United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin
| Eastern District of Wisconsin |
|---|
| Seventh Circuit |
 |
| Judgeships |
| Posts: 5 |
| Judges: 5 |
| Vacancies: 0 |
| Judges |
| Chief:Pamela Pepper |
| Active judges:Lynn Adelman,Byron Conway,Brett Harry Ludwig,Pamela Pepper,Joseph Stadtmueller Senior judges: |
TheUnited States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin is one of 94United States district courts. It encompasses much of the eastern half of the state and is split between the Green Bay Division and the main courthouse in the Milwaukee Division.[1]
When decisions of the court are appealed, they are appealed to theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, based inChicago, Illinois, at the Everett M. Dirksen Federal Courthouse and Building.
Vacancies
- See also:Current federal judicial vacancies
There are no current vacancies on theUnited States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, out of the court's five judicial positions.
Pending nominations
There are no pending nominees for this court.
Active judges
| Judge | Appointed By | Assumed Office | Bachelors | Law |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 1, 1987 - | Marquette University, 1964 | Marquette University Law School, 1967 | ||
| December 23, 1997 - | Princeton University, 1961 | Columbia Law School, 1965 | ||
| December 8, 2014 - | Northwestern University, 1986 | Cornell Law, 1989 | ||
| September 10, 2020 - | University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point, 1991 | University of Minnesota Law School, 1994 | ||
| November 4, 2024 - | University of Florida and Santa Clara University, 1998 | Marquette University Law School, 2002 |
Active Article III judges by appointing political party
Below is a display of the number of active judges by the party of the appointing president. It does not reflect how a judge may rule on specific cases or their own political preferences.
- Democratic appointed: 3
- Republican appointed: 2
Senior judges
| Judge | Appointed By | Assumed Office | Bachelors | Law |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 31, 2019 - | Marquette University, 1976 | Marquette University Law School, 1979 |
Senior judges by appointing political party
Below is a display of the number of senior judges by the party of the appointing president. It does not reflect how a judge may rule on specific cases or their own political preferences.
- Democratic appointed: 0
- Republican appointed: 1
Magistrate judges
Federal magistrate judges are federal judges who serve inUnited States district courts, but they are not appointed by the president and they do not serve life terms. Magistrate judges are assigned duties by the district judges in the district in which they serve. They may preside over most phases of federal proceedings, except for criminal felony trials. The specific duties of a magistrate judge vary from district to district, but the responsibilities always include handling matters that would otherwise be on the dockets of the district judges. Full-time magistrate judges serve for renewable terms of eight years. Some federal district courts have part-time magistrate judges, who serve for renewable terms of four years.[2]
| Judge | Appointed By | Assumed Office | Bachelors | Law |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 - | ||||
| March 28, 2014 - | University of Illinois | University of Iowa, 1987 | ||
| April 6, 2020 - | Georgetown University | University of Wisconsin Law School, 2001 |
Former chief judges
In order to qualify for the office ofchief judge in an Article III circuit or district court, or on theUnited States Court of International Trade, a judge must be in active service and hold seniority over the court's commissioned judges who are 64 years of age or under, have served one year or more, and have not previously served as chief judge.[3]
In the event that no judge on the court meets those qualifications, the youngest judge in regular active service aged 65 years or more and who has served as a judge for one year or more shall become chief judge. If no judge meets those qualifications, the judge holding seniority in active service who has not served as chief before shall become the chief judge.[4][5][6]
The chief judge serves for a term of seven years until another judge becomes eligible to serve in the position. No judge is permitted to serve as chief judge after reaching the age of 70 years unless no other judge is qualified to serve.[4][5][6]
Unlike the chief justice of the United States, a chief judge returns to active service after the expiration of their term and does not create a vacancy on the court by the fact of their promotion.[3][4][5][6]
On theUnited States Court of Federal Claims, the chief judge is selected by thepresident of the United States. The judge must be less than 70 years of age. A chief may serve until they reach age 70 or until another judge is designated by the president as the new chief judge. If the president selects a new chief judge, the former chief judge may continue active service on the court for the remainder of their appointed term.[7]
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Former judges
For more information on the judges of the Eastern District of Wisconsin, seeformer federal judges of the Eastern District of Wisconsin.
Jurisdiction
The Eastern District of Wisconsin hasoriginal jurisdiction over cases filed within its jurisdiction. These cases can include civil and criminal matters that fall under federal law.
The geographic jurisdiction of the Eastern District of Wisconsin consists of all the followingcounties in the eastern part of the state ofWisconsin.
There are two court divisions, each covering the following counties:
TheGreen Bay Division, coveringBrown,Calumet,Door,Florence,Forest,Kewaunee,Langlade,Manitowoc,Marinette,Menominee,Oconto,Outagamie,Shawano,Waupaca,Waushara andWinnebago counties
TheMilwaukee Division, coveringDodge,Fond du Lac,Green Lake,Kenosha,Marquette,Milwaukee,Ozaukee,Racine,Sheboygan,Walworth,Washington andWaukesha counties
Caseloads
This section contains court management statistics dating back to 2010. It was last updated in September 2025.
Click[show] below for more information on caseload terms and definitions.
| Caseload statistics explanation | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Term | Explanation | ||||||||
| Cases filed and terminated | The number of civil and criminal lawsuits formally initiated or decided by the court in a calendar year. The chart below reflects the table columnsCases filed andCases terminated. | ||||||||
| Average time from filing to disposition | The average amount of time, in months, from a case's date of filing to date of disposition (acquittal, sentencing, dismissal, etc.). The chart below reflects the table columnsMedian time (Criminal) andMedian time (Civil). | ||||||||
| Starting case load | The number of cases pending from the previous calendar year. | ||||||||
| Cases filed | The number of civil and criminal lawsuits formally initiated in a calendar year. | ||||||||
| Cases terminated | The total number of civil and criminal lawsuits decided by the court in a calendar year. | ||||||||
| Remaining cases | The number of civil and criminal cases pending at the end of a given year. | ||||||||
| Median time (Criminal) | The average amount of time, in months, from a case's date of filing to the date of disposition. In criminal cases, the date of disposition occurs on the day of sentencing or acquittal/dismissal. | ||||||||
| Median time (Civil) | The average amount of time, in months, from a case's date of filing to the date of disposition. | ||||||||
| Three-year civil cases | The number and percent of civil cases that were filed more than three years before the end of the given calendar year. | ||||||||
| Vacant posts | The number of months during the year an authorized judgeship was vacant. | ||||||||
| Trial/Post | The number of trials completed divided by the number of authorized judgeships on the court. Trials include evidentiary trials, hearings on temporary restraining orders, and preliminary injunctions. | ||||||||
| United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin caseload stats, 2010-2024 | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Cases Filed | Cases Terminated | Cases Pending | Number of Judgeships | Vacant Judgeship Months | Average Total Filings per Judgeship | Trials Completed per Judgeship | Median time from filing to disposition, criminal | Median time from filing to disposition, civil | Three-year civil cases (#) | Three-year civil cases (%) |
| 2010 | 1,824 | 1,876 | 1,966 | 5 | 0 | 365 | 13 | 11 | 9 | 49 | 4 |
| 2011 | 1,629 | 1,683 | 1,400 | 5 | 0 | 326 | 11 | 14 | 6 | 44 | 4 |
| 2012 | 1,857 | 1,968 | 1,582 | 5 | 2 | 371 | 10 | 11 | 7 | 42 | 4 |
| 2013 | 2,045 | 2,086 | 1,542 | 5 | 12 | 409 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 48 | 4 |
| 2014 | 2,261 | 2,082 | 1,730 | 5 | 11 | 452 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 55 | 4 |
| 2015 | 2,182 | 2,017 | 1,883 | 5 | 0 | 436 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 52 | 4 |
| 2016 | 2,274 | 2,260 | 1,901 | 5 | 11 | 455 | 8 | 10 | 7 | 77 | 5 |
| 2017 | 2,431 | 2,242 | 2,082 | 5 | 12 | 486 | 9 | 11 | 6 | 98 | 6 |
| 2018 | 2,669 | 2,485 | 2,240 | 5 | 12 | 534 | 7 | 10 | 6 | 96 | 6 |
| 2019 | 2,531 | 2,415 | 2,347 | 5 | 12 | 506 | 6 | 10 | 7 | 110 | 6 |
| 2020 | 2,492 | 2,327 | 2,507 | 5 | 17 | 498 | 4 | 12 | 8 | 110 | 6 |
| 2021 | 2,012 | 2,167 | 2,331 | 5 | 12 | 402 | 6 | 13 | 10 | 109 | 6 |
| 2022 | 2,084 | 2,217 | 2,191 | 5 | 12 | 417 | 6 | 16 | 9 | 97 | 6 |
| 2023 | 2,147 | 2,164 | 2,182 | 5 | 2 | 429 | 6 | 14 | 7 | 97 | 6 |
| 2024 | 2,151 | 2,299 | 2,116 | 5 | 9 | 430 | 7 | 14 | 6 | 100 | 6 |
| Average | 2,173 | 2,153 | 2,000 | 5 | 8 | 434 | 8 | 11 | 7 | 79 | 5 |
History
Court history
The State ofWisconsin was established and organized as one judicial district by Congress onMay 29, 1848, with one post to cover the entire state. This judicial district was not assigned to a judicial circuit and was therefore granted the same jurisdiction as United States circuit courts, excluding appeals and writs of error, which are the jurisdiction of theUnited States Supreme Court.
OnJuly 15, 1862, Statute12 Stat. 576 reorganized the judicial circuits, repealed the circuit court jurisdiction of the U.S. District Court for the District of Wisconsin, and then assigned the district to theEighth Circuit. Statute14 Stat. 209 again reorganized the circuits, and assigned the U.S. District Court for the District of Wisconsin to theSeventh Circuit onJuly 23, 1866.
The U.S. District Court for the District of Wisconsin was divided into two judicial districts, known as theEastern District of Wisconsin and theWestern District of Wisconsin onJune 30, 1870, with one judgeship authorized to each district. The sitting judge was assigned to theEastern District of Wisconsin.
Over time, four additional judicial posts were added, for a total of five current posts.[8]
Judicial posts
The following table highlights the development of judicial posts for the Eastern District of Wisconsin:[8]
| Year | Statute | Total Seats |
| May 29, 1848 | 9 Stat. 233 | 1 |
| June 30, 1870 | 16 Stat. 171 | 1 |
| February 10, 1954 | 68 Stat. 8 | 2 |
| March 18, 1966 | 80 Stat. 75 | 2 (1 temporary) |
| June 2, 1970 | 84 Stat. 294 | 3 |
| October 20, 1978 | 92 Stat. 1629 | 4 |
| December 21, 2000 | 114 Stat. 2762 | 5 |
Noteworthy cases
For a searchable list of opinions, please seeJustia.com-Dockets and Filings-Eastern District of Wisconsin.
| • Wisconsin voter ID law is struck down (2014) Judge(s):Lynn Adelman (Frank, et al v. Walker, 11-CV-01128) | Click for summary→ | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
On April 29, 2014, JudgeLynn Adelman ruled that Wisconsin’s voter identification law was unconstitutional, as it violated theFourteenth Amendment as well asSection 2 of the Voting Rights Act.[9]
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| • Federal suit challenging fetal protection laws (2013) Judge(s):Charles Clevert (Beltran v. Loenish) | Click for summary→ |
|---|---|
JudgeCharles Clevert of the Eastern District of Wisconsin was poised to hear a case that addressed the constitutionality of a Wisconsin law that allowed authorities to arrest pregnant women who used illegal drugs or abused alcohol. The "cocaine mom" act allowed Alicia Beltran to be arrested after she told her physician that she had struggled with painkiller abuse and used her friend's subscription of Suboxone to overcome the addiction. Ms. Beltran was not appointed an attorney at the time of her hearing, although there was a court-appointed attorney present for her fetus.[12] She was admitted to a drug rehabilitation center after the hearing, and was released from custody after no opiates or Suboxone were found in her system.[13]
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Judicial nominating commission
In April 2013, SenatorsTammy Baldwin (D) andRon Johnson (R) created the Wisconsin Federal Nominating Commission. The commission would recommend nominees for the following courts:Eastern District of Wisconsin,Western District of Wisconsin andSeventh Circuit Court of Appeals. The commission would also recommend United States Attorneys for the Eastern and Western Districts. It would be comprised of six members of the Wisconsin State Bar, with three members appointed by each senator.[14]
Federal courthouse
Two separate courthouses serve the Eastern District of Wisconsin.
JudgeJ.P. Stadtmueller wrote a history of the court entitled "Milwaukee's 'Crown Jewel', The Historic United States Courthouse and Federal Building," which is accessiblehere. The building was commenced in 1892, completed in 1899, and for some time served as a Post Office building.[15]
About United States District Courts
TheUnited States district courts are the generaltrial courts of theUnited States federal courts. There are 94 such courts. Bothcivil andcriminal cases are filed in the district court, which is a court of both law and equity.
There is aUnited States bankruptcy court and a number ofbankruptcy judges associated with each United States district court. Eachfederal judicial district has at least one courthouse, and most districts have more than one.
There is at least one judicial district for each state, and one each for Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. District courts in three insular areas—the United States Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands—exercise the same jurisdiction as U.S. district courts. Despite their name, these courts are technically not District Courts of the United States. Judges on theseterritorial courts do not enjoy the protections ofArticle III of the Constitution, and serve terms of 10 years rather than for life.
There are677 U.S. District Court judgeships.[16][17]
The number of federal district judge positions is set by the U.S. Congress in Title 28 of the U.S. Code, Section 133, which authorizes a set number of judge positions, or judgeships, making changes and adjustments in these numbers from time to time.
In order to relieve the pressure of trying the hundreds of thousands of cases brought before the federal district courts each year, many trials are tried by juries, along with a presiding judge.[18]
Appointments by president
The chart below shows the number of district court judges confirmed by the U.S. Senate through November 1 of the first year of presidents' second term in office. At this point in the term, President Obama had the most district court appointments with 25.
Judges by district
- See also:Judicial vacancies in federal courts
The table below displays the number of judges in each district and indicates how many were appointed by presidents from each major political party. It also includes the number of vacancies in a district and how many pending nominations for that district are before theUnited States Senate. The table can be sorted by clicking the column headers above the line, and you can navigate through the pages by clicking the arrows at the top of the table. It is updated every Monday.
Judicial selection
The district courts are served byArticle III federal judges who are appointed for life during "good behavior." They are usually first recommended by senators (or members of the House, occasionally). The President of the United States makes the appointments, which must then be confirmed by the U.S. Senate in accordance withArticle III of the United States Constitution.[17]
| Step |  A Candidacy Proceeds |  A Candidacy Halts |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Recommendation made by Congress Member to the President | President Nominates toSenate Judiciary Committee | President Declines Nomination |
| 2. Senate Judiciary Committee interviews Candidate | Sends candidate to Senate for confirmation | Returns candidate to President, who may re-nominate to Committee |
| 3. Senate votes on candidate confirmation | Candidate becomes federal judge | Candidate does not receive judgeship |
Magistrate judges
The district courts are also served by magistrate judges. Congress created the judicial office offederal magistrate in 1968. In 1990, the position title was changed tomagistrate judge. The chief judge of each district appoints one or more magistrate judges, who discharge many of the ancillary duties of district judges so judges can handle more trials. There are both full-time and part-time magistrate judge positions, and these positions are assigned to the district courts according to caseload criteria (subject to funding by Congress). A full-time magistrate judge serves a term of eight years; a part-time magistrate judge's term of office is four years.[19]
See also
- United States Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit
- Central District of Illinois
- Northern District of Illinois
- Southern District of Illinois
- Northern District of Indiana
- Southern District of Indiana
- Western District of Wisconsin
External links
- Search Google News for this topic
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, "Official Website"
- Eastern District of Wisconsin, "Judges"
- U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, "Official Website"
Footnotes
- ↑U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, "Official Website," accessed April 30, 2021
- ↑Federal Judicial Center, "Magistrate Judgeships," accessed April 29, 2021
- ↑3.03.1United States Courts, "Frequently Asked Questions," accessed January 25, 2022
- ↑4.04.14.2Cornell Law School Legal Information Institute, "28 U.S. Code § 136 - Chief judges; precedence of district judges," accessed January 25, 2022
- ↑5.05.15.2Cornell Law School Legal Information Institute, "28 U.S. Code § 258 - Chief judges; precedence of judges," accessed January 25, 2022
- ↑6.06.16.2Cornell Law School Legal Information Institute, "28 U.S. Code § 45 - Chief judges; precedence of judges," accessed January 25, 2022
- ↑Cornell Law School Legal Information Institute, "28 U.S. Code § 171 - Appointment and number of judges; character of court; designation of chief judge," accessed January 25, 2022
- ↑8.08.1Federal Judicial Center, "History of the Eastern District of Wisconsin," accessed May 13, 2021
- ↑9.09.19.2Huffington Post, "In-Person Voter Fraud Is Virtually Nonexistent, Federal Judge Rules," April 30, 2014
- ↑10.010.1The Atlantic, "Federal Judge Rejects Wisconsin's Voter ID Law," April 30, 2014
- ↑Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑12.012.1New York Times, "Case Explores Rights of Fetus Versus Mother," October 23, 2013
- ↑13.013.1Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Pregnant woman fights Wisconsin's fetal protection law," October 24, 2013
- ↑Ron Johnson, "Press Release: Wisconsin Senators Announce Agreement on Wisconsin Judicial Commission to Move Federal Nominations Forward," April 17, 2013
- ↑Eastern District of Wisconsin, "Court History," accessed April 30, 2021
- ↑US Courts, "Federal Judgeships," accessed May 10, 2021 (archived)
- ↑17.017.1U.S. Courts, "United States District Court Federal Judiciary Frequently Asked Questions," accessed May 10, 2021 (archived)
- ↑United States District Courts, "District Courts," accessed May 10, 2021
- ↑The 'Lectric Law Library, "Understanding the U.S. federal courts"
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