- United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas
-
United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas
(N.D. Tex.)Location Dallas, Texas Appeals to Fifth Circuit Established February 24, 1879 Judges assigned 12 Chief judge Sidney Allen Fitzwater Official site The United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas (in case citations, N.D. Tex.) is a United States district court. Its first judge, Andrew Phelps McCormick, was appointed to the court on April 10, 1879. The court convenes in Dallas, Texas with divisions in Fort Worth, Amarillo, Abilene, Lubbock, San Angelo and Wichita Falls. It has jurisdiction over 100 counties in the northern and central parts of the U.S. state of Texas.
The United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Texas represents the United States in civil and criminal litigation in the court.
Appeals from this court are heard by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, which includes Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are appealed to the Federal Circuit).
Contents
History
The first federal judge in Texas was John C. Watrous, who was appointed on May 26, 1846, and had previously served as Attorney General of the Republic of Texas. He was assigned to hold court in Galveston, at the time, the largest city in the state. As seat of the United States District Court for the District of Texas, the Galveston court had jurisdiction over the whole state.[1] On February 21, 1857, the state was divided into two districts, Eastern and Western, with Judge Watrous continuing in the Eastern district.[2] Judge Watrous and Judge Thomas H. DuVal, of the Western District of Texas, left the state on the secession of Texas from the Union, the only two United States Judges not to resign their posts in states that seceded. When Texas was restored to the Union, Watrous and DuVal resumed their duties and served until 1870.
In 1879, Texas was further subdivided with the creation of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas, using territory taken from both the Eastern and Western districts.[3]
Current judges
# Title Judge Duty station Born Term of service Appointed by Active Chief Senior 23 Chief Judge Sidney A. Fitzwater Dallas 1953 1986–present 2007–present — Reagan 18 District Judge Mary Lou Robinson Amarillo 1926 1979–present — — Carter 24 District Judge Samuel Ray Cummings Lubbock 1944 1987–present — — Reagan 25 District Judge John H. McBryde Fort Worth 1931 1990–present — — G.H.W. Bush 26 District Judge Jorge Antonio Solis Dallas 1951 1991–present — — G.H.W. Bush 27 District Judge Terry R. Means Fort Worth 1948 1991–present — — G.H.W. Bush 29 District Judge Sam A. Lindsay Dallas 1951 1998–present — — Clinton 30 District Judge Barbara M. Lynn Dallas 1952 1999–present — — Clinton 31 District Judge David C. Godbey Dallas 1957 2002–present — — G.W. Bush 32 District Judge James E. Kinkeade Dallas 1951 2002–present — — G.W. Bush 33 District Judge Jane J. Boyle Dallas 1954 2004–present — — G.W. Bush 34 District Judge Reed Charles O'Connor Dallas 1965 2007–present — — G.W. Bush 21 Senior District Judge A. Joe Fish Dallas 1942 1983-2007 2002-2007 2007-present Reagan 22 Senior District Judge Robert B. Maloney (n/a) 1933 1985–2000 (none) 2000–present Reagan —[4] Senior District Judge William Royal Furgeson, Jr. Dallas 1941 1994-2008 (none) 2008–present Clinton Former judges
# Judge State Born/Died Active service Term as Chief Judge Senior status Appointed by Reason for
termination1 Andrew Phelps McCormick TX 1832-1916 1879-1892 (none) (none) Hayes appointment to 5th Cir. 2 John B. Rector TX 1837-1898 1892-1898 (none) (none) B. Harrison death 3 Edward Roscoe Meek TX 1865-1939 1899[5]-1935 (none) 1935-1939 McKinley death 4 James Clifton Wilson TX 1874-1951 1919[6]-1951 (none) (none) Wilson retirement 5 William Hawley Atwell TX 1869-1961 1923–1954 1948-1954 1954-1961 Harding death 6 Thomas Whitfield Davidson TX 1876-1974 1936-1965 1954-1959 1965-1974 F. Roosevelt death 7 Joseph Brannon Dooley TX 1889-1967 1947–1966 1959 1966-1967 Truman death 8 Joe Ewing Estes TX 1903-1989 1955-1972 1959-1972 1972-1989 Eisenhower death 9 Leo Brewster TX 1903-1979 1961[7]–1973 1972-1973 1973-1979 Kennedy death 10 Sarah T. Hughes TX 1896-1985 1961[8]–1975 (none) 1975-1985 Kennedy death 11 William McLaughlin Taylor, Jr. TX 1909-1985 1966–1979 1973-1977 1979-1985 L. Johnson death 12 Halbert Owen Woodward TX 1918-2000 1968–1986 1977-1986 1986-2000 L. Johnson death 13 Robert Madden Hill TX 1928-1987 1970-1984 (none) (none) Nixon appointment to 5th Cir. 14 Eldon Brooks Mahon TX 1918-2005 1972-1989 (none) 1989-2005 Nixon death 15 Robert William Porter TX 1926-1991 1974-1990 1986-1989 1990-1991 Nixon death 16 Patrick Higginbotham TX 1938-present 1975–1982 (none) (none) Ford appointment to 5th Cir. 17 David Owen Belew Jr. TX 1920-2001 1979-1990 (none) 1990-2001 Carter death 19 Harold Barefoot Sanders, Jr. TX 1925-2008 1979-1996 1989-1995 1996-2008 Carter death 20 Jerry Buchmeyer TX 1933-2009 1979–2003 1995-2001 2003-2009 Carter death 28 Elton Joe Kendall TX 1954-present 1992-2002 (none) (none) G.H.W. Bush retirement Notes
- ^ U.S. Department of Justice: 2002 Centennial Report, pgs. 1, 10
- ^ Southern District of Texas: History of the District
- ^ U.S. District Courts of Texas, Legislative history, Federal Judicial Center.
- ^ Originally from W.D. Texas, moved to N.D. Texas upon his assumption of senior status.
- ^ Recess appointment; formally nominated on December 13, 1898, confirmed by the United States Senate on February 15, 1899, and received commission on February 15, 1899.
- ^ Recess appointment; formally nominated on May 23, 1919, confirmed by the United States Senate on June 24, 1919, and received commission on June 24, 1919.
- ^ Recess appointment; formally nominated on January 15, 1962, confirmed by the United States Senate on March 16, 1962, and received commission on March 17, 1962.
- ^ Recess appointment; formally nominated on January 15, 1962, confirmed by the United States Senate on March 16, 1962, and received commission on March 17, 1962.
See also
- Courts of Texas
- List of United States federal courthouses in Texas
External links
United States district and territorial courts List of United States district and territorial courtsGeographic
Boundaries
District Courts Alabama (N, M, S) • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas (E, W) • California (C, E, N, S) • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • District of Columbia • Florida (N, M, S) • Georgia (N, M, S) • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois (N, C, S) • Indiana (N, S) • Iowa (N, S) • Kansas • Kentucky (E, W) • Louisiana (E, M, W) • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan (E, W) • Minnesota • Mississippi (N, S) • Missouri (E, W) • Montana • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Jersey • New Mexico • New York (E, N, S, W) • North Carolina (E, M, W) • North Dakota • Ohio (N, S) • Oklahoma (E, N, W) • Oregon • Pennsylvania (E, M, W) • Puerto Rico • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee (E, M, W) • Texas (E, N, S, W) • Utah • Vermont • Virginia (E, W) • Washington (E, W) • West Virginia (N, S) • Wisconsin (E, W) • WyomingTerritorial courts Extinct courts Former United States district courts • United States District Court for the District of Orleans • District of Potomac • Eastern District of Illinois • District of the Canal Zone • District of ChinaCategories:- United States district courts
- Texas law
- Dallas, Texas
- Fort Worth, Texas
- Amarillo, Texas
- Abilene, Texas
- Lubbock, Texas
- San Angelo, Texas
- Wichita Falls, Texas
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
