# United States District Court for the Northern District of Indiana

The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana (in case citations, N.D. Ind.) was created in 1928 by an act of Congress that split Indiana into two separate districts, northern and southern. As part of the act, the Northern District was divided into three divisions, South Bend, Fort Wayne, and Hammond (which has a sub-office in Lafayette). Appeals from this court are taken to the United States Court of Appeals for 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 court has eight judges and four magistrate judges. As of February 2025, the acting United States attorney is Tina L. Nommay.

## History

The United States District Court for the District of Indiana was established on March 3, 1817, by 3 Stat. 390. The District was subdivided into Northern and Southern Districts on April 21, 1928, by 45 Stat. 437. Of all district courts to be subdivided, Indiana existed for the longest time as a single court, 111 years.

## Divisions of the Northern District

* Fort Wayne: Adams County, Allen County, Blackford County, DeKalb County, Grant County, Huntington County, Jay County, LaGrange County, Noble County, Steuben County, Wells County, and Whitley County.
* Hammond: Lake County and Porter County.
* Lafayette: Benton County, Carroll County, Jasper County, Newton County, Tippecanoe County, Warren County and White County.
* South Bend: Cass County, Elkhart County, Fulton County, Kosciusko County, LaPorte County, Marshall County, Miami County, Pulaski County, St. Joseph County, Starke County and Wabash County.

## Current judges

As of January 29, 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 |
| 18 | Chief Judge | Holly A. Brady | Fort Wayne | 1969 | 2019–present | 2023–present | — | Trump |
| 14 | District Judge | Philip P. Simon | Hammond | 1962 | 2003–present | 2010–2017 | — | G.W. Bush |
| 19 | District Judge | Damon R. Leichty | South Bend | 1971 | 2019–present | — | — | Trump |
| 20 | District Judge | Cristal C. Brisco | South Bend | 1981 | 2024–present | — | — | Biden |
| 21 | District Judge | Gretchen S. Lund | Hammond | 1975 | 2024–present | — | — | Biden |
| 11 | Senior Judge | James Tyne Moody | Hammond | 1938 | 1982–2003 | — | 2003–present | Reagan |
| 12 | Senior Judge | Robert Lowell Miller Jr. | inactive | 1950 | 1985–2016 | 2003–2010 | 2016–present | Reagan |
| 15 | Senior Judge | Theresa Lazar Springmann | Hammond | 1956 | 2003–2021 | 2017–2020 | 2021–present | G.W. Bush |
| 16 | Senior Judge | Joseph S. Van Bokkelen | Hammond | 1943 | 2007–2017 | — | 2017–present | G.W. Bush |
| 17 | Senior Judge | Jon DeGuilio | Hammond | 1955 | 2010–2023 | 2020–2023 | 2023–present | Obama |

## Former judges

| # | Judge | State | Born–died | Active service | Chief Judge | Senior status | Appointed by | Reason for termination |
| 1 | Thomas Whitten Slick | IN | 1869–1959 | 1928–1943 | — | — | Coolidge/Operation of law | retirement |
| 2 | Luther Merritt Swygert | IN | 1905–1988 | 1943–1961 | 1954–1961 | — | F. Roosevelt | elevation to 7th Cir. |
| 3 | William Lynn Parkinson | IN | 1902–1959 | 1954–1957 | — | — | Eisenhower | elevation to 7th Cir. |
| 4 | Robert A. Grant | IN | 1905–1998 | 1957–1972 | 1961–1972 | 1972–1998 | Eisenhower | death |
| 5 | George N. Beamer | IN | 1904–1974 | 1962–1974 | 1972–1974 | — | Kennedy | death |
| 6 | Jesse E. Eschbach | IN | 1920–2005 | 1962–1981 | 1974–1981 | — | Kennedy | elevation to 7th Cir. |
| 7 | Allen Sharp | IN | 1932–2009 | 1973–2007 | 1981–1996 | 2007–2009 | Nixon | death |
| 8 | Phil McClellan McNagny Jr. | IN | 1924–1981 | 1976–1981 | — | — | Ford | death |
| 9 | William Charles Lee | IN | 1938–2024 | 1981–2003 | 1997–2003 | 2003–2024 | Reagan | death |
| 10 | Michael Stephen Kanne | IN | 1938–2022 | 1982–1987 | — | — | Reagan | elevation to 7th Cir. |
| 13 | Rodolfo Lozano | IN | 1942–2018 | 1988–2007 | — | 2007–2018 | Reagan | death |
* ↑ Reassigned from the District of Indiana.

## 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 Indiana on April 21, 1928 by 45 Stat. 437 ||||
| Slick | 1928–1943 |
| Swygert | 1943–1961 |
| Eschbach | 1962–1981 |
| Moody | 1982–2003 |
| Springmann | 2003–2021 |
| Brisco | 2024–present |
Seat 2 :
| Seat established on February 10, 1954 by 68 Stat. 8 ||||
| Parkinson | 1954–1957 |
| Grant | 1957–1972 |
| Sharp | 1973–2007 |
| DeGuilio | 2010–2023 |
| Lund | 2024–present |
Seat 3 :
| Seat established on May 19, 1961 by 75 Stat. 80 ||||
| Beamer | 1962–1974 |
| McNagny, Jr. | 1976–1981 |
| Kanne | 1982–1987 |
| Lozano | 1988–2007 |
| Van Bokkelen | 2007–2017 |
| Brady | 2019–present |
Seat 4 :
| Seat established on October 20, 1978 by 92 Stat. 1629 ||||
| Lee | 1981–2003 |
| Simon | 2003–present |
Seat 5 :
| Seat established on July 10, 1984 by 98 Stat. 333 (temporary) ||||
| Seat made permanent on December 1, 1990 by 104 Stat. 5089 ||||
| Miller, Jr. | 1985–2016 |
| Leichty | 2019–present |

## List of U.S. attorneys since 1928

* Oliver Mullins Loomis 1928–1933
* James R. Fleming 1933–1941
* Alexander M. Campbell 1941–1949
* Gilmore Haynie 1949–1953
* Joseph H. Lesh 1953–1954
* Phil M. McNagny Jr. 1954–1958
* Kenneth C. Raub 1959–1962
* Philip C. Potts 1962
* Alfred Moellering 1962–1970
* William C. Lee 1970–1973
* John R. Wilks 1973–1977
* David T. Ready 1977–1981
* R. Lawrence Steel Jr. 1981–1985
* James G. Richmond 1985–1991
* John F. Hoehner 1991–1993
* Jon DeGuilio 1993–1999
* Joseph S. Van Bokkelen 2001–2007
* David A. Capp 2007–2017
* Thomas Kirsch 2017–2020
* Clifford D. Johnson 2021–2025
* Tina L. Nommay (acting) 2025-