# United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan

The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan (in case citations, E.D. Mich.) is the federal district court with jurisdiction over the eastern half of the Lower Peninsula of the State of Michigan. The Court is based in Detroit, with courthouses also located in Ann Arbor, Bay City, Flint, and Port Huron. The United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit has appellate jurisdiction over the court (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are appealed to the Federal Circuit).
As of February 22, 2025, the acting United States attorney is Julie A. Beck.

## History

The United States District Court for the District of Michigan was established on July 1, 1836, by 5 Stat. 61, with a single judgeship. The district court was not assigned to a judicial circuit, but was granted the same jurisdiction as United States circuit courts, except in appeals and writs of error, which were the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court. Due to the so-called "Toledo War", a boundary dispute with Ohio, Michigan did not become a state of the Union until January 26, 1837. On March 3, 1837, Congress passed an act that repealed the circuit court jurisdiction of the U.S. District Court for the District of Michigan, assigned the District of Michigan to the Seventh Circuit, and established a U.S. circuit court for the district, 5 Stat. 176.
On July 15, 1862, Congress reorganized the circuits and assigned Michigan to the Eighth Circuit by 12 Stat. 576, and on January 28, 1863, the Congress again reorganized Seventh and Eight Circuits and assigned Michigan to the Seventh Circuit, by 12 Stat. 637. On February 24, 1863, Congress divided the District of Michigan into the Eastern and the Western Districts, with one judgeship authorized for each district, by 12 Stat. 660. Ross Wilkins, who had been the only district judge to serve the District of Michigan, was reassigned to the Eastern District. Finally, on July 23, 1866, by 14 Stat. 209, Congress assigned the two Districts in Michigan to the Sixth Circuit, where they remain.

## Divisions

The Eastern District comprises two divisions.

### Northern Division

The Northern Division comprises the counties of Alcona, Alpena, Arenac, Bay, Cheboygan, Clare, Crawford, Gladwin, Gratiot, Huron, Iosco, Isabella, Midland, Montmorency, Ogemaw, Oscoda, Otsego, Presque Isle, Roscommon, Saginaw, and Tuscola.
Court for the Northern Division is held in Bay City.

### Southern Division

The Southern Division comprises the counties of Genesee, Jackson, Lapeer, Lenawee, Livingston, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, Saint Clair, Sanilac, Shiawassee, Washtenaw, and Wayne.
Court for the Southern Division is held in Ann Arbor, Detroit, Flint, and Port Huron.

## Notable cases

Some of the notable cases that have come before the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan include:
* American Civil Liberties Union v. National Security Agency
* Berghuis v. Thompkins
* Conyers v. Bush
* Dean v. Utica Community Schools
* DeBoer v. Snyder
* Hess v. Reynolds
* Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church & School v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
* KSR International Co. v. Teleflex Inc.
* R.G. & G.R. Harris Funeral Homes Inc. v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
* United States v. Abdulmutallab
* United States v. Anthony Chebatoris
* United States v. Detroit & Cleveland Navigation Co.
* United States v. Fieger
* United States v. Hathaway
* United States v. Kilpatrick
* United States v. Riverside Bayview
* United States v. Stone
* United States v. United States District Court

## Current judges

As of October 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 |
| 57 | Chief Judge | Sean Cox | Detroit | 1957 | 2006–present | 2022–present | — | G.W. Bush |
| 58 | District Judge | Thomas Lamson Ludington | Bay City | 1953 | 2006–present | — | — | G.W. Bush |
| 59 | District Judge | Stephen Murphy III | Detroit | 1962 | 2008–present | — | — | G.W. Bush |
| 60 | District Judge | Mark A. Goldsmith | Detroit | 1952 | 2010–present | — | — | Obama |
| 62 | District Judge | Terrence Berg | Detroit | 1959 | 2012–present | — | — | Obama |
| 63 | District Judge | Matthew F. Leitman | Detroit | 1968 | 2014–present | — | — | Obama |
| 64 | District Judge | Judith E. Levy | Ann Arbor | 1958 | 2014–present | — | — | Obama |
| 65 | District Judge | Laurie J. Michelson | Detroit | 1967 | 2014–present | — | — | Obama |
| 66 | District Judge | Linda Vivienne Parker | Detroit | 1958 | 2014–present | — | — | Obama |
| 68 | District Judge | Shalina D. Kumar | Flint | 1971 | 2021–present | — | — | Biden |
| 69 | District Judge | F. Kay Behm | Flint | 1969 | 2022–present | — | — | Biden |
| 70 | District Judge | Jonathan J. C. Grey | Detroit | 1982 | 2023–present | — | — | Biden |
| 71 | District Judge | Susan K. DeClercq | Detroit | 1974 | 2023–present | — | — | Biden |
| 72 | District Judge | Brandy R. McMillion | Detroit | 1979 | 2023–present | — | — | Biden |
| 73 | District Judge | Robert J. White | Detroit | 1985 | 2024–present | — | — | Biden |
| 44 | Senior Judge | Bernard A. Friedman | Detroit | 1943 | 1988–2009 | 2004–2009 | 2009–present | Reagan |
| 47 | Senior Judge | Robert Hardy Cleland | Port Huron | 1947 | 1990–2013 | — | 2013–present | G.H.W. Bush |
| 48 | Senior Judge | Nancy Garlock Edmunds | Detroit | 1947 | 1992–2012 | — | 2012–present | G.H.W. Bush |
| 49 | Senior Judge | Denise Page Hood | Detroit | 1952 | 1994–2022 | 2015–2022 | 2022–present | Clinton |
| 50 | Senior Judge | Paul D. Borman | Detroit | 1939 | 1994–2023 | — | 2023–present | Clinton |
| 52 | Senior Judge | George Caram Steeh III | Detroit | 1947 | 1998–2013 | — | 2013–present | Clinton |
| 56 | Senior Judge | David M. Lawson | Detroit | 1951 | 2000–2021 | — | 2021–present | Clinton |
| 61 | Senior Judge | Gershwin A. Drain | Detroit | 1949 | 2012–2022 | — | 2022–present | Obama |

## Vacancies and pending nominations

| Seat | Prior judge's duty station | Seat last held by | Vacancy reason | Date of vacancy | Nominee | Date of nomination |
| 14 | Detroit | Sean Cox | Retirement | July 28, 2025 | – | – |

## Former judges

| # | Judge | State | Born–died | Active service | Chief Judge | Senior status | Appointed by | Reason for termination |
| 1 | Ross Wilkins | MI | 1799–1872 | 1863–1870 | — | — | Jackson/Operation of law | retirement |
| 2 | John W. Longyear | MI | 1820–1875 | 1870–1875 | — | — | Grant | death |
| 3 | Henry Billings Brown | MI | 1836–1913 | 1875–1890 | — | — | Grant | elevation to Supreme Court |
| 4 | Henry Harrison Swan | MI | 1840–1916 | 1891–1911 | — | — | B. Harrison | retirement |
| 5 | Alexis C. Angell | MI | 1857–1932 | 1911–1912 | — | — | Taft | resignation |
| 6 | Arthur J. Tuttle | MI | 1868–1944 | 1912–1944 | — | — | Taft | death |
| 7 | Charles C. Simons | MI | 1876–1964 | 1923–1932 | — | — | Harding | elevation to 6th Cir. |
| 8 | Edward Julien Moinet | MI | 1873–1952 | 1927–1946 | — | 1946–1952 | Coolidge | death |
| 9 | Ernest Aloysius O'Brien | MI | 1880–1948 | 1931–1948 | — | — | Hoover | death |
| 10 | Arthur F. Lederle | MI | 1887–1972 | 1936–1960 | 1948–1959 | 1960–1972 | F. Roosevelt | death |
| 11 | Frank Albert Picard | MI | 1889–1963 | 1939–1959 | 1959 | 1959–1963 | F. Roosevelt | death |
| 12 | Arthur A. Koscinski | MI | 1887–1957 | 1945–1957 | — | 1957 | Truman | death |
| 13 | Theodore Levin | MI | 1897–1970 | 1946–1970 | 1959–1967 | — | Truman | death |
| 14 | Thomas Patrick Thornton | MI | 1898–1985 | 1949–1966 | — | 1966–1985 | Truman | death |
| 15 | Ralph M. Freeman | MI | 1902–1990 | 1954–1973 | 1967–1972 | 1973–1990 | Eisenhower | death |
| 16 | Clifford Patrick O'Sullivan | MI | 1897–1975 | 1957–1960 | — | — | Eisenhower | elevation to 6th Cir. |
| 17 | Frederick William Kaess | MI | 1910–1979 | 1960–1975 | 1972–1975 | 1975–1979 | Eisenhower | death |
| 18 | John Feikens | MI | 1917–2011 | 1960–1961 | — | — | Eisenhower | not confirmed |
| 18.1 | John Feikens | MI | 1917–2011 | 1970–1986 | 1979–1986 | 1986–2011 | Nixon | death |
| 19 | Thaddeus M. Machrowicz | MI | 1899–1970 | 1961–1970 | — | — | Kennedy | death |
| 20 | Wade H. McCree | MI | 1920–1987 | 1961–1966 | — | — | Kennedy | elevation to 6th Cir. |
| 21 | Talbot Smith | MI | 1899–1978 | 1961–1971 | — | 1971–1978 | Kennedy | death |
| 22 | Stephen John Roth | MI | 1908–1974 | 1962–1974 | — | — | Kennedy | death |
| 23 | Damon Keith | MI | 1922–2019 | 1967–1977 | 1975–1977 | — | L. Johnson | elevation to 6th Cir. |
| 24 | Lawrence Gubow | MI | 1919–1978 | 1968–1978 | — | — | L. Johnson | death |
| 25 | Cornelia Groefsema Kennedy | MI | 1923–2014 | 1970–1979 | 1977–1979 | — | Nixon | elevation to 6th Cir. |
| 26 | Philip Pratt | MI | 1924–1989 | 1970–1989 | 1986–1989 | — | Nixon | death |
| 27 | Robert Edward DeMascio | MI | 1923–1999 | 1971–1988 | — | 1988–1999 | Nixon | death |
| 28 | Charles Wycliffe Joiner | MI | 1916–2017 | 1972–1984 | — | 1984–2017 | Nixon | death |
| 29 | R. James Harvey | MI | 1922–2019 | 1973–1984 | — | 1984–2019 | Nixon | death |
| 30 | James Paul Churchill | MI | 1924–2020 | 1974–1989 | 1989 | 1989–2020 | Ford | death |
| 31 | Ralph B. Guy Jr. | MI | 1929–present | 1976–1985 | — | — | Ford | elevation to 6th Cir. |
| 32 | Patricia Boyle | MI | 1937–2014 | 1978–1983 | — | — | Carter | resignation |
| 33 | Julian A. Cook | MI | 1930–2017 | 1978–1996 | 1989–1996 | 1996–2017 | Carter | death |
| 34 | Avern Cohn | MI | 1924–2022 | 1979–1999 | — | 1999–2022 | Carter | death |
| 35 | Stewart Albert Newblatt | MI | 1927–2022 | 1979–1993 | — | 1993–2022 | Carter | death |
| 36 | Anna Diggs Taylor | MI | 1932–2017 | 1979–1998 | 1996–1998 | 1998–2017 | Carter | death |
| 37 | Horace Weldon Gilmore | MI | 1918–2010 | 1980–1991 | — | 1991–2010 | Carter | death |
| 38 | George E. Woods | MI | 1923–2007 | 1983–1993 | — | 1993–2004 | Reagan | retirement |
| 39 | Richard Fred Suhrheinrich | MI | 1936–present | 1984–1990 | — | — | Reagan | elevation to 6th Cir. |
| 40 | George La Plata | MI | 1924–2010 | 1985–1996 | — | — | Reagan | retirement |
| 41 | Lawrence Paul Zatkoff | MI | 1939–2015 | 1986–2004 | 1999–2004 | 2004–2015 | Reagan | death |
| 42 | Barbara Kloka Hackett | MI | 1928–2018 | 1986–1997 | — | 1997–2000 | Reagan | retirement |
| 43 | Patrick J. Duggan | MI | 1933–2020 | 1986–2000 | — | 2000–2020 | Reagan | death |
| 45 | Paul V. Gadola | MI | 1929–2014 | 1988–2001 | — | 2001–2014 | Reagan | death |
| 46 | Gerald Ellis Rosen | MI | 1951–present | 1990–2016 | 2009–2015 | 2016–2017 | G.H.W. Bush | retirement |
| 51 | John Corbett O'Meara | MI | 1933–2024 | 1994–2007 | — | 2007–2024 | Clinton | death |
| 53 | Arthur Tarnow | MI | 1942–2022 | 1998–2010 | — | 2010–2022 | Clinton | death |
| 54 | Victoria A. Roberts | MI | 1951–present | 1998–2021 | — | 2021–2023 | Clinton | retirement |
| 55 | Marianne Battani | MI | 1944–2021 | 2000–2012 | — | 2012–2021 | Clinton | death |
| 67 | Stephanie D. Davis | MI | 1967–present | 2019–2022 | — | — | Trump | elevation to 6th Cir. |
* ↑ Reassigned from the District of Michigan.
* ↑ Recess appointment; formally nominated on December 6, 1927, confirmed by the United States Senate on December 19, 1927, and received commission the same day.
* ↑ Recess appointment; the Senate later rejected the appointment.
* ↑ Recess appointment; formally nominated on January 15, 1962, confirmed by the Senate on February 5, 1962, and received commission on February 9, 1962.

## 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 District of Michigan on February 24, 1863 by 12 Stat. 660 ||||
| Wilkins | 1863–1870 |
| Longyear | 1870–1875 |
| Brown | 1875–1890 |
| Swan | 1891–1911 |
| Angell | 1911–1912 |
| Tuttle | 1912–1944 |
| Koscinski | 1945–1957 |
| O'Sullivan | 1957–1960 |
| Feikens | 1960–1961 |
| Roth | 1962–1974 |
| Churchill | 1974–1989 |
| Cleland | 1990–2013 |
| Parker | 2014–present |
Seat 2 :
| Seat established on September 14, 1922 by 42 Stat. 837 (temporary) ||||
| Simons | 1923–1932 |
| Seat made permanent on August 19, 1935 by 49 Stat. 659 ||||
| Lederle | 1936–1960 |
| Kaess | 1960–1975 |
| Guy, Jr. | 1976–1985 |
| Zatkoff | 1986–2004 |
| Cox | 2006–present |
Seat 3 :
| Seat established on March 3, 1927 by 44 Stat. 1380 ||||
| Moinet | 1927–1946 |
| Levin | 1946–1970 |
| DeMascio | 1971–1988 |
| Friedman | 1988–2009 |
| Drain | 2012–2022 |
| McMillion | 2023–present |
Seat 4 :
| Seat established on February 20, 1931 by 46 Stat. 1197 ||||
| O'Brien | 1931–1948 |
| Thornton | 1949–1966 |
| Keith | 1967–1977 |
| Boyle | 1978–1983 |
| Woods | 1983–1993 |
| Hood | 1994–2022 |
| Grey | 2023–present |
Seat 5 :
| Seat established on May 31, 1938 by 52 Stat. 585 ||||
| Picard | 1939–1959 |
| Machrowicz | 1961–1970 |
| Kennedy | 1970–1979 |
| Gilmore | 1980–1991 |
| O'Meara | 1994–2007 |
| Goldsmith | 2010–present |
Seat 6 :
| Seat established on February 10, 1954 by 68 Stat. 8 ||||
| Freeman | 1954–1973 |
| Harvey | 1974–1984 |
| Suhrheinrich | 1984–1990 |
| Edmunds | 1992–2012 |
| Levy | 2014–present |
Seat 7 :
| Seat established on May 19, 1961 by 75 Stat. 80 ||||
| McCree, Jr. | 1961–1966 |
| Gubow | 1968–1978 |
| Cook, Jr. | 1978–1996 |
| Tarnow | 1998–2010 |
| Berg | 2012–present |
Seat 8 :
| Seat established on May 19, 1961 by 75 Stat. 80 ||||
| Smith | 1961–1971 |
| Joiner | 1972–1984 |
| Hackett | 1986–1997 |
| Steeh III | 1998–2013 |
| Michelson | 2014–present |
Seat 9 :
| Seat established on June 2, 1970 by 84 Stat. 294 ||||
| Feikens | 1970–1986 |
| Gadola | 1988–2001 |
| Ludington | 2006–present |
Seat 10 :
| Seat established on June 2, 1970 by 84 Stat. 294 ||||
| Pratt | 1970–1989 |
| Rosen | 1990–2016 |
| Davis | 2019–2022 |
| DeClercq | 2023–present |
Seat 11 :
| Seat established on October 20, 1978 by 92 Stat. 1629 ||||
| Cohn | 1979–1999 |
| Lawson | 2000–2021 |
| Behm | 2022–present |
Seat 12 :
| Seat established on October 20, 1978 by 92 Stat. 1629 ||||
| Newblatt | 1979–1993 |
| Borman | 1994–2023 |
| White | 2024–present |
Seat 13 :
| Seat established on October 20, 1978 by 92 Stat. 1629 ||||
| Taylor | 1979–1998 |
| Battani | 2000–2012 |
| Leitman | 2014–present |
Seat 14 :
| Seat established on July 10, 1984 by 98 Stat. 333 ||||
| La Plata | 1985–1996 |
| Roberts | 1998–2021 |
| Kumar | 2021–present |
Seat 15 :
| Seat established on July 10, 1984 by 98 Stat. 333 ||||
| Duggan, Jr. | 1986–2000 |
| Murphy III | 2008–present |