United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida
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The United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida (in case citations, N.D. Fla.) is a federal court in the Eleventh Circuit (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are appealed to the Federal Circuit).
The District was established on February 23, 1847, with the division of the state into a Northern and Southern district.[1]
The United States Attorney for the District is John P. 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.
Organization of the court
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 at Gainesville, Panama City, Pensacola, and Tallahassee. The court serves approximately 1.75 million people.[3]
Gainesville Division comprises the following counties: Alachua, Dixie, Gilchrist, Lafayette, and Levy.
Panama City Division comprises the following counties: Bay, Calhoun, Gulf, Holmes, Jackson, and Washington.
Pensacola Division comprises the following counties: Escambia, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, and Walton.
Tallahassee Division comprises the following counties: Franklin, Gadsden, Jefferson, Leon, Liberty, Madison, Taylor, and Wakulla.
Current judges
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| # | 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 |
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Former judges
| # | Judge | State | Born–died | Active service | Chief Judge | Senior status | Appointed by | Reason for termination |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Isaac H. Bronson | FL | 1802–1855 | 1847–1855[Note 1] | — | — | Polk/Operation of law | death |
| 2 | McQueen McIntosh | FL | 1822–1868 | 1856–1861 | — | — | Pierce | resignation |
| 3 | Philip Fraser | FL | 1814–1876 | 1862–1876 | — | — | Lincoln | death |
| 4 | Thomas Settle | FL | 1831–1888 | 1877–1888 | — | — | Grant | death |
| 5 | Charles Swayne | FL | 1842–1907 | 1889–1907[Note 2] | — | — | B. Harrison | death |
| 6 | William Bostwick Sheppard | FL | 1860–1934 | 1907–1934[Note 3] | — | — | T. Roosevelt | death |
| 7 | Augustus V. Long | FL | 1877–1955 | 1934–1947 | — | 1947–1955 | F. Roosevelt | death |
| 8 | Curtis L. Waller | FL | 1887–1950 | 1940–1943[Note 4] | — | — | F. Roosevelt | elevation to 5th Cir. |
| 9 | Dozier A. DeVane | FL | 1883–1963 | 1943–1958[Note 5] | — | 1958–1963 | F. Roosevelt | death |
| 10 | George William Whitehurst | FL | 1891–1974 | 1950–1961[Note 4] | — | 1961–1974 | Truman | death |
| 11 | G. Harrold Carswell | FL | 1919–1992 | 1958–1969 | 1958–1969 | — | Eisenhower | elevation to 5th Cir. |
| 12 | George C. Young | FL | 1916–2015 | 1961–1966[Note 6] | — | — | Kennedy | seat abolished |
| 13 | Winston Arnow | FL | 1911–1994 | 1967–1981 | 1969–1981 | 1981–1994 | L. Johnson | death |
| 14 | David Lycurgus Middlebrooks Jr. | FL | 1926–1997 | 1969–1974 | — | — | Nixon | resignation |
| 15 | William Henry Stafford Jr. | FL | 1931–2025 | 1975–1996 | 1981–1993 | 1996–2025 | Ford | death |
| 16 | Lynn Carlton Higby | FL | 1938–1992 | 1979–1983 | — | — | Carter | resignation |
| 17 | Maurice M. Paul | FL | 1932–2016 | 1982–1997 | 1993–1997 | 1997–2016 | Reagan | death |
| 18 | Roger Vinson | FL | 1940–2023 | 1983–2005 | 1997–2004 | 2005–2023 | Reagan | death |
| 21 | Stephan P. Mickle | FL | 1944–2021 | 1998–2011 | 2009–2011 | 2011–2021 | Clinton | death |
| 23 | John Richard Smoak Jr. | FL | 1943–2022 | 2005–2015 | – | 2015–2022 | G.W. Bush | death |
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- ↑ Reassigned from the District of Florida.
- ↑ Recess appointment; formally nominated on December 5, 1889, confirmed by the United States Senate on April 1, 1890, and received commission the same day.
- ↑ Recess appointment; formally nominated on December 3, 1907, confirmed by the Senate on May 20, 1908, and received commission the same day.
- ↑ a b Jointly appointed to the Northern and Southern Districts of Florida.
- ↑ From 1943–1947, Judge DeVane was jointly appointed to the Northern and Southern Districts of Florida.
- ↑ From 1961–1962, Judge Young was jointly appointed to the Northern and Southern Districts of Florida. From 1962–1966, Judge Young was jointly appointed to the Middle, Northern, and Southern Districts of Florida.
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Chief judges
Succession of seats
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U.S. Attorneys
- George W. Call, Jr. 1850–53
- Chandler C. Yonge 1853–63
- Culver P. Chamberlin 1863–69
- Horatio Bisbee Jr. 1869–73
- J. B. C. Drew 1873–76
- John B. Stickney 1876–82
- Edward M. Cheney 1882–87
- Rhydon Mays Call 1887–89[4]
- Joseph N. Stripling 1889–93
- Owen J. H. Summers 1893–94
- J. Emmett Wolfe 1894–98
- John Eagan 1898–1903
- William B. Sheppard 1903–07
- Emmett Wilson 1907–09
- Fred Cubberly 1909–13
- Edward C. Love 1913–15
- John L. Neeley 1915
- Phillip D. Beale 1915
- John L. Neeley 1915–21
- Fred Cubberly 1921–32
- George P. Wentworth 1932–33
- George E. Hoffmann 1933–53
- George H. Carswell 1953–58
- Wilfred C. Varn 1958–61
- Charles W. Eggart, Jr. 1961
- Clinton N. Ashmore 1961–69
- William Henry Stafford Jr. 1969–75
- Clinton N. Ashmore 1975–76
- Nicholas P. Geeker 1976–82
- K. Michael Moore 1982–83
- Thomas Dillard III 1983–87
- K. Michael Moore 1987–89
- Lyndia F. Padgett 1989–90
- Kenneth W. Sukhia 1990–93
- Gregory R. Miller 1993
- Patrick M. Patterson 1993–98
- Thomas F Kirwin 1998?–2002
- Gregory R. Miller 2002–2008
- Thomas F Kirwin 2008–2010
- Pamela Cothran Marsh 2010–2015
- Christopher Canova 2015–2019
- Larry Keefe 2019–2021
- Jason R. Coody 2021–2025
- John P. Heekin 2025-present
See also
- Courts of Florida
- List of current United States district judges
- List of United States federal courthouses in Florida
- United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
- United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida
- United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida
References
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- ↑ http://www.fjc.gov/history/home.nsf/page/courts_district_fl.html U.S. District Courts Florida, Legislative history, Federal Judicial Center
- ↑ 28 U.S.C. § 89
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External links
- Official website
- Meet the U.S. Attorney, Justice.gov
Template:United States 11th Circuit district judges Template:USDistCourts
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