# United States District Court for the Southern District of Georgia

The United States District Court for the Southern District of Georgia (in case citations, S.D. Ga.) is a federal court in the Eleventh Circuit (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are appealed to the Federal Circuit).
As of January 18, 2025 the acting United States attorney for the District is Tara M. Lyons.

## History

The United States District Court for the District of Georgia was one of the original thirteen courts established by the Judiciary Act of 1789, 1 Stat. 73, on September 24, 1789. The District was further subdivided into Northern and Southern Districts on August 11, 1848, by 9 Stat. 280. The Middle District was formed from portions of both the Northern and Southern Districts on May 28, 1926, by 44 Stat. 670.

## Jurisdiction

The Augusta Division comprises the following counties: Burke, Columbia, Glascock, Jefferson, Lincoln, McDuffie, Richmond, Taliaferro, Warren and Wilkes.
The Brunswick Division comprises the following counties: Appling, Camden, Glynn, Long, McIntosh, Jeff Davis, and Wayne.
The Dublin Division comprises the following counties: Dodge, Johnson, Laurens, Montgomery, Telfair, Treutlen, and Wheeler.
The Savannah Division comprises the following counties: Bryan, Chatham, Effingham, and Liberty.
The Statesboro Division comprises the following counties: Bulloch, Candler, Emanuel, Evans, Jenkins, Screven, Tattnall, and Toombs.
The Waycross Division comprises the following counties: Atkinson, Bacon, Brantley, Charlton, Coffee, Pierce, and Ware.

## Current judges

As of May 5, 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 |
| 16 | Chief Judge | R. Stan Baker | Savannah | 1977 | 2018–present | 2024–present | — | Trump |
| 14 | District Judge | Lisa Godbey Wood | Brunswick | 1963 | 2007–present | 2010–2017 | — | G.W. Bush |
| 15 | District Judge | James Randal Hall | Augusta | 1958 | 2008–present | 2017–2024 | — | G.W. Bush |
| 12 | Senior Judge | Dudley Hollingsworth Bowen Jr. | Augusta | 1941 | 1979–2006 | 1997–2004 | 2006–present | Carter |

## Former judges

| # | Judge | State | Born–died | Active service | Chief Judge | Senior status | Appointed by | Reason for termination |
| 1 | John Cochran Nicoll | GA | 1793–1863 | 1848–1861 | — | — | Van Buren/Operation of law | resignation |
| 2 | John Erskine | GA | 1813–1895 | 1865–1883 | — | — | A. Johnson | retirement |
| 3 | Emory Speer | GA | 1848–1918 | 1885–1918 | — | — | Arthur | death |
| 4 | William Wallace Lambdin | GA | 1861–1916 | 1915–1916 | — | — | Wilson | death |
| 5 | Beverly Daniel Evans Jr. | GA | 1865–1922 | 1917–1922 | — | — | Wilson | death |
| 6 | William Hale Barrett | GA | 1866–1941 | 1922–1941 | — | — | Harding | death |
| 7 | Archibald Battle Lovett | GA | 1884–1945 | 1941–1945 | — | — | F. Roosevelt | death |
| 8 | Francis Muir Scarlett | GA | 1891–1971 | 1946–1968 | — | 1968–1971 | Truman | death |
| 9 | Alexander Atkinson Lawrence Jr. | GA | 1906–1979 | 1968–1978 | 1970–1976 | 1978–1979 | L. Johnson | death |
| 10 | Anthony Alaimo | GA | 1920–2009 | 1971–1991 | 1976–1990 | 1991–2009 | Nixon | death |
| 11 | Berry Avant Edenfield | GA | 1934–2015 | 1978–2006 | 1990–1997 | 2006–2015 | Carter | death |
| 13 | William Theodore Moore Jr. | GA | 1940–present | 1994–2017 | 2004–2010 | 2017–2024 | Clinton | retirement |
* ↑ Reassigned from the District of Georgia; jointly appointed to the Northern and Southern Districts of Georgia.
* ↑ Recess appointment; formally nominated on December 20, 1865, confirmed by the United States Senate on January 22, 1866, and received commission the same day; from 1865–1882, Judge Erskine was jointly appointed to the Northern and Southern Districts of Georgia.

## 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 Georgia on August 11, 1848 by 9 Stat. 280 (concurrent with Northern District) ||
| Nicoll | 1848–1861 |
| Erskine | 1865–1883 |
| Seat reassigned solely to the Southern District on April 25, 1882 by 22 Stat. 47 ||
| Speer | 1885–1918 |
| Seat abolished on December 13, 1918 (temporary judgeship expired) ||
Seat 2 :
| Seat established on March 3, 1915 by 38 Stat. 959 (temporary) ||||
| Lambdin | 1915–1916 |
| Seat became permanent upon the abolition of Seat 1 on December 13, 1918 ||||
| Evans, Jr. | 1917–1922 |
| Barrett | 1922–1941 |
| Lovett | 1941–1945 |
| Scarlett | 1946–1968 |
| Lawrence, Jr. | 1968–1978 |
| Edenfield | 1978–2006 |
| Hall | 2008–present |
Seat 3 :
| Seat established on June 2, 1970 by 84 Stat. 294 ||||
| Alaimo | 1971–1991 |
| Moore, Jr. | 1994–2017 |
| Baker | 2018–present |
Seat 4 :
| Seat established on October 20, 1978 by 92 Stat. 1629 ||||
| Bowen, Jr. | 1979–2006 |
| Wood | 2007–present |

## U.S. Attorneys

* Sion A. Darnell 1882–86
* Dupont Guerry 1886–1901
* Marion Erwin 1901-12
* Alexander Akerman 1912–14
* Erle M. Donalson 1914–19
* John W. Bennett 1919–22
* F. G. Boatright 1922–27
* Charles L. Redding 1927–32
* Walter W. Sheppard 1932–33
* Charles L. Redding 1933
* J. Saxton Daniel 1933–53
* William C. Calhoun 1953–61
* Donald H. Fraser 1961–69 R.
* R. Jackson B. Smith, Jr. 1969–77
* William T. Moore, Jr. 1977–81
* Hinton R. Pierce 1981–92
* Jay D. Gardner 1992–94
* Harry Donival Dixon, Jr. 1994–2001
* Richard S. Thompson 2001–2004
* Paul B. Murphy 2004
* Lisa Godbey Wood 2004–2007
* Edmund A. Booth, Jr. 2007–2009
* Edward J. Tarver 2009–2017
* Bobby Christine 2017–2021
* David H. Estes 2021–2023
* Jill E. Steinberg 2023–2025