| United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida | |
|---|---|
| (N.D. Fla.) | |
| Location | Joseph Hatchett U.S. Courthouse |
| Appeals to | Eleventh Circuit |
| Established | February 23, 1847 |
| Judges | 4 |
| Chief Judge | Allen Winsor |
| Officers of the court | |
| U.S. Attorney | John Heekin |
| U.S. Marshal | R. Don Ladner Jr. |
| www | |
TheUnited States District Court for the Northern District of Florida (incase citations,N.D. Fla.) 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).
The district was established on February 23, 1847, with the division of the state into a Northern andSouthern district.[1]
The United States attorney for the district isJohn Heekin. He was nominated as U.S. attorney by President Donald J. Trump on May 6, 2025, and was appointed by Attorney General Pam Bondi as the interim U.S. attorney on June 2, 2025. His nomination was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on October 7, 2025, and he was commissioned by President Donald J. Trump the following day.
The United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida is one of three federal judicial districts in Florida.[2] Court for the district is held atGainesville,Panama City,Pensacola, andTallahassee. The court serves approximately 1.75 million people.[3]
Gainesville Division comprises the following counties:Alachua,Dixie,Gilchrist,Lafayette, andLevy.
Panama City Division comprises the following counties:Bay,Calhoun,Gulf,Holmes,Jackson, andWashington.
Pensacola Division comprises the following counties:Escambia,Okaloosa,Santa Rosa, andWalton.
Tallahassee Division comprises the following counties:Franklin,Gadsden,Jefferson,Leon,Liberty,Madison,Taylor, andWakulla.
As of July 14, 2025[update]:
| # | Title | Judge | Duty station | Born | Term of service | Appointed by | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Active | Chief | Senior | ||||||
| 25 | Chief Judge | Allen Winsor | Tallahassee | 1976 | 2019–present | 2025–present | — | Trump |
| 22 | District Judge | M. Casey Rodgers | Pensacola | 1964 | 2003–present | 2011–2018 | — | G.W. Bush |
| 24 | District Judge | Mark E. Walker | Tallahassee | 1967 | 2012–present | 2018–2025 | — | Obama |
| 26 | District Judge | T. Kent Wetherell II | Pensacola | 1970 | 2019–present | — | — | Trump |
| 19 | Senior Judge | Lacey A. Collier | Pensacola | 1935 | 1991–2003 | — | 2003–present | G.H.W. Bush |
| 20 | Senior Judge | Robert Hinkle | Tallahassee | 1951 | 1996–2016 | 2004–2009 | 2016–present | Clinton |
| # | Judge | Born–died | Active service | Chief Judge | Senior status | Appointed by | Reason for termination |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Isaac H. Bronson | 1802–1855 | 1847–1855[Note 1] | — | — | Polk/Operation of law | death |
| 2 | McQueen McIntosh | 1822–1868 | 1856–1861 | — | — | Pierce | resignation |
| 3 | Philip Fraser | 1814–1876 | 1862–1876 | — | — | Lincoln | death |
| 4 | Thomas Settle | 1831–1888 | 1877–1888 | — | — | Grant | death |
| 5 | Charles Swayne | 1842–1907 | 1889–1907[Note 2] | — | — | B. Harrison | death |
| 6 | William Bostwick Sheppard | 1860–1934 | 1907–1934[Note 3] | — | — | T. Roosevelt | death |
| 7 | Augustus V. Long | 1877–1955 | 1934–1947 | — | 1947–1955 | F. Roosevelt | death |
| 8 | Curtis L. Waller | 1887–1950 | 1940–1943[Note 4] | — | — | F. Roosevelt | elevation |
| 9 | Dozier A. DeVane | 1883–1963 | 1943–1958[Note 5] | — | 1958–1963 | F. Roosevelt | death |
| 10 | George William Whitehurst | 1891–1974 | 1950–1961[Note 4] | — | 1961–1974 | Truman | death |
| 11 | G. Harrold Carswell | 1919–1992 | 1958–1969 | 1958–1969 | — | Eisenhower | elevation |
| 12 | George C. Young | 1916–2015 | 1961–1966[Note 6] | — | — | Kennedy | reassignment |
| 13 | Winston Arnow | 1911–1994 | 1967–1981 | 1969–1981 | 1981–1994 | L. Johnson | death |
| 14 | David Middlebrooks Jr. | 1926–1997 | 1969–1974 | — | — | Nixon | resignation |
| 15 | William Henry Stafford Jr. | 1931–2025 | 1975–1996 | 1981–1993 | 1996–2025 | Ford | death |
| 16 | Lynn Carlton Higby | 1938–1992 | 1979–1983 | — | — | Carter | resignation |
| 17 | Maurice M. Paul | 1932–2016 | 1982–1997 | 1993–1997 | 1997–2016 | Reagan | death |
| 18 | Roger Vinson | 1940–2023 | 1983–2005 | 1997–2004 | 2005–2023 | Reagan | death |
| 21 | Stephan P. Mickle | 1944–2021 | 1998–2011 | 2009–2011 | 2011–2021 | Clinton | death |
| 23 | John Richard Smoak Jr. | 1943–2022 | 2005–2015 | – | 2015–2022 | G.W. Bush | death |
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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