# United States District Court for the Eastern District of Washington

The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Washington (in case citations, E.D. Wash.) is the federal district court whose jurisdiction comprises the following counties of the state of Washington: Adams, Asotin, Benton, Chelan, Columbia, Douglas, Ferry, Franklin, Garfield, Grant, Kittitas, Klickitat, Lincoln, Okanogan, Pend Oreille, Spokane, Stevens, Walla Walla, Whitman, and Yakima.
As of the 2000 United States census, 1.3 million people resided in the Eastern District, representing 22% of the state's population. The district includes the cities of Richland, Spokane, and Yakima, among others. The Federal Court in Yakima is located in the William O. Douglas Federal Building.
Cases from the Eastern District of Washington are appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are appealed to the Federal Circuit.
The United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Washington represents the United States in civil and criminal litigation in the court.
As of October 7, 2021 the United States attorney is Vanessa Waldref.

## Current judges

As of December 9, 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 |
| 22 | Chief Judge | Stanley Bastian | Yakima | 1958 | 2014–present | 2020–present | — | Obama |
| 21 | District Judge | Thomas O. Rice | Spokane | 1960 | 2012–present | 2016–2020 | — | Obama |
| 24 | District Judge | Mary Dimke | Richland | 1977 | 2021–present | — | — | Biden |
| 25 | District Judge | Rebecca L. Pennell | Spokane | 1971 | 2024–present | — | — | Biden |
| 15 | Senior Judge | William Fremming Nielsen | inactive | 1934 | 1991–2003 | 1995–2000 | 2003–present | G.H.W. Bush |
| 17 | Senior Judge | Robert H. Whaley | Spokane | 1943 | 1995–2009 | 2005–2009 | 2009–present | Clinton |
| 18 | Senior Judge | Edward F. Shea | Richland | 1942 | 1998–2012 | — | 2012–present | Clinton |
| 19 | Senior Judge | Lonny R. Suko | Yakima | 1943 | 2003–2013 | 2009–2011 | 2013–present | G.W. Bush |
| 20 | Senior Judge | Rosanna M. Peterson | Spokane | 1951 | 2010–2021 | 2011–2016 | 2021–present | Obama |

## Former judges

| # | Judge | State | Born–died | Active service | Chief Judge | Senior status | Appointed by | Reason for termination |
| 1 | Edward Whitson | WA | 1852–1910 | 1905–1910 | — | — | T. Roosevelt | death |
| 2 | Frank H. Rudkin | WA | 1864–1931 | 1911–1923 | — | — | Taft | elevation to 9th Cir. |
| 3 | J. Stanley Webster | WA | 1877–1962 | 1923–1939 | — | 1939–1962 | Harding | death |
| 4 | Lloyd Llewellyn Black | WA | 1889–1950 | 1940–1950 | — | — | F. Roosevelt/Operation of law | death |
| 5 | Lewis B. Schwellenbach | WA | 1894–1948 | 1940–1945 | — | — | F. Roosevelt | resignation |
| 6 | Samuel Marion Driver | WA | 1892–1958 | 1946–1958 | 1948–1958 | — | Truman | death |
| 7 | William James Lindberg | WA | 1904–1981 | 1951–1961 | — | — | Truman | seat abolished |
| 8 | Charles Lawrence Powell | WA | 1902–1975 | 1959–1972 | 1959–1972 | 1972–1975 | Eisenhower | death |
| 9 | William Nelson Goodwin | WA | 1909–1975 | 1966–1975 | 1972–1973 | — | L. Johnson | death |
| 10 | Marshall Allen Neill | WA | 1914–1979 | 1972–1979 | 1973–1979 | — | Nixon | death |
| 11 | Jack Edward Tanner | WA | 1919–2006 | 1978 | — | — | Carter | seat abolished |
| 12 | Robert James McNichols | WA | 1922–1992 | 1979–1991 | 1980–1989 | 1991–1992 | Carter | death |
| 13 | Justin L. Quackenbush | WA | 1929–2024 | 1980–1995 | 1989–1995 | 1995–2024 | Carter | death |
| 14 | Alan Angus McDonald | WA | 1927–2007 | 1985–1996 | — | 1996–2007 | Reagan | death |
| 16 | Frederick L. Van Sickle | WA | 1943–2021 | 1991–2008 | 2000–2005 | 2008–2021 | G.H.W. Bush | death |
| 23 | Salvador Mendoza Jr. | WA | 1971–present | 2014–2022 | — | — | Obama | elevation to 9th Cir. |
* ↑ Recess appointment; formally nominated on December 15, 1923, confirmed by the United States Senate on January 16, 1924, and received commission the same day.
* ↑ Initially appointed via recess appointment by Harding; formally nominated by and received commission from Coolidge
* ↑ Black was initially appointed to the Western District of Washington in 1939; he was reassigned by operation of law to serve in both districts
* 1 2 3 Jointly appointed to the Eastern and Western Districts of Washington.

## 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 March 2, 1905 by 33 Stat. 824 ||||
| Whitson | 1905–1910 |
| Rudkin | 1911–1923 |
| Webster | 1924–1939 |
| Schwellenbach | 1940–1945 |
| Driver | 1946–1958 |
| Powell | 1959–1972 |
| Neill | 1972–1979 |
| Quackenbush | 1980–1995 |
| Whaley | 1995–2009 |
| Rice | 2012–present |
Seat 2 :
| Seat assigned on January 20, 1940 by 54 Stat. 16 (concurrent with Western District) ||
| Black | 1940–1950 |
| Lindberg | 1951–1961 |
| Seat reassigned solely to Western District on May 19, 1961 by 75 Stat. 80 ||
Seat 3 :
| Seat established on May 19, 1961 by 75 Stat. 80 (concurrent with Western District) ||
| Goodwin | 1966–1975 |
| Tanner | 1978 |
| Seat reassigned solely to Western District on October 20, 1978 by 92 Stat. 1629 ||
Seat 4 :
| Seat established on October 20, 1978 by 92 Stat. 1629 ||||
| McNichols | 1979–1991 |
| Nielsen | 1991–2003 |
| Suko | 2003–2013 |
| Mendoza Jr. | 2014–2022 |
| Pennell | 2024–present |
Seat 5 :
| Seat established on July 10, 1984 by 98 Stat. 333 ||||
| McDonald | 1985–1996 |
| Shea | 1998–2012 |
| Bastian | 2014–present |
Seat 6 :
| Seat established on December 1, 1990 by 104 Stat. 5089 ||||
| Van Sickle | 1991–2008 |
| Peterson | 2010–2021 |
| Dimke | 2021–present |