# United States District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin

43°04′25″N 89°23′21″W﻿ / ﻿43.0737°N 89.3891°W﻿ / 43.0737; -89.3891
The United States District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin (in case citations, W.D. Wis.) is a federal court in 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 district was established on June 30, 1870.
As of March 1, 2021 the acting United States attorney is Timothy M. O’Shea.

## Organization of the court

The United States District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin is one of two federal judicial districts in Wisconsin. Court for the Western District is held at Madison.
The district comprises the following counties: Adams, Ashland, Barron, Bayfield, Buffalo, Burnett, Chippewa, Clark, Columbia, Crawford, Dane, Douglas, Dunn, Eau Claire, Grant, Green, Iowa, Iron, Jackson, Jefferson, Juneau, La Crosse, Lafayette, Lincoln, Marathon, Monroe, Oneida, Pepin, Pierce, Polk, Portage, Price, Richland, Rock, Rusk, Sauk, St. Croix, Sawyer, Taylor, Trempealeau, Vernon, Vilas, Washburn and Wood.

## Current judges

As of April 26, 2017:
| # | 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 |
| 11 | Chief Judge | James D. Peterson | Madison | 1957 | 2014–present | 2017–present | — | Obama |
| 10 | District Judge | William M. Conley | Madison | 1956 | 2010–present | 2010–2017 | — | Obama |
| 8 | Senior Judge | Barbara Brandriff Crabb | inactive | 1939 | 1979–2010 | 1980–1996 2001–2010 | 2010–present | Carter |

## Former judges

| # | Judge | State | Born–died | Active service | Chief Judge | Senior status | Appointed by | Reason for termination |
| 1 | James Campbell Hopkins | WI | 1819–1877 | 1870–1877 | — | — | Grant | death |
| 2 | Romanzo Bunn | WI | 1829–1909 | 1877–1905 | — | — | Hayes | retirement |
| 3 | Arthur Loomis Sanborn | WI | 1850–1920 | 1905–1920 | — | — | T. Roosevelt | death |
| 4 | Claude Zeth Luse | WI | 1879–1932 | 1921–1932 | — | — | Harding | death |
| 5 | Patrick Thomas Stone | WI | 1889–1963 | 1933–1963 | — | — | F. Roosevelt | death |
| 6 | David Rabinovitz | WI | 1908–1986 | 1964 | — | — | L. Johnson | not confirmed |
| 7 | James Edward Doyle | WI | 1915–1987 | 1965–1980 | 1978–1980 | 1980–1987 | L. Johnson | death |
| 9 | John C. Shabaz | WI | 1931–2012 | 1981–2009 | 1996–2001 | 2009–2012 | Reagan | death |
* ↑ Recess appointment; formally nominated on April 14, 1921, confirmed by the United States Senate on April 27, 1921, and received commission the same day
* ↑ Recess appointment; the United States Senate later rejected the appointment

## 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 established on June 30, 1870 by 16 Stat. 171 ||||
| Hopkins | 1870–1877 |
| Bunn | 1877–1905 |
| Sanborn | 1905–1920 |
| Luse | 1921–1932 |
| Stone | 1933–1963 |
| Rabinovitz | 1964–1964 |
| Doyle | 1965–1980 |
| Shabaz | 1981–2009 |
| Peterson | 2014–present |
Seat 2 :
| Seat established on October 20, 1978 by 92 Stat. 1629 ||||
| Crabb | 1979–2010 |
| Conley | 2010–present |