United States District Court for the Northern District of Indiana

The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana (in case citations, N.D. Ind.) was created in 1928 by an act of Congress that split Indiana into two separate districts, northern and southern. As part of the act, the Northern District was divided into three divisions, South Bend, Fort Wayne, and Hammond (which has a sub-office in Lafayette). Appeals from this court are taken to the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are appealed to the Federal Circuit). The court has eight judges and four magistrate judges. As of December 2025, the United States attorney is Adam Mildred. History The United States District Court for the District of Indiana was established on March 3, 1817, by 3 Stat. 390. The District was subdivided into Northern and Southern Districts on April 21, 1928, by 45 Stat. 437. Of all district courts to be subdivided, Indiana existed for the longest time as a single court, 111 years. Divisions of the Northern District Fort Wayne: Adams County, Allen County, Blackford County, DeKalb County, Grant County, Huntington County, Jay County, LaGrange County, Noble County, Steuben County, Wells County, and Whitley County. Hammond: Lake County and Porter County. Lafayette: Benton County, Carroll County, Jasper County, Newton County, Tippecanoe County, Warren County and White County. South Bend: Cass County, Elkhart County, Fulton County, Kosciusko County, LaPorte County, Marshall County, Miami County, Pulaski County, St. Joseph County, Starke County and Wabash County. Current judges As of July 7, 2025: Former judges 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 List of U.S. attorneys since 1928 Oliver Mullins Loomis 1928–1933 James R. Fleming 1933–1941 Alexander M. Campbell 1941–1949 Gilmore Haynie 1949–1953 Joseph H. Lesh 1953–1954 Phil M. McNagny Jr. 1954–1958 Kenneth C. Raub 1959–1962 Philip C. Potts 1962 Alfred Moellering 1962–1970 William C. Lee 1970–1973 John R. Wilks 1973–1977 David T. Ready 1977–1981 R. Lawrence Steel Jr. 1981–1985 James G. Richmond 1985–1991 John F. Hoehner 1991–1993 Jon DeGuilio 1993–1999 Joseph S. Van Bokkelen 2001–2007 David A. Capp 2007–2017 Thomas Kirsch 2017–2020 Clifford D. Johnson 2021–2025 Tina L. Nommay (acting) 2025 Adam Mildred 2025–Present See also Courts of Indiana List of current United States district judges List of United States federal courthouses in Indiana References External links United States District Court, Northern District of Indiana