United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee

United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee
(M.D. Tenn.)
Map

Appeals to Sixth Circuit
Established June 18, 1839
Judges assigned 4
Chief judge Kevin H. Sharp
Official site

The United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee (in case citations, M.D. Tenn.) is the federal trial court for most of Middle Tennessee. Based at the Estes Kefauver Federal Building and United States Courthouse in Nashville, it was created in 1839 when Congress added a third district to the state. Tennessee—along with Kentucky, Ohio, and Michigan—is located within the area covered by United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, and appeals are taken to that court (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are appealed to the Federal Circuit).

David Rivera has been the United States Attorney since April 19, 2013. He was nominated to be the US Attorney by President Barack Obama on June 19, 2014.[1] His nomination was confirmed by the Senate on December 16, 2014.

The Middle District has three divisions. (1) The Columbia Division comprises the counties of Giles, Hickman, Lawrence, Lewis, Marshall, Maury, and Wayne. (2) The Northeastern Division comprises the counties of Clay, Cumberland, DeKalb, Fentress, Jackson, Macon, Overton, Pickett, Putnam, Smith, and White. (3) The Nashville Division comprises the counties of Cannon, Cheatham, Davidson, Dickson, Houston, Humphreys, Montgomery, Robertson, Rutherford, Stewart, Sumner, Trousdale, Williamson, and Wilson.

History

The United States District Court for the District of Tennessee was established with one judgeship on January 31, 1797, by 1 Stat. 496.[2][3] The judgeship was filled by President George Washington's appointment of John McNairy. Since Congress failed to assign the district to a circuit, the court had the jurisdiction of both a district court and a circuit court. Appeals from this one district court went directly to the United States Supreme Court.

On February 13, 1801, in the famous " Midnight Judges" Act of 1801, 2 Stat. 89, Congress abolished the U.S. district court in Tennessee,[3] and expanded the number of circuits to six, provided for independent circuit court judgeships, and abolished the necessity of Supreme Court Justices riding the circuits. It was this legislation which created the grandfather of the present Sixth Circuit. The act provided for a "Sixth Circuit" comprising two districts in the State of Tennessee, one district in the State of Kentucky and one district, called the Ohio District, composed of the Ohio and Indiana territories (the latter including the present State of Michigan). The new Sixth Circuit Court was to be held at "Bairdstown" in the District of Kentucky, at Knoxville in the District of East Tennessee, at Nashville in the District of West Tennessee, and at Cincinnati in the District of Ohio. Unlike the other circuits which were provided with three circuit judges, the Sixth Circuit was to have only one circuit judge with district judges from Kentucky and Tennessee comprising the rest of the court. Any two judges constituted a quorum. New circuit judgeships were to be created as district judgeships in Kentucky and Tennessee became vacant.[4]

The repeal of this Act restored the District on March 8, 1802, 2 Stat. 132.[3] The District was divided into the Eastern and Western Districts on April 29, 1802.[2] On February 24, 1807, Congress again abolished the two districts and created the United States Circuit for the District of Tennessee. On March 3, 1837, Congress assigned the judicial district of Tennessee to the Eighth Circuit. On June 18, 1839, by 5 Stat. 313, Congress divided Tennessee into three districts, Eastern, Middle, and Western.[2][3][5] Again, only one judgeship was allotted for all three districts. On July 15, 1862, Congress reassigned appellate jurisdiction to the Sixth Circuit. Finally, on June 14, 1878, Congress authorized a separate judgeship for the Western District of Tennessee, at which time President Rutherford B. Hayes appointed David M. Key as judge for the Eastern and Middle Districts of Tennessee. The first judge to serve only the Middle District of Tennessee was John J. Gore, appointed by Warren G. Harding.

Current composition of the court

As of April 12, 2016 the judges on the court are:

# Title Judge Duty station Born Term of service Appointed by
Active Chief Senior
21 Chief Judge Kevin H. Sharp Nashville 1963 2011–present 2014–present — Obama
18 District Judge Todd J. Campbell Nashville 1956 1995–present 2005–2012 — Clinton
19 District Judge Aleta Arthur Trauger Nashville 1945 1998–present — — Clinton
22 District Judge Waverly D. Crenshaw, Jr. Nashville 1956 2016–present — — Obama
14 Senior Judge Thomas Anderton Wiseman Jr. Nashville 1930 1978–2003 1984–1991 1995–present Carter
15 Senior Judge John Trice Nixon Nashville 1933 1980–1998 1991–1998 1998–present Carter
16 Senior Judge Thomas Aquinas Higgins inactive 1932 1984–1999 — 1999–present Reagan
20 Senior Judge William Joseph Haynes Jr. Nashville 1949 1999–2014 2012–2014 2014–present Clinton

Former Judges

# Judge State Born–died Active service Chief Judge Senior status Appointed by Reason for
termination
1 Brown, Morgan WellesMorgan Welles Brown TN 1800–1853 1839–1853 — — Jackson, Jackson death
2 Humphreys, West HughesWest Hughes Humphreys TN 1806–1882 1853–1862 — — Pierce, Pierce removal[Note 1]
3 Trigg, Connally FindlayConnally Findlay Trigg TN 1810–1880 1862–1880 — — Lincoln, Lincoln death
4 Key, David M.David M. Key TN 1824–1900 1880–1895 — — Hayes, Hayes retirement
5 Clark, Charles DickensCharles Dickens Clark TN 1847–1908 1895–1908 — — Cleveland, Cleveland death
6 Sanford, Edward TerryEdward Terry Sanford TN 1865–1930 1908–1923 — — Roosevelt, T.T. Roosevelt reappointment
7 Gore, John J.John J. Gore TN 1878–1939 1923–1939 — — Harding, Harding death
8 Hicks, XenophonXenophon Hicks TN 1872–1952 1923–1928 — — Harding, Harding reappointment
9 Darr, Leslie RogersLeslie Rogers Darr TN 1886–1967 1939–1940 — — Roosevelt, F.F. Roosevelt reassignment
10 Davies, Elmer DavidElmer David Davies TN 1899–1957 1939–1957 1954–1957 — Roosevelt, F.F. Roosevelt death
11 Miller, William ErnestWilliam Ernest Miller TN 1908–1976 1955–1970 1961–1970 — Eisenhower, Eisenhower reappointment
12 Gray, Jr., FrankFrank Gray, Jr. TN 1908–1978 1961–1977[Note 2] 1970–1977 1977–1978 Kennedy, Kennedy death
13 Morton, Leland ClureLeland Clure Morton TN 1916–1998 1970–1984 1977–1984 1984–1998 Nixon, Nixon death
17 Echols, Robert L.Robert L. Echols TN 1941–present 1992–2007 1998–2005 2007–2010 Bush, G.H.W.G.H.W. Bush retirement
  1. ↑ Impeached and convicted.
  2. ↑ Recess appointment; formally nominated on January 15, 1962, confirmed by the United States Senate on February 7, 1962, and received commission on February 17, 1962.

Succession of seats

Seat 1
Seat assigned on June 18, 1839 by 5 Stat. 313 (concurrent with Eastern and Western Districts)
Brown 1839–1853
Humphreys 1853–1862
Trigg 1862–1880
Concurrency with Western District abolished on June 14, 1878 by 20 Stat. 132
Key 1880–1895
Clark 1895–1908
Sanford 1908–1923
Hicks 1923–1928
Seat reassigned solely to Eastern District on May 23, 1928 pursuant to 42 Stat. 837
Seat 2
Seat established on September 14, 1922 by 42 Stat. 837
Gore 1923–1939
Davies 1939–1957
Seat abolished on January 7, 1957 (temporary judgeship expired)
Seat 3
Seat established on May 31, 1938 by 52 Stat. 584 (temporary, concurrent with Eastern District)
Darr 1939–1940
Seat reassigned solely to Eastern District and made permanent on November 27, 1940 by 54 Stat. 1216
Seat 4
Seat established on February 10, 1954 by 68 Stat. 8, 10 (temporary)
Seat became permanent upon the abolition of Seat 2 on January 7, 1957
Miller 1955–1970
Morton 1970–1984
Higgins 1984–1999
Haynes, Jr. 1999–2014
Crenshaw, Jr. 2016–present

Seat 5
Seat established on May 19, 1961 by 75 Stat. 80
Gray, Jr. 1962–1977
Wiseman, Jr. 1978–1995
Campbell 1995–present
Seat 6
Seat established on October 20, 1978 by 92 Stat. 1629
Nixon 1980–1998
Trauger 1998–present
Seat 7
Seat established on December 1, 1990 by 104 Stat. 5089
Echols 1992–2007
Sharp 2011–present

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ "President Obama Nominates Two to Serve as U.S. Attorneys". whitehouse.gov. Office of the Press Secretary. 19 June 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 Asbury Dickens, A Synoptical Index to the Laws and Treaties of the United States of America (1852), p. 391.
  3. 1 2 3 4 U.S. District Courts of Tennessee, Legislative history, Federal Judicial Center.
  4. ↑ The Honorable Harry Phillips, "History of the Sixth Circuit".
  5. ↑ Alfred Conkling, A Treatise on the Organization, Jurisdiction and Practice of the Courts of the United States (1842), p. 42.

External links

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