United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio

United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio (S.D. Ohio)
Map
Appeals to	Sixth Circuit
Established	March 16, 1822
Judges assigned	8
Chief judge	Edmund A. Sargus Jr.
Official site

The United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio (in case citations, S.D. Ohio) is one of two United States district courts in Ohio and includes forty-eight of the state's eighty-eight counties. Appeals from the court are taken to the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit at Cincinnati (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are appealed to the Federal Circuit).

The court is divided into two divisions. The Eastern Division, which sits in the Joseph P. Kinneary United States Courthouse at Columbus, serves the counties of Athens, Belmont, Coshocton, Delaware, Fairfield, Fayette, Franklin, Gallia, Guernsey, Harrison, Hocking, Jackson, Jefferson, Knox, Licking, Logan, Madison, Meigs, Monroe, Morgan, Morrow, Muskingum, Noble, Perry, Pickaway, Pike, Ross, Union, Vinton, and Washington

The Western Division sits at both Cincinnati and Dayton. Cases from the counties of Adams, Brown, Butler, Clermont, Clinton, Hamilton, Highland, Lawrence, Scioto, and Warren are heard at Cincinnati in the Potter Stewart United States Courthouse. Cases from the counties of Champaign, Clark, Darke, Greene, Miami, Montgomery, Preble, and Shelby are heard at Dayton.

The court, as of 2006, has eight active judges (the maximum authorized by law), six senior judges and seven magistrates. The chief judge is Edmund A. Sargus Jr..

The United States Attorney's Office of the Southern District of Ohio represents the United States in civil and criminal litigation in the court. As of March 12, 2016, the Acting United States Attorney is Benjamin C. Glassman. On February 12, 2014 Peter C. Tobin was confirmed to be the United States Marshal.

History

The United States District Court for the District of Ohio was established on February 19, 1803, by 2 Stat. 201.^[1][2] The act of authorized one judgeship for the court. The district court in Ohio, not being assigned to a judicial circuit, was granted the same jurisdiction as U.S. circuit courts, except in appeals and writs of error, which were the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court.^[2] By the act of February 24, 1807, 2 Stat. 420, the authority of the Ohio district court to exercise the jurisdiction of a U.S. circuit court was repealed, and Ohio was assigned to the newly organized Seventh Circuit. It also provided for a U.S. circuit court for the District of Ohio.^[2] The District was subdivided into Northern and Southern Districts on February 10, 1855, by 10 Stat. 604.^[2] The district judge serving the District of Ohio, Humphrey H. Leavitt, was reassigned to the Southern District of Ohio.

On July 23, 1866, by 14 Stat. 209, Congress reorganized the circuits and assigned Ohio to the Sixth Circuit.^[2] Additional judgeships were created in 1910, 1937, 1966, 1970, 1978, 1984, and 1990.^[2]

Current judges

#	Title	Judge	Duty station	Born	Term of service			Appointed by
					Active	Chief	Senior
29	Chief Judge	Sargus Jr., Edmund A.Edmund A. Sargus Jr.	Columbus	1953	1996–present	2015–present	—	Clinton, Clinton
28	District Judge	Dlott, Susan J.Susan J. Dlott	Cincinnati	1949	1995–present	2009–2015	—	Clinton, Clinton
30	District Judge	Marbley, Algenon L.Algenon L. Marbley	Columbus	1954	1997–present	—	—	Clinton, Clinton
31	District Judge	Rose, Thomas M.Thomas M. Rose	Dayton	1948	2002–present	—	—	Bush, G.W.G.W. Bush
33	District Judge	Watson, Michael H.Michael H. Watson	Cincinnati Columbus	1956	2004–present	—	—	Bush, G.W.G.W. Bush
34	District Judge	Barrett, Michael RyanMichael Ryan Barrett	Cincinnati	1951	2006–present	—	—	Bush, G.W.G.W. Bush
35	District Judge	Black, TimothyTimothy Black	Cincinnati Dayton	1953	2010–present	—	—	Obama, Obama
36	District Judge	vacant	—	—	—	—	—	—
22	Senior Judge	Rice, Walter HerbertWalter Herbert Rice	Dayton	1937	1980–2004	1996–2003	2004–present	Carter, Carter
24	Senior Judge	Weber, Herman JacobHerman Jacob Weber	Cincinnati	1927	1985–2002	—	2002–present	Reagan, Reagan
25	Senior Judge	Graham, James L.James L. Graham	Columbus	1939	1986–2004	2003–2004	2004–present	Reagan, Reagan
26	Senior Judge	Smith, George CurtisGeorge Curtis Smith	Columbus	1935	1987–2002	—	2002–present	Reagan, Reagan
27	Senior Judge	Beckwith, SandraSandra Beckwith	Cincinnati	1943	1992–2009	2004–2009	2009–present	Bush, G.H.W.G.H.W. Bush

Vacancies and pending nominations

Seat	Seat last held by	Vacancy reason	Date of vacancy	Nominee	Date of nomination
2	Gregory L. Frost	Retirement	May 2, 2016[3]	–	–

Former judges

#	Judge	State	Born–died	Active service	Chief Judge	Age at appointment	Senior status	Appointed by	Reason for termination
1	Leavitt, Humphrey H.Humphrey H. Leavitt	OH	1796–1873	1855–1871[Note 1]	—	{{{age at appointment}}}	—	Jackson, Jackson	retirement
2	Swing, Philip BergenPhilip Bergen Swing	OH	1820–1882	1871–1882	—	{{{age at appointment}}}	—	Grant, Grant	death
3	Sage, George ReadGeorge Read Sage	OH	1828–1898	1883–1898[Note 2]	—	{{{age at appointment}}}	—	Arthur, Arthur	retirement
4	Thompson, Albert C.Albert C. Thompson	OH	1842–1910	1898–1910[Note 3]	—	{{{age at appointment}}}	—	McKinley, McKinley	death
5	Sater, John ElbertJohn Elbert Sater	OH	1854–1937	1907–1924[Note 4]	—	{{{age at appointment}}}	—	Roosevelt, T.T. Roosevelt	retirement
6	Hollister, Howard ClarkHoward Clark Hollister	OH	1856–1919	1910–1919	—	{{{age at appointment}}}	—	Taft, Taft	death
7	Peck, John WeldJohn Weld Peck	OH	1874–1937	1919–1923	—	{{{age at appointment}}}	—	Wilson, Wilson	resignation
8	Hickenlooper, SmithSmith Hickenlooper	OH	1880–1933	1923–1929	—	{{{age at appointment}}}	—	Harding, Harding	reappointment
9	Hough, Benson W.Benson W. Hough	OH	1875–1935	1925–1935	—	{{{age at appointment}}}	—	Coolidge, Coolidge	death
10	Nevin, Robert ReasonerRobert Reasoner Nevin	OH	1875–1952	1929–1952	1948–1952	{{{age at appointment}}}	—	Coolidge, Coolidge	death
11	Underwood, Mell G.Mell G. Underwood	OH	1892–1972	1936–1965	1953–1962	{{{age at appointment}}}	1965–1972	Roosevelt, F.F. Roosevelt	death
12	Druffel, John H.John H. Druffel	OH	1886–1967	1937–1961[Note 5]	—	{{{age at appointment}}}	1961–1967	Roosevelt, F.F. Roosevelt	death
13	Cecil, Lester LeFevreLester LeFevre Cecil	OH	1893–1982	1953–1959	—	{{{age at appointment}}}	—	Eisenhower, Eisenhower	reappointment
14	Weinman, Carl AndrewCarl Andrew Weinman	OH	1903–1979	1959–1973	1962–1973	{{{age at appointment}}}	1973–1979	Eisenhower, Eisenhower	death
15	Peck II, John WeldJohn Weld Peck II	OH	1913–1993	1961–1966[Note 6]	—	{{{age at appointment}}}	—	Kennedy, Kennedy	reappointment
16	Kinneary, Joseph PeterJoseph Peter Kinneary	OH	1905–2003	1966–1986	1973–1975	{{{age at appointment}}}	1986–2003	Johnson, L.L. Johnson	death
17	Hogan, Timothy SylvesterTimothy Sylvester Hogan	OH	1909–1989	1966–1979	1975–1977	{{{age at appointment}}}	1979–1989	Johnson, L.L. Johnson	death
18	Porter, David StewartDavid Stewart Porter	OH	1909–1989	1966–1979	1977–1979	{{{age at appointment}}}	1979–1989	Johnson, L.L. Johnson	death
19	Rubin, Carl BernardCarl Bernard Rubin	OH	1920–1995	1971–1995	1979–1990	{{{age at appointment}}}	—	Nixon, Nixon	death
20	Duncan, Robert MortonRobert Morton Duncan	OH	1927–2012	1974–1985	—	{{{age at appointment}}}	—	Nixon, Nixon	resignation
21	Holschuh, John DavidJohn David Holschuh	OH	1926–2011	1980–1996	1990–1996	{{{age at appointment}}}	1996–2011	Carter, Carter	death
23	Spiegel, S. ArthurS. Arthur Spiegel	OH	1920–2014	1980–1995	—	{{{age at appointment}}}	1995–2014	Carter, Carter	death
32	Frost, Gregory L.Gregory L. Frost	OH	1949–present	2003–2016	—	{{{age at appointment}}}	—	Bush, G.W.G.W. Bush	retirement

1. Reassigned from District of Ohio
2. Recess appointment; formally nominated on December 18, 1883, confirmed by the United States Senate on January 7, 1884, and received commission on January 7, 1884.
3. Recess appointment; formally nominated on December 13, 1898, confirmed by the United States Senate on December 20, 1898, and received commission on December 20, 1898.
4. Recess appointment; formally nominated on December 8, 1908, confirmed by the United States Senate on March 1, 1909, and received commission on March 1, 1909.
5. Recess appointment; formally nominated on November 16, 1937, confirmed by the United States Senate on December 8, 1937, and received commission on December 14, 1937.
6. Recess appointment; formally nominated on January 15, 1962, confirmed by the United States Senate on April 11, 1962, and received commission on April 12, 1962.

Succession of seats

Seat 1 Seat reassigned from District of Ohio on February 10, 1855 by 10 Stat. 604 Leavitt 1855–1871 Swing 1871–1882 Sage 1884–1898 Thompson 1898–1910 Seat abolished on January 26, 1910 (temporary judgeship expired)

Seat 2 Seat established on February 25, 1907 by 34 Stat. 928 (temporary) Seat became permanent upon the abolition of Seat 1 on January 26, 1910 Sater 1909–1924 Hough 1925–1935 Underwood 1936–1965 Kinneary 1966–1986 Smith 1987–2002 Frost 2003–2016 Vacant 2016–present

Seat 3 Seat established on February 24, 1910 by 36 Stat. 202 Hollister 1910–1919 Peck 1919–1923 Hickenlooper 1923–1927 Nevin 1929–1952 Cecil 1953–1959 Weinman 1959–1973 Duncan 1974–1985 Graham 1986–2004 Watson 2004–present

Seat 4 Seat established on August 25, 1937 by 50 Stat. 805 Druffel 1937–1961 Seat abolished on September 30, 1961 (temporary judgeship expired)

Seat 5 Seat established on May 19, 1961 by 75 Stat. 80 (temporary) Seat became permanent upon the abolition of Seat 4 on September 30, 1961 Peck II 1961–1966 Hogan 1966–1979 Rice 1980–2004 Barrett 2006–present

Seat 6 Seat established on March 18, 1966 by 80 Stat. 75 Porter 1966–1979 Spiegel 1980–1995 Dlott 1995–present

Seat 7 Seat established on June 2, 1970 by 84 Stat. 294 Rubin 1971–1995 Sargus, Jr. 1996–present

Seat 8 Seat established on October 20, 1978 by 92 Stat. 1629 Holschuh 1980–1996 Marbley 1997–present

Seat 9 Seat established on July 10, 1984 by 98 Stat. 347 Weber 1985–2002 Rose 2002–present

Seat 10 Seat established on December 1, 1990 by 104 Stat. 5089 Beckwith 1992–2009 Black 2010–present

Attorneys

Term start	Term end	United States Attorney[4]
1855	1856	Hugh J. Jewett
1856	1858	John O'Neill
1858	1861	Stanley Matthews
1861	1865	Flamen Ball
1865	1866	Richard Corwine
1866	1869	Durbin Ward
1869	1877	Warner Bateman
1877	1885	Channing Richards
1885	1887	Philip Kumler
1887	1889	William Burnet
1889	1894	John Herron
1894	1898	Harlan Cleveland
1898	1903	William Bundy
1903	1916	Sherman McPherson
1916	1920	Stuart Bolin
1920	1922	James Clark
1922	1923	Thomas Morrow
1923	1925	Benson W. Hough
1925	1934	Haveth Mau
1934	1939	Francis Canny
1939	1939	James Cleveland
1939	1944	Leo Crawford
1944	1946	Byron B. Harlan
1946	1953	Ray O'Donnell
1953	1961	Hugh Martin
1961	1966	Joseph Peter Kinneary
1966	1969	Robert Draper
1969	1969	Roger Makley
1969	1977	William Milligan
1977	1978	James Rattan
1978	1982	James Cissell
1982	1985	Christopher Barnes
1985	1986	Anthony Nyktas
1986	1993	Michael Crites
1993	1993	Barbara Beran
1993	1996	Edmund A. Sargus, Jr.
1996	1997	Dale Goldberg
1997	2001	Sharon Zealey
2001	2001	Salvador Dominguez
2001	2009	Gregory Lockhart
2009	2016	Carter M. Stewart
2016	Incumbent	Benjamin C. Glassman (Acting)

See also

• Courts of Ohio
• List of United States federal courthouses in Ohio
• United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio
• United States federal judicial district

Notes

1. Asbury Dickens, A Synoptical Index to the Laws and Treaties of the United States of America (1852), p. 392.
2. U.S. District Courts of Ohio, Legislative history, Federal Judicial Center.
3. Future Judicial Vacancies
4. "History of the U.S. Attorney Southern District of Ohio". United States Attorney's Office Southern District of Ohio. Retrieved 2012-11-15.

External links

• The court's official site
• U.S. Attorney's site, with map of district