| United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan | |
|---|---|
| (W.D. Mich.) | |
 | |
| Location | Grand Rapids More locations |
| Appeals to | Sixth Circuit |
| Established | February 24, 1863 |
| Judges | 4 |
| Chief Judge | Hala Y. Jarbou |
| Officers of the court | |
| U.S. Attorney | Timothy VerHey[1] |
| U.S. Marshal | Bruce Nordin (acting) |
| www | |
TheUnited States District Court for the Western District of Michigan (incase citations,W.D. Mich.) is thefederal district court withjurisdiction over the western portion of the state ofMichigan, including the entireUpper Peninsula and theLower Peninsula fromLansing westward.
Appeals from the Western District of Michigan are taken to theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit (except forpatent claims and claims against the U.S. government under theTucker Act, which are appealed to theFederal Circuit).
As of July 21, 2025[update], the United States attorney for the Western District of Michigan is Timothy VerHey.[2]
TheUnited States District Court for the District of Michigan was established on July 1, 1836, by 5 Stat. 61, with a single judgeship.[3] The district court was not assigned to a judicial circuit, but was granted the same jurisdiction asUnited States circuit courts, except in appeals and writs of error, which were the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court. Due to theToledo War, a boundary dispute withOhio, Michigan did not become a state of the union until January 26, 1837. On March 3, 1837,Congress passed an act that repealed the circuit court jurisdiction of the U.S. District Court for the District of Michigan, assigned the District of Michigan to theSeventh Circuit, and established a U.S. circuit court for the district, 5 Stat. 176.[3]
On July 15, 1862, Congress reorganized the circuits and assigned Michigan to theEighth Circuit by 12 Stat. 576,[3] and on January 28, 1863, the Congress again reorganized Seventh and Eight Circuits and assigned Michigan to the Seventh Circuit, by 12 Stat. 637.[3] On February 24, 1863, Congress divided the District of Michigan into theEastern and the Western districts, with one judgeship authorized for each district, by 12 Stat. 660.[3] The Western District was later further divided into a Southern Division and a Northern Division.
In the Northern Division, Court was held at theOld Federal Building inSault Ste. Marie from 1912 until 1941. While the law allows court to be held in Sault Ste. Marie,[4] it no longer is.[5]
The District Court is based inGrand Rapids, courthouses also located inKalamazoo,Lansing, andMarquette in theUpper Peninsula. TheUnited States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit hasappellate jurisdiction over the court.
The Western District comprises two divisions.[4]
The Northern Division comprises the counties ofAlger,Baraga,Chippewa,Delta,Dickinson,Gogebic,Houghton,Iron,Keweenaw,Luce,Mackinac,Marquette,Menominee,Ontonagon, andSchoolcraft.[4]
Court for the Northern Division can be held inMarquette andSault Sainte Marie.[4]
The Southern Division comprises the counties ofAllegan,Antrim,Barry,Benzie,Berrien,Branch,Calhoun,Cass,Charlevoix,Clinton,Eaton,Emmet,Grand Traverse,Hillsdale,Ingham,Ionia,Kalamazoo,Kalkaska,Kent,Lake,Leelanau,Manistee,Mason,Mecosta,Missaukee,Montcalm,Muskegon,Newaygo,Oceana,Osceola,Ottawa,Saint Joseph,Van Buren, andWexford.[4]
Court for the Southern Division can be held in Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Lansing, andTraverse City.[4]
Some of the notable cases that have come before the United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan include:
As of June 8, 2023[update]:
| # | Title | Judge | Duty station | Born | Term of service | Appointed by | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Active | Chief | Senior | ||||||
| 22 | Chief Judge | Hala Y. Jarbou | Lansing | 1971 | 2020–present | 2022–present | — | Trump |
| 19 | District Judge | Paul Lewis Maloney | Kalamazoo | 1949 | 2007–present | 2008–2015 | — | G.W. Bush |
| 20 | District Judge | Robert James Jonker | Grand Rapids | 1960 | 2007–present | 2015–2022 | — | G.W. Bush |
| 23 | District Judge | Jane M. Beckering | Grand Rapids | 1965 | 2021–present | — | — | Biden |
| 18 | Senior Judge | Gordon Jay Quist | inactive | 1937 | 1992–2006 | — | 2006–present | G.H.W. Bush |
| 21 | Senior Judge | Janet T. Neff | Grand Rapids | 1945 | 2007–2021 | — | 2021–present | G.W. Bush |
| # | Judge | State | Born–died | Active service | Chief Judge | Senior status | Appointed by | Reason for termination |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Solomon Lewis Withey | MI | 1820–1886 | 1863–1886 | — | — | Lincoln | death |
| 2 | Henry Franklin Severens | MI | 1835–1923 | 1886–1900 | — | — | Cleveland | elevation to6th Cir. |
| 3 | George P. Wanty | MI | 1856–1906 | 1900–1906 | — | — | McKinley | death |
| 4 | Loyal Edwin Knappen | MI | 1854–1930 | 1906–1910 | — | — | T. Roosevelt | elevation to6th Cir. |
| 5 | Arthur Carter Denison | MI | 1861–1942 | 1910–1911 | — | — | Taft | elevation to6th Cir. |
| 6 | Clarence W. Sessions | MI | 1859–1931 | 1911–1931 | — | — | Taft | death |
| 7 | Fred Morton Raymond | MI | 1876–1946 | 1925–1946[Note 1] | — | — | Coolidge | death |
| 8 | Raymond Wesley Starr | MI | 1888–1968 | 1946–1961 | 1954–1961 | 1961–1968 | Truman | death |
| 9 | W. Wallace Kent | MI | 1916–1973 | 1954–1971 | 1961–1971 | — | Eisenhower | elevation to6th Cir. |
| 10 | Noel Peter Fox | MI | 1910–1987 | 1962–1979 | 1971–1979 | 1979–1987 | Kennedy | death |
| 11 | Albert J. Engel Jr. | MI | 1924–2013 | 1970–1974 | — | — | Nixon | elevation to6th Cir. |
| 12 | Wendell Alverson Miles | MI | 1916–2013 | 1974–1986 | 1979–1986 | 1986–2013 | Nixon | death |
| 13 | Douglas Woodruff Hillman | MI | 1922–2007 | 1979–1991 | 1986–1991 | 1991–2002 | Carter | retirement |
| 14 | Benjamin F. Gibson | MI | 1931–2021 | 1979–1996 | 1991–1995 | 1996–1999 | Carter | retirement |
| 15 | Richard Alan Enslen | MI | 1931–2015 | 1979–2005 | 1995–2001 | 2005–2015 | Carter | death |
| 16 | Robert Holmes Bell | MI | 1944–2023 | 1987–2017 | 2001–2008 | 2017–2023 | Reagan | death |
| 17 | David McKeague | MI | 1946–present | 1992–2005 | — | — | G.H.W. Bush | elevation to6th Cir. |
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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