# United States District Court for the Eastern District of Illinois

The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Illinois (in case citations, E.D. Ill.) is a former federal district court for the state of Illinois. The court was established on March 3, 1905, by 33 Stat. 992. The Northern and Southern Districts had been established on February 13, 1855. The statute establishing the Eastern District specified the counties to be included in that District as follows:
    Kankakee, Iroquois, Ford, Vermilion, Champaign, Piatt, Moultrie, Douglas, Edgar, Shelby, Coles, Clark, Cumberland, Effingham, Fayette, Marion, Clay, Jasper, Crawford, Lawrence, Richland, Clinton, Saint Clair, Washington, Jefferson, Wayne, Edwards, Wabash, White, Hamilton, Franklin, Perry, Randolph, Monroe, Gallatin, Saline, Williamson, Jackson, Hardin, Pope, Johnson, Union, Alexander, Pulaski, and Massac.
On October 2, 1978, Illinois was reorganized into the Northern, Central, and Southern Districts, with thirteen judgeships authorized for the Northern District, two for the Central District, and two for the Southern District.

## Former judges

| # | Judge | State | Born–died | Active service | Chief Judge | Senior status | Appointed by | Reason for termination |
| 1 | Francis Marion Wright | IL | 1844–1917 | 1905–1917 | — | — | T. Roosevelt | death |
| 2 | George W. English | IL | 1866–1941 | 1918–1926 | — | — | Wilson | resignation |
| 3 | Walter C. Lindley | IL | 1880–1958 | 1922–1949 | — | — | Harding | elevation to 7th Cir. |
| 4 | Fred Louis Wham | IL | 1884–1967 | 1927–1956 | 1949–1956 | 1956–1967 | Coolidge | death |
| 5 | Casper Platt | IL | 1892–1965 | 1949–1965 | 1956–1965 | — | Truman | death |
| 6 | William George Juergens | IL | 1904–1988 | 1956–1972 | 1965–1972 | 1972–1979 | Eisenhower | reassignment to S.D. Ill. |
| 7 | Henry Seiler Wise | IL | 1909–1982 | 1966–1978 | 1972–1978 | 1978–1979 | L. Johnson | reassignment to C.D. Ill. |
| 8 | James L. Foreman | IL | 1927–2012 | 1972–1979 | 1978–1979 | — | Nixon | reassignment to S.D. Ill. |
| 9 | Harold Baker | IL | 1929–2023 | 1978–1979 | — | — | Carter | reassignment to C.D. Ill. |

## Chief judges

Chief Judge :
| Wham | 1949–1956 |
| Platt | 1956–1965 |
| Juergens | 1965–1972 |
| Wise | 1972–1978 |
| Foreman | 1978–1979 |
| Abolished on March 31, 1979 by 92 Stat. 883 ||||
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

Seat 1 :
| Seat established on March 3, 1905 by 33 Stat. 992 ||
| Wright | 1905–1917 |
| English | 1918–1926 |
| Wham | 1927–1956 |
| Juergens | 1956–1972 |
| Foreman | 1972–1979 |
| Seat reassigned to Southern District on March 31, 1979 by 93 Stat. 6 ||
Seat 2 :
| Seat established on September 14, 1922 by 42 Stat. 837 ||
| Lindley | 1922–1949 |
| Platt | 1949–1965 |
| Wise | 1966–1978 |
| Baker | 1978–1979 |
| Seat reassigned to Central District on March 31, 1979 by 93 Stat. 6 ||