# United States District Court for the District of Delaware

The United States District Court for the District of Delaware (in case citations, D. Del.) is the Federal district court having jurisdiction over the entire state of Delaware. The Court sits in Wilmington.
Because Delaware is the state of incorporation for most major U.S. corporations, the District of Delaware hears and tries many patent and other complex commercial disputes that must be heard in federal court for diversity of citizenship reasons, and hears many appeals from bankruptcy disputes which are filed with the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware.
Appeals from the Court are heard by the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, which sits in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are appealed to the Federal Circuit).
The acting United States attorney for the District of Delaware is Shannon T. Hanson since January 21, 2025.

## History

The court was one of the original 13 courts established by the Judiciary Act of 1789, 1 Stat. 73, on September 24, 1789. From its establishment until 1946, the court had a single judge. A temporary additional judgeship was authorized on July 24, 1946, by 60 Stat. 654, and was made permanent on September 5, 1950, by 64 Stat. 578. A third judge was authorized on February 10, 1954, by 68 Stat. 8, and a fourth on July 10, 1984, by 98 Stat. 333.

## Current judges

As of January 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 |
| 26 | Chief Judge | Colm Connolly | Wilmington | 1964 | 2018–present | 2021–present | — | Trump |
| 27 | District Judge | Maryellen Noreika | Wilmington | 1966 | 2018–present | — | — | Trump |
| 28 | District Judge | Gregory B. Williams | Wilmington | 1969 | 2022–present | — | — | Biden |
| 29 | District Judge | Jennifer L. Hall | Wilmington | 1976 | 2024–present | — | — | Biden |
| 17 | Senior Judge | Joseph J. Longobardi | inactive | 1930 | 1984–1997 | 1989–1996 | 1997–present | Reagan |
| 25 | Senior Judge | Richard G. Andrews | Wilmington | 1955 | 2011–2023 | — | 2023–present | Obama |

## Former judges

| # | Judge | State | Born–died | Active service | Chief Judge | Senior status | Appointed by | Reason for termination |
| 1 | Gunning Bedford Jr. | DE | 1747–1812 | 1789–1812 | — | — | Washington | death |
| 2 | John Fisher | DE | 1771–1823 | 1812–1823 | — | — | Madison | death |
| 3 | Willard Hall | DE | 1780–1875 | 1823–1871 | — | — | Monroe | retirement |
| 4 | Edward Green Bradford | DE | 1819–1884 | 1871–1884 | — | — | Grant | death |
| 5 | Leonard Eugene Wales | DE | 1823–1897 | 1884–1897 | — | — | Arthur | death |
| 6 | Edward Green Bradford II | DE | 1848–1928 | 1897–1918 | — | — | McKinley | retirement |
| 7 | Hugh M. Morris | DE | 1878–1966 | 1919–1930 | — | — | Wilson | resignation |
| 8 | John Percy Nields | DE | 1868–1943 | 1930–1941 | — | 1941–1943 | Hoover | death |
| 9 | Paul Conway Leahy | DE | 1904–1966 | 1942–1957 | 1948–1957 | 1957–1966 | F. Roosevelt | death |
| 10 | Richard Seymour Rodney | DE | 1882–1963 | 1946–1957 | — | 1957–1963 | Truman | death |
| 11 | Caleb Merrill Wright | DE | 1908–2001 | 1955–1973 | 1957–1973 | 1973–2001 | Eisenhower | death |
| 12 | Caleb Rodney Layton III | DE | 1907–1988 | 1957–1968 | — | 1968–1988 | Eisenhower | death |
| 13 | Edwin DeHaven Steel Jr. | DE | 1904–1986 | 1958–1969 | — | 1969–1986 | Eisenhower | death |
| 14 | James Levin Latchum | DE | 1918–2004 | 1968–1983 | 1973–1983 | 1983–2004 | L. Johnson | death |
| 15 | Walter King Stapleton | DE | 1934–2024 | 1970–1985 | 1983–1985 | — | Nixon | elevation to 3d Cir. |
| 16 | Murray Merle Schwartz | DE | 1931–2013 | 1974–1989 | 1985–1989 | 1989–2013 | Nixon | death |
| 18 | Joseph James Farnan Jr. | DE | 1945–present | 1985–2010 | 1996–2000 | — | Reagan | retirement |
| 19 | Jane Richards Roth | DE | 1935–present | 1985–1991 | — | — | Reagan | elevation to 3d Cir. |
| 20 | Sue Lewis Robinson | DE | 1952–present | 1991–2017 | 2000–2007 | 2017 | G.H.W. Bush | retirement |
| 21 | Roderick R. McKelvie | DE | 1946–present | 1992–2002 | — | — | G.H.W. Bush | resignation |
| 22 | Gregory M. Sleet | DE | 1951–present | 1998–2017 | 2007–2014 | 2017–2018 | Clinton | retirement |
| 23 | Kent A. Jordan | DE | 1957–present | 2002–2006 | — | — | G.W. Bush | elevation to 3d Cir. |
| 24 | Leonard P. Stark | DE | 1969–present | 2010–2022 | 2014–2021 | — | Obama | elevation to Fed. Cir. |
* ↑ Recess appointment; formally nominated on December 5, 1823, confirmed by the United States Senate on December 9, 1823, and received commission on December 9, 1823.

## 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 September 24, 1789 by 1 Stat. 73 ||||
| Bedford, Jr. | 1789–1812 |
| Fisher | 1812–1823 |
| W. Hall | 1823–1871 |
| Bradford | 1871–1884 |
| Wales | 1884–1897 |
| Bradford II | 1897–1918 |
| Morris | 1919–1930 |
| Nields | 1930–1941 |
| Leahy | 1942–1957 |
| Steel, Jr. | 1958–1969 |
| Stapleton | 1970–1985 |
| Roth | 1985–1991 |
| Robinson | 1991–2017 |
| Connolly | 2018–present |
Seat 2 :
| Seat established on July 24, 1946 by 60 Stat. 654 (temporary) ||||
| Seat made permanent on September 5, 1950 by 64 Stat. 578 ||||
| Rodney | 1946–1957 |
| Layton III | 1957–1968 |
| Latchum | 1968–1983 |
| Longobardi | 1984–1997 |
| Sleet | 1998–2017 |
| Noreika | 2018–present |
Seat 3 :
| Seat established on February 10, 1954 by 68 Stat. 8 ||||
| Wright | 1955–1973 |
| Schwartz | 1974–1989 |
| McKelvie | 1992–2002 |
| Jordan | 2002–2006 |
| Stark | 2010–2022 |
| Williams | 2022–present |
Seat 4 :
| Seat established on July 10, 1984 by 98 Stat. 333 ||||
| Farnan, Jr. | 1985–2010 |
| Andrews | 2011–2023 |
| J. Hall | 2024–present |

## United States attorneys

Source:
| U.S. Attorney | Term Started | Term Ended | Presidents served under |
| George Read II | 1789 | 1816 | George Washington and John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison |
| George Read III | 1816 | 1836 | James Monroe, John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson |
| James A. Bayard Jr. | 1837 | 1843 | Martin Van Buren, William Henry Harrison, and John Tyler |
| William Horsey Rogers | 1843 | 1849 | John Tyler and James K. Polk |
| Perry Sheward Johnson | 1849 | 1853 | Zachary Taylor and Millard Fillmore |
| Thomas F. Bayard | 1853 | 1855 | Franklin Pierce |
| Daniel Moore Bates | 1855 | 1861 | Franklin Pierce and James Buchanan |
| Edward Green Bradford | 1861 | 1866 | Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson |
| John Lockwood Pratt | 1866 | 1869 | Andrew Johnson |
| Anthony Higgins | 1869 | 1876 | Ulysses S. Grant |
| William Corbit Spruance | 1876 | 1880 | Ulysses S. Grant and Rutherford B. Hayes |
| John Cunningham Patterson | 1880 | 1888 | Rutherford B. Hayes, James Garfield, Chester A. Arthur, and Grover Cleveland |
| Alexander Bradshaw Cooper | 1888 | 1891 | Grover Cleveland and Benjamin Harrison |
| Beniah Watson | 1891 | 1894 | Benjamin Harrison and Grover Cleveland |
| Lewis Cass Vandergrift | 1894 | 1899 | Grover Cleveland and William McKinley |
| William Michael Byrne | 1899 | 1903 | William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt |
| John Percy Nields | 1903 | 1916 | Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft and Woodrow Wilson |
| Charles F. Curley | 1916 | 1920 | Woodrow Wilson |
| James H. Hughes, Jr. | 1920 | 1924 | Woodrow Wilson, Warren Harding, and Calvin Coolidge |
| David J. Reinhardt | 1924 | 1927 | Calvin Coolidge |
| Leonard E. Wales | 1927 | 1935 | Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover and Franklin D. Roosevelt |
| John J. Morris, Jr. | 1935 | 1939 | Franklin D. Roosevelt |
| Charles Stewart Lynch | 1939 | 1944 | Franklin D. Roosevelt |
| John J. Morris, Jr. | 1944 | 1948 | Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry Truman |
| William Marvel | 1948 | 1953 | Harry Truman |
| Leonard G. Hagner | 1953 | 1961 | Dwight D. Eisenhower |
| Alexander Greenfield | 1961 | 1969 | John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson |
| F. L. Peter Stone | 1969 | 1973 | Richard Nixon |
| Ralph F. Keil | 1973 | 1975 | Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford |
| W. Laird Stabler Jr. | 1975 | 1977 | Gerald Ford |
| James W. Garvin, Jr. | 1977 | 1981 | Jimmy Carter |
| Joseph James Farnan Jr. | 1981 | 1985 | Ronald Reagan |
| William C. Carpenter, Jr. | 1985 | 1993 | Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush |
| Gregory M. Sleet | 1993 | 1998 | Bill Clinton |
| Carl Schnee | 1999 | 2001 | Bill Clinton |
| Colm Connolly | 2001 | 2009 | George W. Bush |
| Charles Oberly | 2010 | 2018 | Barack Obama and Donald Trump |
| David C. Weiss | 2018 | 2025 | Donald Trump and Joe Biden |