barack Obama (D)	June 22, 2010 -	University of Michigan, 1974	Harvard Law School, 1977
Terrence Berg	Barack Obama (D)	December 7, 2012 -	Georgetown University, 1981	Georgetown University Law Center, 1986
Judith Ellen Levy	Barack Obama (D)	March 14, 2014 -	University of Michigan, 1981	University of Michigan Law, 1996
Laurie Michelson	Barack Obama (D)	March 14, 2014 -	University of Michigan, 1989	Northwestern University Law, 1992
Matthew Frederick Leitman	Barack Obama (D)	March 14, 2014 -	University of Michigan, 1990	Harvard Law, 1993
Linda V. Parker	Barack Obama (D)	March 17, 2014 -	University of Michigan, 1980	George Washington University Law Center, 1983
Shalina Kumar	Joe Biden (D)	December 21, 2021 -	University of Michigan, 1993	University of Detroit, Mercy School of Law, 1996
Frances Kay Behm	Joe Biden (D)	December 15, 2022 -	Albion College, 1991	University of Michigan Law School, 1994
Jonathan Grey	Joe Biden (D)	March 9, 2023 -	Morehouse College, 2004	Georgetown University Law Center, 2007
Susan DeClercq	Joe Biden (D)	November 9, 2023 -	University of Michigan, 1995	Wayne State University Law School, 1999
Brandy McMillion	Joe Biden (D)	November 13, 2023 -	University of Michigan, 2001	The George Washington University Law School, 2006
Robert White	Joe Biden (D)	April 15, 2024 -	University of Michigan, 2007	Chicago-Kent College of Law, 2010

Active Article III judges by appointing political party

The list below displays the number of active judges by the party of the appointing president. It does not reflect how a judge may rule on specific cases or their own political preferences.

• Democrat appointed: 12
• Republican appointed: 3

Senior judges

Judge	Appointed By	Assumed Office	Bachelors	Law
Bernard Friedman	Ronald Reagan (R)	January 1, 2009 -		Detroit College of Law, 1968
Nancy Edmunds	George H.W. Bush (R)	August 1, 2012 -	Cornell University, 1969	Wayne State University Law School, 1976
George Steeh	Bill Clinton (D)	January 29, 2013 -	University of Michigan, 1969	University of Michigan Law School, 1973
Robert Cleland	George H.W. Bush (R)	February 28, 2013 -	Michigan State University, 1969	University of North Carolina School of Law, 1972
David Lawson	Bill Clinton (D)	August 6, 2021 -	University of Notre Dame, 1973	Wayne State University, 1976
Denise Hood	Bill Clinton (D)	May 1, 2022 -	Yale University, 1974	Columbia Law School, 1977
Gershwin Drain		August 13, 2022 -	Western Michigan University, 1970	University of Michigan Law, 1972
Paul Borman	Bill Clinton (D)	August 1, 2023 -	University of Michigan, 1959	University of Michigan Law School, 1962

Senior judges by appointing political party

The list below displays the number of senior judges by the party of the appointing president. It does not reflect how a judge may rule on specific cases or their own political preferences.

• Democrat appointed: 6
• Republican appointed: 3

Magistrate judges

Federal magistrate judges are federal judges who serve in United States district courts, but they are not appointed by the president and they do not serve life terms. Magistrate judges are assigned duties by the district judges in the district in which they serve. They may preside over most phases of federal proceedings, except for criminal felony trials. The specific duties of a magistrate judge vary from district to district, but the responsibilities always include handling matters that would otherwise be on the dockets of the district judges. Full-time magistrate judges serve for renewable terms of eight years. Some federal district courts have part-time magistrate judges, who serve for renewable terms of four years.

Judge	Appointed By	Assumed Office	Bachelors	Law
David Grand	United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan	November 1, 2011 -	Indiana University, 1994	University of Michigan Law School, 1998
Patricia T. Morris	United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan	April 24, 2014 -	University of Michigan	Cooley Law
Elizabeth A. Stafford	United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan	November 17, 2014 -	Michigan State University	Wayne State University Law School
Anthony P. Patti	United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan	January 5, 2015 -	University of Michigan, 1987	University of Notre Dame Law School, 1990
Kimberly Altman	United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan	September 16, 2020 -	James Madison College at Michigan State University, 1992	Wayne State University Law School, 1995
Curtis Ivy Jr.	United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan	October 2, 2020 -	Eastern Michigan University	University of Mississippi School of Law

Former chief judges

In order to qualify for the office of chief judge in an Article III circuit or district court, or on the United States Court of International Trade, a judge must be in active service and hold seniority over the court's commissioned judges who are 64 years of age or under, have served one year or more, and have not previously served as chief judge.

In the event that no judge on the court meets those qualifications, the youngest judge in regular active service aged 65 years or more and who has served as a judge for one year or more shall become chief judge. If no judge meets those qualifications, the judge holding seniority in active service who has not served as chief before shall become the chief judge.

The chief judge serves for a term of seven years until another judge becomes eligible to serve in the position. No judge is permitted to serve as chief judge after reaching the age of 70 years unless no other judge is qualified to serve.

Unlike the chief justice of the United States, a chief judge returns to active service after the expiration of their term and does not create a vacancy on the court by the fact of their promotion.

On the United States Court of Federal Claims, the chief judge is selected by the president of the United States. The judge must be less than 70 years of age. A chief may serve until they reach age 70 or until another judge is designated by the president as the new chief judge. If the president selects a new chief judge, the former chief judge may continue active service on the court for the remainder of their appointed term.

Denise Hood - (2015-2022) Gerald Rosen - (2009-2015) Bernard Friedman - (2004 - 2009) Lawrence Zatkoff - (1999 - 2004) Anna Taylor - (1996 - 1998) Julian Cook - (1989 - 1996) James Churchill - (1989 - 1989) Philip Pratt - (1986 - 1989)

John Feikens - (1979 - 1986) Cornelia Kennedy - (1977 - 1979) Damon Keith - (1975 - 1977) Frederick Kaess - (1972-1975) Ralph Freeman - (1967 - 1972) Theodore Levin - (1959 - 1967) Frank Picard - (1959 - 1959) Arthur Lederle - (1948 - 1959)

Former judges

For more information on the judges of the Eastern District of Michigan, see former federal judges of the Eastern District of Michigan.

Jurisdiction

The Counties of the Eastern District of Michigan (click for larger map)

The Eastern District of Michigan has original jurisdiction over cases filed within its jurisdiction. These cases can include civil and criminal matters that fall under federal law.

The District Court is based in Detroit, with courthouses also located in Ann Arbor, Bay City, Flint, and Port Huron.

The geographic jurisdiction of the Eastern District of Michigan consists of all the following counties in the eastern part of the state of Michigan.

• Alcona County
• Alpena County
• Arenac County
• Bay County
• Cheboygan County
• Clare County
• Crawford County
• Genesee County
• Gladwin County
• Gratiot County
• Huron County
• Iosco County
• Isabella County
• Jackson County
• Lapeer County
• Lenawee County
• Livingston County
• Macomb County
• Midland County
• Monroe County
• Montmorency County
• Oakland County
• Ogemaw County
• Oscoda County
• Otsego County
• Presque Isle County
• Roscommon County
• Saginaw County
• St. Clair County
• Sanilac County
• Shiawassee County
• Tuscola County
• Washtenaw County
• Wayne County

Caseloads

This section contains court management statistics dating back to 2010. It was last updated in September 2024.

Click [show] below for more information on caseload terms and definitions.

Caseload statistics explanation
Term	Explanation
Cases filed and terminated	The number of civil and criminal lawsuits formally initiated or decided by the court in a calendar year. The chart below reflects the table columns Cases filed and Cases terminated.
Average time from filing to disposition	The average amount of time, in months, from a case's date of filing to date of disposition (acquittal, sentencing, dismissal, etc.). The chart below reflects the table columns Median time (Criminal) and Median time (Civil).
Starting case load	The number of cases pending from the previous calendar year.
Cases filed	The number of civil and criminal lawsuits formally initiated in a calendar year.
Cases terminated	The total number of civil and criminal lawsuits decided by the court in a calendar year.
Remaining cases	The number of civil and criminal cases pending at the end of a given year.
Median time (Criminal)	The average amount of time, in months, from a case's date of filing to the date of disposition. In criminal cases, the date of disposition occurs on the day of sentencing or acquittal/dismissal.
Median time (Civil)	The average amount of time, in months, from a case's date of filing to the date of disposition.
Three-year civil cases	The number and percent of civil cases that were filed more than three years before the end of the given calendar year.
Vacant posts	The number of months during the year an authorized judgeship was vacant.
Trial/Post	The number of trials completed divided by the number of authorized judgeships on the court. Trials include evidentiary trials, hearings on temporary restraining orders, and preliminary injunctions.
Source: United States Courts, "Explanation of the Judicial Caseload Profiles for United States District Courts," accessed September 25, 2018

United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan caseload stats, 2010-2023
Year	Cases Filed	Cases Terminated	Cases Pending	Number of Judgeships	Vacant Judgeship Months	Average Total Filings per Judgeship	Trials Completed per Judgeship	Median time from filing to disposition, criminal	Median time from filing to disposition, civil	Three-year civil cases (#)	Three-year civil cases (%)
2010	6,276	6,301	6,192	15	25	418	13	10	8	320	7
2011	6,645	6,445	5,873	15	24	443	14	11	8	404	8
2012	7,186	6,786	6,918	15	30	479	13	10	8	441	8
2013	6,829	6,973	6,850	15	45	455	14	10	8	484	9
2014	6,240	6,379	6,763	15	10	416	14	10	9	512	10
2015	5,840	6,127	6,442	15	0	389	12	11	8	828	16
2016	5,736	5,612	6,540	15	2	382	13	11	9	1,040	20
2017	5,543	5,569	6,498	15	12	370	11	11	10	995	19
2018	5,383	5,582	5,512	15	5	359	13	10	9	330	8
2019	4,982	5,300	5,202	15	12	332	12	10	9	382	10
2020	4,139	3,990	5,361	15	0	276	5	10	10	350	9
2021	4,080	4,122	5,356	15	15	272	8	18	10	421	11
2022	4,149	4,531	5,002	15	27	277	11	15	10	435	12
2023	4,250	4,247	5,000	15	21	283	13	16	8	397	11
Average	5,520	5,569	5,965	15	16	368	12	12	9	524	11

History

On July 1, 1836, Statute 5 Stat. 61 organized the State of Michigan as one judicial district. One judgeship was authorized for this U.S. district court, and being that it was not assigned to a judicial circuit, the district court was granted the same jurisdiction as the United States circuit courts, excluding appeals and writs of error, which are the jurisdiction of the United States Supreme Court.

On March 3, 1837, the circuit court jurisdiction was repealed, and the U.S. District Court for the District of Michigan was assigned to the Seventh Circuit, in addition to establishing a circuit court for the district.

Congress reorganized the circuits and assigned Michigan to the Eighth Circuit on July 15, 1862, followed by reassignment to the Seventh Circuit on January 28, 1863.

The State of Michigan divided into two judicial districts on February 24, 1863. The districts were known as the Eastern District of Michigan and the Western District of Michigan. One judgeship was authorized for each district, and the district judge serving the District of Michigan was assigned over to the Eastern District of Michigan.

Congress again reorganized the circuits and assigned Michigan over to the Sixth Circuit on July 23, 1866. Over time, 14 additional judicial posts were added for a total of 15 current posts.

Judicial posts

The following table highlights the development of judicial posts for the Eastern District of Michigan:

Year	Statute	Total Seats
February 24, 1863	12 Stat. 660	1
September 14, 1922	42 Stat. 837	2(1 temporary)
March 3, 1927	44 Stat. 1380	3
February 20, 1931	46 Stat. 1197	4
August 19, 1935	49 Stat. 659	4
May 31, 1938	52 Stat. 585	5
February 10, 1954	68 Stat. 8	6
May 19, 1961	75 Stat. 80	8
June 2, 1970	84 Stat. 294	10
October 20, 1978	92 Stat. 1629	13
July 10, 1984	98 Stat. 333	15

Noteworthy cases

For a searchable list of opinions, please see Justia.com-Dockets and Filings-Eastern District of Michigan.

• Man sentenced for brutal murder of toddler (2014)      Judge(s):Thomas Ludington (U.S. v. Bennett)	Click for summary→
On May 22, 2014, Judge Thomas Ludington sentenced Anthony M. Bennett to serve forty years after pleading guilty to a second-degree murder charge in the death of 4-year-old Carnel Chamberlain. In the underlying case, Bennett babysat Carnel on June 21, 2012, while the toddler's mother was at work. During that time, Bennett punched the child in the head, fracturing his skull, and then burned his body in the home's fireplace. Bennett buried Carnel's body under the porch, and claimed the boy went missing. Carnel's remains were discovered on June 28, 2012. Bennett pleaded guilty in December 2013, where the prosecution reduced his first-degree murder charge to second-degree murder and dropped six other counts against him as part of a plea agreement. While delivering his sentence, Judge Ludington referred to Bennett's upbringing, which Bennett's attorney described as "abysmal": “ "Mr. Bennett is responsible for taking Carnel's life, but other people are responsible for Mr. Bennett's upbringing. If he is a man on today's date without a moral or ethical governor, that's the way he was trained. Nevertheless, Mr. Bennett, is a dangerous man, an unusually dangerous man because he lacks that ethical governor. There is no other way to say it — Carnel's loss is the result of a heinous and barbarous act, period." ” While Carnel's relatives were satisfied with the sentence, they called the child's death "senseless."

• Elderly drug mule sentenced to prison term on his 90th birthday (2014)      Judge(s):Nancy Edmunds (U.S. v. Sharp, 2:11-cr-20699-NGE-RSW)	Click for summary→
On May 7, 2014, Senior Judge Nancy Edmunds sentenced Leo Sharp, a 90-year-old convicted drug courier, to three years in prison after he tried to bring almost 250 pounds of cocaine into Detroit, Michigan, for a Mexican drug ring. Sentenced on his birthday, Sharp threatened to commit suicide if he was sent to prison, calling it a "death sentence." In the underlying case, Sharp was charged along with eighteen other individuals involved in a drug ring that was taken down by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. In October 2013, Sharp reached a plea deal with prosecutors, pleading guilty to one drug conspiracy charge. He originally faced almost eighteen years in prison, but prosecutors trimmed that number to five years in prison, with a $500,000 fine. Due to Sharp's age and military record (he was awarded a Bronze Star for his service in World War II), Judge Edmunds lessened the sentence further still, sentencing him to three years in prison. Before delivering her sentence, Judge Edmunds said, "To ignore the extent of his involvement is to say to every drug organization that if you want to inoculate your organization from punishment, get an elderly person to do deliveries for you. It’s most unfortunate Mr. Sharp became involved in this." A relative volunteered to care for Sharp until it was time for him to report for his sentence.

• Michigan's ban on same-sex marriage challenged (2014)      Judge(s):Bernard Friedman (DeBoer v. Snyder, 12-CV-10285)	Click for summary→
On February 25, 2014, a case challenging Michigan's same-sex marriage ban was brought in the Eastern District of Michigan. Judge Bernard Friedman presided over the case, which was brought by April DeBoer and Jayne Rowse, two women in the state. They challenged Michigan's Marriage Amendment, Proposal 2, a constitutional amendment approved by 58.6% of voters in 2004. The case was initiated in 2012 after DeBoer and Rowse were denied the ability to adopt one another's children under state law. Judge Friedman allowed the plaintiffs to amend their complaint to challenge the state's ban on same-sex marriage in August 2012. The law was defended in court by the Michigan State Attorney General's Office. On March 21, 2014, after a two-week trial Judge Friedman struck down Michigan's ban on same-sex marriage as an unconstitutional violation of the Fourteenth Amendment's Equal Protection Clause, writing: “ In attempting to define this case as a challenge to “the will of the people,” state defendants lost sight of what this case is truly about: people. No court record of this proceeding could ever fully convey the personal sacrifice of these two plaintiffs who seek to ensure that the state may no longer impair the rights of their children and the thousands of others now being raised by same-sex couples. ” Judge Friedman further noted that his decision "affirmed the enduring principle that . . . the guarantee of equal protection must prevail." Since the federal ruling in U.S. v. Windsor, federal judges have struck down same-sex marriage bans in a number of states, including Virginia, Utah, and Oklahoma. In those cases, judges have opted to stay their rulings pending appeal. Here, Judge Friedman notably made no mention of such a delay, meaning that same-sex couples in Michigan could potentially obtain marriage licenses on the next business day. On the same day Judge Friedman's ruling was announced publicly, Michigan's attorney general filed an emergency appeal with the Sixth Circuit, requesting that the ruling be stayed and reconsidered. The Sixth Circuit issued a temporary injunction against Friedman's decision on the following day, after about 300 same-sex couples had already been married.

• Possibility of parole for juvenile lifers (2013)      Judge(s):John O'Meara (Henry Hill, et al v. Rick Snyder, et al, 5:10-cv-14568-JCO-RSW)	Click for summary→
In February 2012, the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit on behalf of nine Michigan inmates who were sentenced to life in prison as juveniles without the possibility of parole. The named plaintiff in the case, Henry Hill, was 16 when he was convicted of first-degree murder. On November 26, 2013, in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court decision condemning the sentencing of children to life in prison without the possibility of parole as cruel and unusual punishment, Judge John O'Meara ordered that the State of Michigan cease enforcement of a law that denies the parole board jurisdiction over juvenile lifers. Further, O'Meara ordered that all juvenile offenders sentenced to life who have served 10 years be given notice of their eligibility for parole. Michigan's Attorney General Bill Schuette, however, did not believe that the Supreme Court's edict was meant to be applied retroactively, and appealed O'Meara's order to the United States Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit. On December 23, 2013, the Sixth Circuit stayed O'Meara's ruling pending the resolution of the governor's appeal.

Federal courthouse

Five separate courthouses serve the Eastern District of Michigan in Detroit, Ann Harbor, Bay City, Flint, and Port Huron.

About United States District Courts

The United States district courts are the general trial courts of the United States federal courts. There are 94 such courts. Both civil and criminal cases are filed in the district court, which is a court of both law and equity.

There is a United States bankruptcy court and a number of bankruptcy judges associated with each United States district court. Each federal judicial district has at least one courthouse, and most districts have more than one.

There is at least one judicial district for each state, and one each for Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. District courts in three insular areas—the United States Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands—exercise the same jurisdiction as U.S. district courts. Despite their name, these courts are technically not District Courts of the United States. Judges on these territorial courts do not enjoy the protections of Article III of the Constitution, and serve terms of 10 years rather than for life.

There are 677 U.S. District Court judgeships.

The number of federal district judge positions is set by the U.S. Congress in Title 28 of the U.S. Code, Section 133, which authorizes a set number of judge positions, or judgeships, making changes and adjustments in these numbers from time to time.

In order to relieve the pressure of trying the hundreds of thousands of cases brought before the federal district courts each year, many trials are tried by juries, along with a presiding judge.

Appointments by president

The chart below shows the number of district court judges confirmed by the U.S. Senate through November 1 of the fourth year of each president's term in office. At this point in the term, President Bill Clinton had the most district court appointments with 169.

Judges by district

See also: Judicial vacancies in federal courts

The table below displays the number of judges in each district and indicates how many were appointed by presidents from each major political party. It also includes the number of vacancies in a district and how many pending nominations for that district are before the United States Senate. The table can be sorted by clicking the column headers above the line, and you can navigate through the pages by clicking the arrows at the top of the table. It is updated every Monday.

Judicial selection

The district courts are served by Article III federal judges who are appointed for life during "good behavior." They are usually first recommended by senators (or members of the House, occasionally). The President of the United States makes the appointments, which must then be confirmed by the U.S. Senate in accordance with Article III of the United States Constitution.

Step	A Candidacy Proceeds	A Candidacy Halts
1. Recommendation made by Congress Member to the President	President Nominates to Senate Judiciary Committee	President Declines Nomination
2. Senate Judiciary Committee interviews Candidate	Sends candidate to Senate for confirmation	Returns candidate to President, who may re-nominate to Committee
3. Senate votes on candidate confirmation	Candidate becomes federal judge	Candidate does not receive judgeship

Magistrate judges

The district courts are also served by magistrate judges. Congress created the judicial office of federal magistrate in 1968. In 1990, the position title was changed to magistrate judge. The chief judge of each district appoints one or more magistrate judges, who discharge many of the ancillary duties of district judges so judges can handle more trials. There are both full-time and part-time magistrate judge positions, and these positions are assigned to the district courts according to caseload criteria (subject to funding by Congress). A full-time magistrate judge serves a term of eight years; a part-time magistrate judge's term of office is four years.

See also

• United States Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit
• Eastern District of Kentucky
• Western District of Kentucky
• Western District of Michigan
• Northern District of Ohio
• Southern District of Ohio
• Eastern District of Tennessee
• Middle District of Tennessee
• Western District of Tennessee

External links

• Search Google News for this topic
• United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan Official Website
• United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan
• Judges of the Eastern District of Michigan
• Opinions of the Eastern District of Michigan