| United States District Court for the Middle District of Georgia | |
|---|---|
| (M.D. Ga.) | |
| Location | William Augustus Bootle Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse (Macon) |
| Appeals to | Eleventh Circuit |
| Established | May 28, 1926 |
| Judges | 4 |
| Chief Judge | Leslie Abrams Gardner |
| Officers of the court | |
| U.S. Attorney | William R. Kayes(interim) |
| U.S. Marshal | Stephen D. Lynn |
| www | |
TheU.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia (incase citations,M.D. Ga.) is aUnited States district court which serves the residents of seventy counties from five divisions from its headquarters inMacon, Georgia.
Appeals from cases brought in the Middle District of Georgia are taken to theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit (except forpatent claims and claims against the U.S. government under theTucker Act, which are appealed to theFederal Circuit).
As of June 24, 2025[update] theinterim United States attorney is William R. Kayes.[1]
TheUnited States District Court for the District of Georgia was one of the original 13 courts established by theJudiciary Act of 1789, 1 Stat. 73, on September 24, 1789.[2] The District was subdivided intoNorthern andSouthern Districts on August 11, 1848, by 9 Stat. 280.[2][3][4] The Middle District was formed from portions of those two Districts on May 28, 1926, by 44 Stat. 670.[2]
TheAlbany division serves:Baker,Ben Hill,Calhoun,Crisp,Decatur,Dougherty,Early,Grady,Lee,Miller,Mitchell,Schley,Seminole,Sumter,Terrell,Turner,Webster, andWorth counties.
TheAthens division hears cases from:Clarke,Elbert,Franklin,Greene,Hart,Madison,Morgan,Oconee,Oglethorpe, andWalton counties.
TheColumbus division includes:Chattahoochee,Clay,Harris,Marion,Muscogee,Quitman,Randolph,Stewart,Talbot, andTaylor counties.
TheMacon division serves:Baldwin,Bibb,Bleckley,Butts,Crawford,Dooly,Hancock,Houston,Jasper,Jones,Lamar,Macon,Monroe,Peach,Pulaski,Putnam,Twiggs,Upson,Washington,Wilcox andWilkinson counties.
TheValdosta division hears cases for:Berrien,Brooks,Clinch,Colquitt,Cook,Echols,Irwin,Lanier,Lowndes,Thomas, andTift counties.
As of June 1, 2024[update]:
| # | Title | Judge | Duty station | Born | Term of service | Appointed by | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Active | Chief | Senior | ||||||
| 14 | Chief Judge | Leslie Abrams Gardner | Albany | 1974 | 2014–present | 2024–present | — | Obama |
| 12 | District Judge | Clay D. Land | Columbus | 1960 | 2001–present | 2014–2020 | — | G.W. Bush |
| 13 | District Judge | Marc T. Treadwell | Macon | 1955 | 2010–present | 2020–2024 | — | Obama |
| 15 | District Judge | Tripp Self | Macon | 1968 | 2018–present | — | — | Trump |
| 9 | Senior Judge | W. Louis Sands | Albany | 1949 | 1994–2014 | 2001–2006 | 2014–present | Clinton |
| 11 | Senior Judge | C. Ashley Royal | Macon | 1949 | 2001–2016 | 2008–2014 | 2016–present | G.W. Bush |
| # | Judge | Born–died | Active service | Chief Judge | Senior status | Appointed by | Reason for termination |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | William Josiah Tilson | 1871–1949 | 1926–1927[Note 1] 1927–1928[Note 2] | — | — | Coolidge | not confirmed resignation |
| 2 | Bascom Sine Deaver | 1882–1944 | 1928–1944 | — | — | Coolidge | death |
| 3 | Thomas Hoyt Davis | 1892–1969 | 1945–1961 | 1949–1961 | 1961–1969 | F. Roosevelt | death |
| 4 | Abraham Benjamin Conger | 1887–1953 | 1949–1953 | — | — | Truman | death |
| 5 | William Augustus Bootle | 1902–2005 | 1954–1972 | 1961–1972 | 1972–2005 | Eisenhower | death |
| 6 | J. Robert Elliott | 1910–2006 | 1962–2000 | 1972–1980 | — | Kennedy | retirement |
| 7 | Wilbur Dawson Owens Jr. | 1930–2010 | 1972–1995 | 1980–1995 | 1995–2010 | Nixon | death |
| 8 | Duross Fitzpatrick | 1934–2008 | 1985–2001 | 1995–2001 | 2001–2008 | Reagan | death |
| 10 | Hugh Lawson | 1941–2024 | 1995–2008 | 2006–2008 | 2008–2024 | Clinton | death |
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 assenior 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.
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| Note | American Samoa does not have a district court or federal territorial court; federal matters there go to theDistrict of Columbia,Hawaii, orits own Supreme Court. |
32°50′14.0″N83°37′31.6″W / 32.837222°N 83.625444°W /32.837222; -83.625444