# United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin

The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin (in case citations, E.D. Wis.) is a federal trial court of limited jurisdiction. The court is under the auspices of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, although patent claims and claims against the federal government under the Tucker Act are appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. The Eastern District was established on June 30, 1870.
The district's headquarters, central courthouse, and the majority of its offices are located in Milwaukee, but the northern counties of the district are serviced by a courthouse in Green Bay. Currently, Pamela Pepper is the district's chief judge. As of September 20, 2022, the United States attorney for the district is Gregory Haanstad.

## Organization of the court

The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin is one of two federal judicial districts in Wisconsin. Court for the Eastern District is held at Green Bay and Milwaukee.
Green Bay Division comprises the following counties: Brown, Calumet, Door, Florence, Forest, Kewaunee, Langlade, Manitowoc, Marinette, Menominee, Oconto, Outagamie, Shawano, Waupaca, Waushara, and Winnebago.
Milwaukee Division comprises the following counties: Dodge, Fond du Lac, Green Lake, Kenosha, Marquette, Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Racine, Sheboygan, Walworth, Washington, and Waukesha.

## Current judges

As of November 4, 2024:
| # | Title | Judge | Duty station | Born | Term of service | Term of service | Term of service | Appointed by |
| # | Title | Judge | Duty station | Born | Active | Chief | Senior | Appointed by |
| 21 | Chief Judge | Pamela Pepper | Milwaukee | 1964 | 2014–present | 2019–present | — | Obama |
| 16 | District Judge | Joseph Peter Stadtmueller | Milwaukee | 1942 | 1987–present | 1995–2002 | — | Reagan |
| 19 | District Judge | Lynn Adelman | Milwaukee | 1939 | 1997–present | — | — | Clinton |
| 22 | District Judge | Brett H. Ludwig | Milwaukee | 1969 | 2020–present | — | — | Trump |
| 23 | District Judge | Byron B. Conway | Green Bay | 1976 | 2024–present | — | — | Biden |
| 20 | Senior Judge | William C. Griesbach | Green Bay | 1954 | 2002–2019 | 2012–2019 | 2019–present | G.W. Bush |

## Former judges

| # | Judge | State | Born–died | Active service | Chief Judge | Senior status | Appointed by | Reason for termination |
| 1 | Andrew G. Miller | WI | 1801–1874 | 1870–1873 | — | — | Polk/Operation of law | retirement |
| 2 | James Henry Howe | WI | 1827–1893 | 1873–1875 | — | — | Grant | resignation |
| 3 | Charles E. Dyer | WI | 1834–1905 | 1875–1888 | — | — | Grant | resignation |
| 4 | James Graham Jenkins | WI | 1834–1921 | 1888–1893 | — | — | Cleveland | elevation to 7th Cir. |
| 5 | William Henry Seaman | WI | 1842–1915 | 1893–1905 | — | — | Cleveland | elevation to 7th Cir. |
| 6 | Joseph V. Quarles | WI | 1843–1911 | 1905–1911 | — | — | T. Roosevelt | death |
| 7 | Ferdinand August Geiger | WI | 1867–1939 | 1912–1939 | — | — | Taft | retirement |
| 8 | F. Ryan Duffy | WI | 1888–1979 | 1939–1949 | — | — | F. Roosevelt | elevation to 7th Cir. |
| 9 | Robert Emmet Tehan | WI | 1905–1975 | 1949–1971 | 1954–1971 | 1971–1975 | Truman | death |
| 10 | Kenneth Philip Grubb | WI | 1895–1976 | 1955–1965 | — | — | Eisenhower | retirement |
| 11 | John W. Reynolds Jr. | WI | 1921–2002 | 1965–1986 | 1971–1986 | 1986–2002 | L. Johnson | death |
| 12 | Myron L. Gordon | WI | 1918–2009 | 1967–1983 | — | 1983–2009 | L. Johnson | death |
| 13 | Robert W. Warren | WI | 1925–1998 | 1974–1991 | 1986–1991 | 1991–1998 | Ford | death |
| 14 | Terence T. Evans | WI | 1940–2011 | 1979–1995 | 1991–1995 | — | Carter | elevation to 7th Cir. |
| 15 | Thomas John Curran | WI | 1924–2012 | 1983–1997 | — | 1997–2012 | Reagan | death |
| 17 | Rudolph T. Randa | WI | 1940–2016 | 1992–2016 | 2002–2009 | 2016 | G.H.W. Bush | death |
| 18 | Charles N. Clevert Jr. | WI | 1947–present | 1996–2012 | 2009–2012 | 2012–2017 | Clinton | retirement |
* ↑ Reassigned from the District of Wisconsin.
* ↑ Warren was nominated by President Nixon but was appointed to the Court by (i.e., received his commission from) President Ford.

## 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

Seat 1 :
| Seat reassigned from the District of Wisconsin on June 30, 1870 by 16 Stat. 171 ||||
| Miller | 1870–1873 |
| Howe | 1873–1875 |
| Dyer | 1875–1888 |
| Jenkins | 1888–1893 |
| Seaman | 1893–1905 |
| Quarles Jr. | 1905–1911 |
| Geiger | 1912–1939 |
| Duffy | 1939–1949 |
| Tehan | 1949–1971 |
| Warren | 1974–1991 |
| Randa | 1992–2016 |
| Ludwig | 2020–present |
Seat 2 :
| Seat established on February 10, 1954 by 68 Stat. 8 ||||
| Grubb | 1955–1965 |
| Reynolds Jr. | 1965–1986 |
| Stadtmueller | 1987–present |
Seat 3 :
| Seat established on March 18, 1966 by 80 Stat. 75 (temporary) ||||
| Seat made permanent on June 2, 1970 by 84 Stat. 294 ||||
| Gordon | 1967–1983 |
| Curran | 1983–1997 |
| Adelman | 1997–present |
Seat 4 :
| Seat established on October 20, 1978 by 92 Stat. 1629 ||||
| Evans | 1979–1995 |
| Clevert Jr. | 1996–2012 |
| Pepper | 2014–present |
Seat 5 :
| Seat established on December 21, 2000 by 114 Stat. 2762 ||||
| Griesbach | 2002–2019 |
| Conway | 2024–present |