| United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana | |
|---|---|
| (E.D. La.) | |
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| Location | New Orleans More locations |
| Appeals to | Fifth Circuit |
| Established | March 3, 1881 |
| Judges | 12 |
| Chief Judge | Wendy Vitter |
| Officers of the court | |
| U.S. Attorney | Michael M. Simpson(acting) |
| U.S. Marshal | Enix Smith III |
| www | |
TheUnited States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana (incase citations,E.D. La.) is aUnited States federal court based inNew Orleans.
Appeals from the Eastern District of Louisiana are taken to theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit (except forpatent claims and claims against the U.S. government under theTucker Act, which are appealed to theFederal Circuit).
As of March 1, 2021[update], theUnited States attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana is Duane A. Evans.[1][2]
This district comprises the following parishes:Assumption,Jefferson,Lafourche,Orleans,Plaquemines,St. Bernard,St. Charles,St. James,St. John the Baptist,St. Tammany,Tangipahoa,Terrebonne, andWashington.[3]
On March 26, 1804, Congress organized theTerritory of Orleans and created theUnited States District Court for the District of Orleans—the only time Congress provided a territory with a district court equal in its authority and jurisdiction to those of the states.[4] TheUnited States District Court for the District of Louisiana was established on April 8, 1812, by 2 Stat. 701,[4][5] several weeks before Louisiana was formally admitted as a state of the union. The District was thereafter subdivided and reformed several times. It was first subdivided into Eastern andWestern Districts on March 3, 1823, by 3 Stat. 774.[4][5]
On February 13, 1845, Louisiana was reorganized into a single District with one judgeship, by 5 Stat. 722,[4] but was again divided into Eastern and the Western Districts on March 3, 1849, by 9 Stat. 401.[4] Congress again abolished the Western District of Louisiana and reorganized Louisiana as a single judicial district on July 27, 1866, by 14 Stat. 300.[4] On March 3, 1881, by 21 Stat. 507, Louisiana was for a third time divided into Eastern and the Western Districts, with one judgeship authorized for each.[4] TheMiddle District was formed from portions of those two Districts on December 18, 1971, by 85 Stat. 741.[4]
After theUnited States District Court for the Canal Zone was abolished on March 31, 1982, all pending litigation was transferred to the Eastern District of Louisiana.
As of May 15, 2025[update]:
| # | Title | Judge | Duty station | Born | Term of service | Appointed by | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Active | Chief | Senior | ||||||
| 57 | Chief Judge | Wendy Vitter | New Orleans | 1961 | 2019–present | 2025–present | — | Trump |
| 51 | District Judge | Jay C. Zainey | New Orleans | 1951 | 2002–present | — | — | G.W. Bush |
| 53 | District Judge | Nannette Jolivette Brown | New Orleans | 1963 | 2011–present | 2018–2025 | — | Obama |
| 54 | District Judge | Jane Triche Milazzo | New Orleans | 1957 | 2011–present | — | — | Obama |
| 55 | District Judge | Susie Morgan | New Orleans | 1953 | 2012–present | — | — | Obama |
| 56 | District Judge | Barry Ashe | New Orleans | 1956 | 2018–present | — | — | Trump |
| 58 | District Judge | Greg G. Guidry | New Orleans | 1960 | 2019–present | — | — | Trump |
| 59 | District Judge | Darrel J. Papillion | New Orleans | 1968 | 2023–present | — | — | Biden |
| 60 | District Judge | Brandon Scott Long | New Orleans | 1976 | 2023–present | — | — | Biden |
| 61 | District Judge | vacant | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 62 | District Judge | vacant | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 63 | District Judge | vacant | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 43 | Senior Judge | Sarah S. Vance | New Orleans | 1950 | 1994–2024 | 2008–2015 | 2024–present | Clinton |
| 46 | Senior Judge | Eldon E. Fallon | New Orleans | 1939 | 1995–2024 | — | 2024–present | Clinton |
| 47 | Senior Judge | Mary Ann Vial Lemmon | New Orleans | 1941 | 1996–2011 | — | 2011–present | Clinton |
| 48 | Senior Judge | Ivan L. R. Lemelle | New Orleans | 1950 | 1998–2015 | — | 2015–present | Clinton |
| 49 | Senior Judge | Carl Barbier | New Orleans | 1944 | 1998–2023 | — | 2023–present | Clinton |
| 52 | Senior Judge | Lance Africk | New Orleans | 1951 | 2002–2024 | — | 2024–present | G.W. Bush |
| Seat | Prior judge's duty station | Seat last held by | Vacancy reason | Date of vacancy | Nominee | Date of nomination |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | New Orleans | Eldon E. Fallon | Senior status | January 1, 2024 | William J. Crain | October 21, 2025 |
| 5 | Sarah S. Vance | January 16, 2024 | – | – | ||
| 2 | Lance Africk | October 1, 2024 | – | – |
| # | Judge | State | Born–died | Active service | Chief Judge | Senior status | Appointed by | Reason for termination |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | John Dick | LA | 1788–1824 | 1823–1824[Note 1][Note 2] | — | — | Madison/Operation of law | death |
| 2 | Thomas B. Robertson | LA | 1779–1828 | 1824–1828[Note 2] | — | — | Monroe | death |
| 3 | Samuel Hadden Harper | LA | 1783–1837 | 1829–1837[Note 2] | — | — | Jackson | death |
| 4 | Philip Kissick Lawrence | LA | c.1793–1841 | 1837–1841[Note 2] | — | — | Van Buren | death |
| 5 | Theodore Howard McCaleb | LA | 1810–1864 | 1841–1845[Note 2] 1849–1861[Note 1] | — | — | Tyler Operation of law | reassignment toD. La. resignation |
| 6 | Edward Henry Durell | LA | 1810–1887 | 1863–1866[Note 3] | — | — | Lincoln | reassignment toD. La. |
| 7 | Edward Coke Billings | LA | 1829–1893 | 1881–1893[Note 1] | — | — | Grant/Operation of law | death |
| 8 | Charles Parlange | LA | 1851–1907 | 1894–1907 | — | — | Cleveland | death |
| 9 | Eugene Davis Saunders | LA | 1853–1914 | 1907–1909 | — | — | T. Roosevelt | resignation |
| 10 | Rufus Edward Foster | LA | 1871–1942 | 1909–1925 | — | — | T. Roosevelt | elevation to5th Cir. |
| 11 | Charlton Beattie | LA | 1869–1925 | 1925 | — | — | Coolidge | death |
| 12 | Louis Henry Burns | LA | 1878–1928 | 1925–1928[Note 4] | — | — | Coolidge | death |
| 13 | Wayne G. Borah | LA | 1891–1966 | 1928–1949[Note 5] | — | — | Coolidge | elevation to5th Cir. |
| 14 | Adrian Joseph Caillouet | LA | 1883–1946 | 1940–1946 | — | — | F. Roosevelt | death |
| 15 | Herbert William Christenberry | LA | 1897–1975 | 1947–1975 | 1949–1967 | — | Truman | death |
| 16 | J. Skelly Wright | LA | 1911–1988 | 1949–1962[Note 6] | — | — | Truman | elevation toD.C. Cir. |
| 17 | Elmer Gordon West | LA | 1914–1992 | 1961–1972 | 1967–1972 | — | Kennedy | reassignment toM.D. La. |
| 18 | Robert A. Ainsworth Jr. | LA | 1910–1981 | 1961–1966 | — | — | Kennedy | elevation to5th Cir. |
| 19 | Frank Burton Ellis | LA | 1907–1969 | 1962–1965 | — | 1965–1969 | Kennedy | death |
| 20 | Frederick Jacob Reagan Heebe | LA | 1922–2014 | 1966–1992 | 1972–1992 | 1992–2014 | L. Johnson | death |
| 21 | Edward James Boyle Sr. | LA | 1913–2002 | 1966–1981 | — | 1981–2002 | L. Johnson | death |
| 22 | Fred James Cassibry | LA | 1918–1996 | 1966–1984 | — | 1984–1987 | L. Johnson | retirement |
| 23 | Lansing Leroy Mitchell | LA | 1914–2001 | 1966–1981 | — | 1981–2001 | L. Johnson | death |
| 24 | Alvin Benjamin Rubin | LA | 1920–1991 | 1966–1977 | — | — | L. Johnson | elevation to5th Cir. |
| 25 | James August Comiskey | LA | 1926–2005 | 1967–1975 | — | — | L. Johnson | resignation |
| 26 | Jack Murphy Gordon | LA | 1931–1982 | 1971–1982 | — | — | Nixon | death |
| 27 | Roger Blake West | LA | 1928–1978 | 1971–1978 | — | — | Nixon | death |
| 28 | Charles Schwartz Jr. | LA | 1922–2012 | 1976–1991 | — | 1991–2012 | Ford | death |
| 29 | Morey Leonard Sear | LA | 1929–2004 | 1976–2000 | 1992–1999 | 2000–2004 | Ford | death |
| 30 | Robert Frederick Collins | LA | 1931–present | 1978–1993 | — | — | Carter | resignation |
| 31 | Adrian G. Duplantier | LA | 1929–2007 | 1978–1994 | — | 1994–2007 | Carter | death |
| 32 | George Arceneaux | LA | 1928–1993 | 1979–1993 | — | — | Carter | death |
| 33 | Patrick Eugene Carr | LA | 1922–1998 | 1979–1991 | — | 1991–1998 | Carter | death |
| 34 | Veronica DiCarlo Wicker | LA | 1930–1994 | 1979–1994 | — | — | Carter | death |
| 35 | Peter Beer | LA | 1928–2018 | 1979–1994 | — | 1994–2018 | Carter | death |
| 36 | A. J. McNamara | LA | 1936–2014 | 1982–2001 | 1999–2001 | 2001–2014 | Reagan | death |
| 37 | Henry Mentz | LA | 1920–2005 | 1982–1992 | — | 1992–2001 | Reagan | retirement |
| 38 | Martin Leach-Cross Feldman | LA | 1934–2022 | 1983–2022 | — | — | Reagan | death |
| 39 | Marcel Livaudais Jr. | LA | 1925–2009 | 1984–1996 | — | 1996–2008 | Reagan | retirement |
| 40 | Edith Brown Clement | LA | 1948–present | 1991–2001 | 2001 | — | G.H.W. Bush | elevation to5th Cir. |
| 41 | Helen Ginger Berrigan | LA | 1948–2024 | 1994–2016 | 2001–2008 | 2016–2024 | Clinton | death |
| 42 | Stanwood Duval | LA | 1942–present | 1994–2008 | — | 2008–2017 | Clinton | retirement |
| 44 | Okla Jones II | LA | 1945–1996 | 1994–1996 | — | — | Clinton | death |
| 45 | Thomas Porteous | LA | 1946–2021 | 1994–2010 | — | — | Clinton | impeachment and conviction |
| 50 | Kurt D. Engelhardt | LA | 1960–present | 2001–2018 | 2015–2018 | — | G.W. Bush | elevation to5th 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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The U.S. Attorney is the chief law-enforcement officer for the district.[6]
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