| United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia | |
|---|---|
| (N.D. Ga.) | |
| Location | Richard B. Russell Federal Building (Atlanta) More locations |
| Appeals to | Eleventh Circuit |
| Established | August 11, 1848 |
| Judges | 11 |
| Chief Judge | Leigh Martin May |
| Officers of the court | |
| U.S. Attorney | Theodore S. Hertzberg |
| U.S. Marshal | Thomas E. Brown |
| gand.uscourts.gov | |
TheUnited States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia (incase citations,N.D. Ga.) is aUnited States district court which serves the residents of forty-six counties. These are divided up into four divisions.
Appeals from cases brought in the Northern District of Georgia are 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).
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.[1] The District was subdivided into Northern andSouthern Districts on August 11, 1848, by 9 Stat. 280.[1][2][3] TheMiddle District was formed from portions of those two Districts on May 28, 1926, by 44 Stat. 670.[1]
Jurisdiction and venue are enumerated in28 U.S.C. § 90.
TheAtlanta division includes:Cherokee,Clayton,Cobb,DeKalb,Douglas,Fulton,Gwinnett,Henry,Newton, andRockdale counties.
TheGainesville division serves:Banks,Barrow,Dawson,Fannin,Forsyth,Gilmer,Habersham,Hall,Jackson,Lumpkin,Pickens,Rabun,Stephens,Towns,Union, andWhite counties.
TheNewnan division hears cases for:Carroll,Coweta,Fayette,Haralson,Heard,Meriwether,Pike,Spalding, andTroup counties.
TheRome division serves:Bartow,Catoosa,Chattooga,Dade,Floyd,Gordon,Murray,Paulding,Polk,Walker, andWhitfield counties.
TheUnited States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia represents the United States in civil and criminal litigation in the court.
As of May 13, 2025[update], theUnited States attorney is Theodore S. Hertzberg.[4]
As of May 24, 2025[update]:
| # | Title | Judge | Duty station | Born | Term of service | Appointed by | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Active | Chief | Senior | ||||||
| 40 | Chief Judge | Leigh Martin May | Atlanta | 1971 | 2014–present | 2025–present | — | Obama |
| 41 | District Judge | Mark Howard Cohen | Atlanta | 1955 | 2014–present | — | — | Obama |
| 42 | District Judge | Eleanor L. Ross | Atlanta | 1967 | 2014–present | — | — | Obama |
| 43 | District Judge | Michael Lawrence Brown | Atlanta | 1968 | 2018–present | — | — | Trump |
| 44 | District Judge | William M. Ray II | Atlanta | 1963 | 2018–present | — | — | Trump |
| 45 | District Judge | J. P. Boulee | Atlanta | 1971 | 2019–present | — | — | Trump |
| 46 | District Judge | Steven D. Grimberg | Atlanta | 1974 | 2019–present | — | — | Trump |
| 47 | District Judge | Victoria Calvert | Atlanta | 1981 | 2022–present | — | — | Biden |
| 48 | District Judge | Sarah Geraghty | Atlanta | 1974 | 2022–present | — | — | Biden |
| 49 | District Judge | Tiffany R. Johnson | Atlanta | 1986 | 2025–present | — | — | Biden |
| 50 | District Judge | vacant | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 23 | Senior Judge | Orinda Dale Evans | inactive | 1943 | 1979–2008 | 1999–2006 | 2008–present | Carter |
| 29 | Senior Judge | Clarence Cooper | inactive | 1942 | 1994–2009 | — | 2009–present | Clinton |
| 31 | Senior Judge | Willis B. Hunt Jr. | inactive | 1932 | 1995–2005 | — | 2005–present | Clinton |
| 32 | Senior Judge | Thomas W. Thrash Jr. | Atlanta | 1951 | 1997–2021 | 2014–2021 | 2021–present | Clinton |
| 33 | Senior Judge | Richard W. Story | Atlanta Gainesville | 1953 | 1998–2018 | — | 2018–present | Clinton |
| 34 | Senior Judge | Charles A. Pannell Jr. | inactive | 1946 | 1999–2013 | — | 2013–present | Clinton |
| 38 | Senior Judge | Amy Totenberg | Atlanta | 1950 | 2011–2021 | — | 2021–present | Obama |
| 39 | Senior Judge | Steve C. Jones | Atlanta | 1957 | 2011–2025 | — | 2025–present | Obama |
| Seat | Prior judge's duty station | Seat last held by | Vacancy reason | Date of vacancy | Nominee | Date of nomination |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | Atlanta Newnan | Timothy Batten | Retirement | May 23, 2025 | – | – |
| # | Judge | State | Born–died | Active service | Chief Judge | Senior status | Appointed by | Reason for termination |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | John Cochran Nicoll | GA | 1793–1863 | 1848–1861[Note 1][Note 2] | — | — | Van Buren/Operation of law | resignation |
| 2 | John Erskine | GA | 1813–1895 | 1865–1882[Note 3][Note 2] | — | — | A. Johnson | seat abolished |
| 3 | Henry Kent McCay | GA | 1820–1886 | 1882–1886 | — | — | Arthur | death |
| 4 | William Truslow Newman | GA | 1843–1920 | 1886–1920[Note 4] | — | — | Cleveland | death |
| 5 | Samuel Hale Sibley | GA | 1873–1958 | 1919–1931 | — | — | Wilson | elevation to5th Cir. |
| 6 | Emory Marvin Underwood | GA | 1877–1960 | 1931–1948 | — | 1948–1960 | Hoover | death |
| 7 | Robert Lee Russell | GA | 1900–1955 | 1940–1949 | 1949 | — | F. Roosevelt | elevation to5th Cir. |
| 8 | Maurice Neil Andrews | GA | 1894–1967 | 1949–1950[Note 5] | 1949–1950 | — | Truman | resignation |
| 9 | Frank Arthur Hooper | GA | 1895–1985 | 1949–1967[Note 6] | 1950–1965 | 1967–1985 | Truman | death |
| 10 | William Boyd Sloan | GA | 1895–1970 | 1951–1965 | — | 1965–1970 | Truman | death |
| 11 | Lewis Render Morgan | GA | 1913–2001 | 1961–1968 | 1965–1968 | — | Kennedy | elevation to5th Cir. |
| 12 | Sidney Oslin Smith Jr. | GA | 1923–2012 | 1965–1974 | 1968–1974 | — | L. Johnson | resignation |
| 13 | Newell Edenfield | GA | 1911–1981 | 1967–1981 | 1974–1976 | 1981 | L. Johnson | death |
| 14 | Albert John Henderson | GA | 1920–1999 | 1968–1979 | 1976–1979 | — | L. Johnson | elevation to5th Cir. |
| 15 | Charles Allen Moye Jr. | GA | 1918–2010 | 1970–1988 | 1979–1987 | 1988–2010 | Nixon | death |
| 16 | William Clark O'Kelley | GA | 1930–2017 | 1970–1996 | 1988–1994 | 1996–2017 | Nixon | death |
| 17 | Richard Cameron Freeman | GA | 1926–1999 | 1971–1991 | — | 1991–1999 | Nixon | death |
| 18 | James Clinkscales Hill | GA | 1924–2017 | 1974–1976 | — | — | Nixon | elevation to5th Cir. |
| 19 | Harold Lloyd Murphy | GA | 1927–2022 | 1977–2017 | — | 2017–2022 | Carter | death |
| 20 | Marvin Herman Shoob | SC | 1923–2017 | 1979–1991 | — | 1991–2017 | Carter | death |
| 21 | Robert L. Vining Jr. | GA | 1931–2022 | 1979–1996 | 1995–1996 | 1996–2022 | Carter | death |
| 22 | George Ernest Tidwell | GA | 1931–2011 | 1979–1999 | 1996–1999 | 1999–2011 | Carter | death |
| 24 | Robert Howell Hall | GA | 1921–1995 | 1979–1990 | — | 1990–1995 | Carter | death |
| 25 | Horace Ward | GA | 1927–2016 | 1979–1993 | — | 1993–2016 | Carter | death |
| 26 | J. Owen Forrester | GA | 1939–2014 | 1981–2004 | — | 2004–2014 | Reagan | death |
| 27 | Jack Tarpley Camp Jr. | GA | 1943–present | 1988–2008 | 2006–2008 | 2008–2010 | Reagan | retirement |
| 28 | Julie E. Carnes | GA | 1950–present | 1992–2014 | 2009–2014 | — | G.H.W. Bush | elevation to11th Cir. |
| 30 | Frank M. Hull | GA | 1948–present | 1994–1997 | — | — | Clinton | elevation to11th Cir. |
| 35 | Beverly B. Martin | GA | 1955–present | 2000–2010 | — | — | Clinton | elevation to11th Cir. |
| 36 | William S. Duffey Jr. | GA | 1952–present | 2004–2018 | — | — | G.W. Bush | retirement |
| 37 | Timothy Batten | GA | 1960–present | 2006–2025 | 2021–2025 | — | G.W. Bush | retirement |
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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