| United States District Court for the Southern District of Georgia | |
|---|---|
| (S.D. Ga.) | |
 | |
| Location | Tomochichi Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse (Savannah) |
| Appeals to | Eleventh Circuit |
| Established | August 11, 1848 |
| Judges | 3 |
| Chief Judge | R. Stan Baker |
| Officers of the court | |
| U.S. Attorney | Meg E. Heap(interim) |
| U.S. Marshal | David L. Lyons |
| www | |
TheUnited States District Court for the Southern District of Georgia (incase citations,S.D. Ga.) is a federal court in theEleventh Circuit (except forpatent claims and claims against the U.S. government under theTucker Act, which are appealed to theFederal Circuit).
As of August 18, 2025[update] theinterim United States attorney for the District is Meg E. Heap.[1]
TheUnited States District Court for the District of Georgia was one of the original thirteen courts established by theJudiciary Act of 1789, 1 Stat. 73, on September 24, 1789. The District was further subdivided intoNorthern and Southern Districts on August 11, 1848, by 9 Stat. 280. TheMiddle District was formed from portions of both the Northern and Southern Districts on May 28, 1926, by 44 Stat. 670.[2]
TheAugusta Division comprises the following counties:Burke,Columbia,Glascock,Jefferson,Lincoln,McDuffie,Richmond,Taliaferro,Warren andWilkes.
TheBrunswick Division comprises the following counties:Appling,Camden,Glynn,Long,McIntosh,Jeff Davis, andWayne.[3]
TheDublin Division comprises the following counties:Dodge,Johnson,Laurens,Montgomery,Telfair,Treutlen, andWheeler.
TheSavannah Division comprises the following counties:Bryan,Chatham,Effingham, andLiberty.
TheStatesboro Division comprises the following counties:Bulloch,Candler,Emanuel,Evans,Jenkins,Screven,Tattnall, andToombs.
TheWaycross Division comprises the following counties:Atkinson,Bacon,Brantley,Charlton,Coffee,Pierce, andWare.
As of May 5, 2024[update]:
| # | Title | Judge | Duty station | Born | Term of service | Appointed by | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Active | Chief | Senior | ||||||
| 16 | Chief Judge | R. Stan Baker | Savannah | 1977 | 2018–present | 2024–present | — | Trump |
| 14 | District Judge | Lisa Godbey Wood | Brunswick | 1963 | 2007–present | 2010–2017 | — | G.W. Bush |
| 15 | District Judge | James Randal Hall | Augusta | 1958 | 2008–present | 2017–2024 | — | G.W. Bush |
| 12 | Senior Judge | Dudley Bowen Jr. | Augusta | 1941 | 1979–2006 | 1997–2004 | 2006–present | Carter |
| # | Judge | Born–died | Active service | Chief Judge | Senior status | Appointed by | Reason for termination |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | John Cochran Nicoll | 1793–1863 | 1848–1861[Note 1] | — | — | Van Buren/Operation of law | resignation |
| 2 | John Erskine | 1813–1895 | 1865–1883[Note 2] | — | — | A. Johnson | retirement |
| 3 | Emory Speer | 1848–1918 | 1885–1918 | — | — | Arthur | death |
| 4 | William Wallace Lambdin | 1861–1916 | 1915–1916 | — | — | Wilson | death |
| 5 | Beverly Daniel Evans Jr. | 1865–1922 | 1917–1922 | — | — | Wilson | death |
| 6 | William Hale Barrett | 1866–1941 | 1922–1941 | — | — | Harding | death |
| 7 | Archibald Battle Lovett | 1884–1945 | 1941–1945 | — | — | F. Roosevelt | death |
| 8 | Francis Muir Scarlett | 1891–1971 | 1946–1968 | — | 1968–1971 | Truman | death |
| 9 | Alexander Lawrence Jr. | 1906–1979 | 1968–1978 | 1970–1976 | 1978–1979 | L. Johnson | death |
| 10 | Anthony Alaimo | 1920–2009 | 1971–1991 | 1976–1990 | 1991–2009 | Nixon | death |
| 11 | Berry Avant Edenfield | 1934–2015 | 1978–2006 | 1990–1997 | 2006–2015 | Carter | death |
| 13 | William Theodore Moore Jr. | 1940–present | 1994–2017 | 2004–2010 | 2017–2024 | Clinton | 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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| 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. |
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