United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio
Template:Short description Template:Infobox U.S. federal court
The United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio (in case citations, S.D. Ohio) is one of two United States district courts in Ohio and includes forty-eight of the state's eighty-eight counties—everything from the Columbus area southward. Appeals from the court are taken to the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit at Cincinnati (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are appealed to the Federal Circuit).
The United States Attorney's Office of the Southern District of Ohio represents the United States in civil and criminal litigation in the court. since February 2025[update]Template:Dated maintenance category (articles)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters"., the United States attorney is Kelly A. Norris.[1]
Divisions
The court is divided into two divisions.
Eastern Division
The Eastern Division, which sits in the Joseph P. Kinneary United States Courthouse at Columbus, serves the counties of Athens, Belmont, Coshocton, Delaware, Fairfield, Fayette, Franklin, Gallia, Guernsey, Harrison, Hocking, Jackson, Jefferson, Knox, Licking, Logan, Madison, Meigs, Monroe, Morgan, Morrow, Muskingum, Noble, Perry, Pickaway, Pike, Ross, Union, Vinton, and Washington.
Western Division
The Western Division sits at both Cincinnati and Dayton. Cases from the counties of Adams, Brown, Butler, Clermont, Clinton, Hamilton, Highland, Lawrence, Scioto, and Warren are heard at Cincinnati in the Potter Stewart United States Courthouse. Cases from the counties of Champaign, Clark, Darke, Greene, Miami, Montgomery, Preble, and Shelby are heard at Dayton.
History
The United States District Court for the District of Ohio was established on February 19, 1803, by 2 Stat. 201.[2][3] The act of authorized one judgeship for the court. The district court in Ohio, not being assigned to a judicial circuit, was granted the same jurisdiction as U.S. circuit courts, except in appeals and writs of error, which were the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court.[3] By the act of February 24, 1807, 2 Stat. 420, the authority of the Ohio district court to exercise the jurisdiction of a U.S. circuit court was repealed, and Ohio was assigned to the newly organized Seventh Circuit. It also provided for a U.S. circuit court for the District of Ohio.[3] The District was subdivided into Northern and Southern Districts on February 10, 1855, by 10 Stat. 604.[3] The district judge serving the District of Ohio, Humphrey H. Leavitt, was reassigned to the Southern District of Ohio.
On July 23, 1866, by 14 Stat. 209, Congress reorganized the circuits and assigned Ohio to the Sixth Circuit.[3] Additional judgeships were created in 1910, 1937, 1966, 1970, 1978, 1984, and 1990.[3]
Current judges
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| # | Title | Judge | Duty station | Born | Term of service | Appointed by | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Active | Chief | Senior | ||||||
| 37 | Chief Judge | Sarah D. Morrison | Columbus | 1970 | 2019–present | 2024–present | — | Trump |
| 30 | District Judge | Edmund A. Sargus Jr. | Columbus | 1953 | 1996–present | 2015–2019 | — | Clinton |
| 31 | District Judge | Algenon L. Marbley | Columbus | 1954 | 1997–present | 2019–2024 | — | Clinton |
| 38 | District Judge | Douglas R. Cole | Cincinnati | 1964 | 2019–present | — | — | Trump |
| 39 | District Judge | Matthew W. McFarland | Cincinnati | 1967 | 2019–present | — | — | Trump |
| 40 | District Judge | Michael J. Newman | Dayton | 1960 | 2020–present | — | — | Trump |
| 41 | District Judge | Jeffery P. Hopkins | Cincinnati | 1960 | 2022–present | — | — | Biden |
| 42 | District Judge | vacant | – | – | – | — | — | – |
| 23 | Senior Judge | Walter Herbert Rice | Dayton | 1937 | 1980–2004 | 1996–2003 | 2004–present | Carter |
| 25 | Senior Judge | Herman Jacob Weber | Cincinnati | 1927 | 1985–2002 | — | 2002–present | Reagan |
| 26 | Senior Judge | James L. Graham | Columbus | 1939 | 1986–2004 | 2003–2004 | 2004–present | Reagan |
| 28 | Senior Judge | Sandra Beckwith | Cincinnati | 1943 | 1992–2009 | 2004–2009 | 2009–present | G.H.W. Bush |
| 29 | Senior Judge | Susan J. Dlott | Cincinnati | 1949 | 1995–2018 | 2009–2015 | 2018–present | Clinton |
| 32 | Senior Judge | Thomas M. Rose | Dayton | 1948 | 2002–2017 | — | 2017–present | G.W. Bush |
| 34 | Senior Judge | Michael H. Watson | Columbus | 1956 | 2004–2025 | — | 2025–present | G.W. Bush |
| 35 | Senior Judge | Michael R. Barrett | Cincinnati | 1951 | 2006–2019 | — | 2019–present | G.W. Bush |
| 36 | Senior Judge | Timothy Black | Cincinnati | 1953 | 2010–2022 | — | 2022–present | Obama |
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Vacancies and pending nominations
| Seat | Prior Judge's Duty Station | Seat last held by | Vacancy reason | Date of vacancy | Nominee | Date of nomination |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Columbus | Michael H. Watson | Senior status | November 1, 2025 | Script error: No such module "sort". | Script error: No such module "sort". |
Former judges
| # | Judge | State | Born–died | Active service | Chief Judge | Senior status | Appointed by | Reason for termination |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Humphrey H. Leavitt | OH | 1796–1873 | 1855–1871[Note 1] | — | — | Jackson/Operation of law | retirement |
| 2 | Philip Bergen Swing | OH | 1820–1882 | 1871–1882 | — | — | Grant | death |
| 3 | William White | OH | 1822–1883 | 1883[Note 2] | — | — | Arthur | death |
| 4 | George Read Sage | OH | 1828–1898 | 1883–1898[Note 3] | — | — | Arthur | retirement |
| 5 | Albert C. Thompson | OH | 1842–1910 | 1898–1910[Note 4] | — | — | McKinley | death |
| 6 | John Elbert Sater | OH | 1854–1937 | 1907–1924[Note 5] | — | — | T. Roosevelt | retirement |
| 7 | Howard Clark Hollister | OH | 1856–1919 | 1910–1919 | — | — | Taft | death |
| 8 | John Weld Peck | OH | 1874–1937 | 1919–1923 | — | — | Wilson | resignation |
| 9 | Smith Hickenlooper | OH | 1880–1933 | 1923–1929 | — | — | Harding | elevation to 6th Cir. |
| 10 | Benson W. Hough | OH | 1875–1935 | 1925–1935 | — | — | Coolidge | death |
| 11 | Robert Reasoner Nevin | OH | 1875–1952 | 1929–1952 | 1948–1952 | — | Coolidge | death |
| 12 | Mell G. Underwood | OH | 1892–1972 | 1936–1965 | 1953–1962 | 1965–1972 | F. Roosevelt | death |
| 13 | John H. Druffel | OH | 1886–1967 | 1937–1961[Note 6] | — | 1961–1967 | F. Roosevelt | death |
| 14 | Lester LeFevre Cecil | OH | 1893–1982 | 1953–1959 | — | — | Eisenhower | elevation to 6th Cir. |
| 15 | Carl Andrew Weinman | OH | 1903–1979 | 1959–1973 | 1962–1973 | 1973–1979 | Eisenhower | death |
| 16 | John Weld Peck II | OH | 1913–1993 | 1961–1966[Note 7] | — | — | Kennedy | elevation to 6th Cir. |
| 17 | Joseph Peter Kinneary | OH | 1905–2003 | 1966–1986 | 1973–1975 | 1986–2003 | L. Johnson | death |
| 18 | Timothy Sylvester Hogan | OH | 1909–1989 | 1966–1979 | 1975–1977 | 1979–1989 | L. Johnson | death |
| 19 | David Stewart Porter | OH | 1909–1989 | 1966–1979 | 1977–1979 | 1979–1989 | L. Johnson | death |
| 20 | Carl Bernard Rubin | OH | 1920–1995 | 1971–1995 | 1979–1990 | — | Nixon | death |
| 21 | Robert Morton Duncan | OH | 1927–2012 | 1974–1985 | — | — | Nixon | resignation |
| 22 | John David Holschuh | OH | 1926–2011 | 1980–1996 | 1990–1996 | 1996–2011 | Carter | death |
| 24 | S. Arthur Spiegel | OH | 1920–2014 | 1980–1995 | — | 1995–2014 | Carter | death |
| 27 | George Curtis Smith | OH | 1935–2020 | 1987–2002 | — | 2002–2020 | Reagan | death |
| 33 | Gregory L. Frost | OH | 1949–present | 2003–2016 | — | — | G.W. Bush | retirement |
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- ↑ Reassigned from the District of Ohio.
- ↑ White was confirmed and received his commission, but died without taking the oath of office or commencing service.
- ↑ Recess appointment; formally nominated on December 18, 1883, confirmed by the United States Senate on January 7, 1884, and received commission the same day.
- ↑ Recess appointment; formally nominated on December 13, 1898, confirmed by the Senate on December 20, 1898, and received commission the same day.
- ↑ Recess appointment; formally nominated on December 8, 1908, confirmed by the Senate on March 1, 1909, and received commission the same day.
- ↑ Recess appointment; formally nominated on November 16, 1937, confirmed by the Senate on December 8, 1937, and received commission on December 14, 1937.
- ↑ Recess appointment; formally nominated on January 15, 1962, confirmed by the Senate on April 11, 1962, and received commission on April 12, 1962.
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Chief judges
Succession of seats
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United States attorneys
| Term start | Term end | United States Attorney[4] |
|---|---|---|
| 1855 | 1856 | Hugh J. Jewett |
| 1856 | 1858 | John O'Neill |
| 1858 | 1861 | Stanley Matthews |
| 1861 | 1865 | Flamen Ball |
| 1865 | 1866 | Richard Corwine |
| 1866 | 1869 | Durbin Ward |
| 1869 | 1877 | Warner Bateman |
| 1877 | 1885 | Channing Richards |
| 1885 | 1887 | Philip Kumler |
| 1887 | 1889 | William Burnet |
| 1889 | 1894 | John Herron |
| 1894 | 1898 | Harlan Cleveland |
| 1898 | 1903 | William Bundy |
| 1903 | 1916 | Sherman McPherson |
| 1916 | 1920 | Stuart Bolin |
| 1920 | 1922 | James Clark |
| 1922 | 1923 | Thomas Morrow |
| 1923 | 1925 | Benson W. Hough |
| 1925 | 1934 | Haveth Mau |
| 1934 | 1939 | Francis Canny |
| 1939 | 1939 | James Cleveland |
| 1939 | 1944 | Leo Crawford |
| 1944 | 1946 | Byron B. Harlan |
| 1946 | 1953 | Ray O'Donnell |
| 1953 | 1961 | Hugh Martin |
| 1961 | 1966 | Joseph Peter Kinneary |
| 1966 | 1969 | Robert Draper |
| 1969 | 1969 | Roger Makley |
| 1969 | 1977 | William Milligan |
| 1977 | 1978 | James Rattan |
| 1978 | 1982 | James Cissell |
| 1982 | 1985 | Christopher Barnes |
| 1985 | 1986 | Anthony Nyktas |
| 1986 | 1993 | Michael Crites |
| 1993 | 1993 | Barbara Beran |
| 1993 | 1996 | Edmund A. Sargus Jr. |
| 1996 | 1997 | Dale Goldberg |
| 1997 | 2001 | Sharon Zealey |
| 2001 | 2001 | Salvador Dominguez |
| 2001 | 2009 | Gregory Lockhart |
| 2009 | 2016 | Carter M. Stewart |
| 2016 | 2019 | Benjamin C. Glassman (Acting) |
| 2019 | 2021 | David M. DeVillers |
| 2021 | 2021 | Vipal J. Patel (Acting) |
| 2021 | 2025 | Kenneth L. Parker |
| 2025 | 2025 | Kelly A. Norris (Acting) |
| 2025 | Dominick Gearace II (Acting) |
See also
- Courts of Ohio
- List of current United States district judges
- List of United States federal courthouses in Ohio
- United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio
- United States federal judicial district
Notes
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External links
Template:United States 6th Circuit district judges Template:USDistCourts Template:Authority control Script error: No such module "Coordinates".