United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama

Northern District of Alabama
Eleventh Circuit
Judgeships
Posts: 8
Judges: 7
Vacancies: 1
Judges
Chief: David Proctor
Active judges: Annemarie C. Axon, Liles Burke, Scott Coogler, Madeline Haikala, Anna Manasco, Corey Maze, David Proctor Senior judges: Sharon Blackburn, Karon Bowdre, Virginia Hopkins, Inge Johnson, Charles Smith

The United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama is one of 94 United States district courts. The district operates out of courthouses in Anniston, Birmingham, Decatur, Florence, Gadsden, Huntsville, and Tuscaloosa, Alabama. When decisions of the court are appealed, they are appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit based in downtown Atlanta at the Elbert P. Tuttle Federal Courthouse.

Vacancies

See also: Current federal judicial vacancies

There is one current vacancy on the United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama, out of the court's eight judicial positions.

Pending nominations

There are no pending nominees for this court.

Active judges

Article III judges

Judge	Appointed By	Assumed Office	Bachelors	Law
Scott Coogler	George W. Bush (R)	May 28, 2003 -	University of Alabama, 1981	University of Alabama School of Law, 1984
David Proctor	George W. Bush (R)	September 22, 2003 -	Carson-Newman College, 1983	University of Tennessee College of Law, 1986
Madeline Haikala	Barack Obama (D)	October 16, 2013 -	Williams College, 1986	Tulane University Law School, 1989
Annemarie C. Axon	Donald Trump (R)	June 12, 2018 -	University of Alabama, 1995	University of Alabama School of Law, 1999
Liles Burke	Donald Trump (R)	October 17, 2018 -	University of Alabama, 1991	University of Alabama School of Law, 1994
Corey Maze	Donald Trump (R)	June 18, 2019 -	Auburn University, 1999	Georgetown University Law Center, 2003
Anna Manasco	Donald Trump (R)	May 27, 2020 -	Emory University, 2002	Yale Law School, 2008

Active Article III judges by appointing political party

The list below displays the number of active judges by the party of the appointing president. It does not reflect how a judge may rule on specific cases or their own political preferences.

• Democrat appointed: 1
• Republican appointed: 6

Senior judges

Judge	Appointed By	Assumed Office	Bachelors	Law
Inge Johnson	Bill Clinton (D)	October 24, 2012 -	City of London College, 1968	University of Alabama School of Law, 1973
Charles Smith	Bill Clinton (D)	August 31, 2013 -	University of Alabama, 1966	University of Alabama School of Law, 1971
Sharon Blackburn	George H.W. Bush (R)	May 8, 2015 -	University of Alabama, 1973	Samford University, Cumberland School of Law, 1977
Virginia Hopkins	George W. Bush (R)	June 22, 2018 -	University of Alabama, 1974	University of Virginia School of Law, 1977
Karon Bowdre	George W. Bush (R)	April 25, 2020 -	Samford University, 1977	Samford University, Cumberland School of Law, 1981

Senior judges by appointing political party

The list below displays the number of senior judges by the party of the appointing president. It does not reflect how a judge may rule on specific cases or their own political preferences.

• Democrat appointed: 2
• Republican appointed: 3

Magistrate judges

Federal magistrate judges are federal judges who serve in United States district courts, but they are not appointed by the president and they do not serve life terms. Magistrate judges are assigned duties by the district judges in the district in which they serve. They may preside over most phases of federal proceedings, except for criminal felony trials. The specific duties of a magistrate judge vary from district to district, but the responsibilities always include handling matters that would otherwise be on the dockets of the district judges. Full-time magistrate judges serve for renewable terms of eight years. Some federal district courts have part-time magistrate judges, who serve for renewable terms of four years.

Judge	Appointed By	Assumed Office	Bachelors	Law
John H. England		June 18, 2013 -	University of Alabama, 1993	University of Alabama, 1996
Staci G. Cornelius		January 23, 2014 -	University of Alabama, 1989	University of Alabama, 1992
Herman Johnson		June 1, 2017 -	Duke University, 1991	Columbia University School of Law, 1999
Gray M. Borden		June 17, 2019 -	Washington and Lee University, 2001	University of Alabama School of Law, 2005
Nicholas Danella	U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama	August 19, 2021 -

Former chief judges

In order to qualify for the office of chief judge in an Article III circuit or district court, or on the United States Court of International Trade, a judge must be in active service and hold seniority over the court's commissioned judges who are 64 years of age or under, have served one year or more, and have not previously served as chief judge.

In the event that no judge on the court meets those qualifications, the youngest judge in regular active service aged 65 years or more and who has served as a judge for one year or more shall become chief judge. If no judge meets those qualifications, the judge holding seniority in active service who has not served as chief before shall become the chief judge.

The chief judge serves for a term of seven years until another judge becomes eligible to serve in the position. No judge is permitted to serve as chief judge after reaching the age of 70 years unless no other judge is qualified to serve.

Unlike the chief justice of the United States, a chief judge returns to active service after the expiration of their term and does not create a vacancy on the court by the fact of their promotion.

On the United States Court of Federal Claims, the chief judge is selected by the president of the United States. The judge must be less than 70 years of age. A chief may serve until they reach age 70 or until another judge is designated by the president as the new chief judge. If the president selects a new chief judge, the former chief judge may continue active service on the court for the remainder of their appointed term.

Karon Bowdre - (2013-2019) Sharon Blackburn - (2006-2013) U. W. Clemon - (1999-2006) Sam Pointer - (1982-1999) Frank McFadden - (1973-1982) Seybourn Lynne - (1953 - 1973) Clarence Mullins - (1948-1953) Scott Coogler - (2020-2024)

Former judges

For more information about the judges of the Northern District of Alabama, see former federal judges of the Northern District of Alabama.

Jurisdiction

Northern District of Alabama counties (click for larger map)

The Northern District of Alabama has original jurisdiction over cases filed within its jurisdiction. These cases can include civil and criminal matters that fall under federal law.

There are seven court divisions, each covering the following counties:

The Eastern Division, covering Calhoun, Clay, Cleburne, and Talladega counties

The Jasper Division, covering Fayette, Lamar, Marion, Walker, and Winston counties.

The Middle Division, covering Cherokee, Etowah, DeKalb, Marshall, and St. Clair counties.

The Northeastern Division, covering Cullman, Jackson, Lawrence, Limestone, Madison, and Morgan counties.

The Northwestern Division, covering Colbert, Franklin, and Lauderdale counties.

The Southern Division, covering Blount, Jefferson, and Shelby counties.

The Western Division, covering Bibb, Greene, Pickens, Sumter, and Tuscaloosa counties.

Before the U.S. Supreme Court

This section focuses on cases the U.S. Supreme Court heard that originated in this court. To suggest cases we should cover here, email us.

2022-2023 term

See also: Supreme Court cases, October term 2022-2023

The following cases were scheduled for argument before the U.S. Supreme Court during the 2022-2023 term.

2022-2023 U.S. Supreme Court cases from the 8th Circuit
Case	Opinion author	Decision	Vote
Allen v. Milligan	Chief Justice John Roberts	affirmed	5-4

Caseloads

This section contains court management statistics dating back to 2010. It was last updated in September 2024. Click [show] below for more information on caseload terms and definitions.

Caseload statistics explanation
Term	Explanation
Cases filed and terminated	The number of civil and criminal lawsuits formally initiated or decided by the court in a calendar year. The chart below reflects the table columns Cases filed and Cases terminated.
Average time from filing to disposition	The average amount of time, in months, from a case's date of filing to date of disposition (acquittal, sentencing, dismissal, etc.). The chart below reflects the table columns Median time (Criminal) and Median time (Civil).
Starting case load	The number of cases pending from the previous calendar year.
Cases filed	The number of civil and criminal lawsuits formally initiated in a calendar year.
Cases terminated	The total number of civil and criminal lawsuits decided by the court in a calendar year.
Remaining cases	The number of civil and criminal cases pending at the end of a given year.
Median time (Criminal)	The average amount of time, in months, from a case's date of filing to the date of disposition. In criminal cases, the date of disposition occurs on the day of sentencing or acquittal/dismissal.
Median time (Civil)	The average amount of time, in months, from a case's date of filing to the date of disposition.
Three-year civil cases	The number and percent of civil cases that were filed more than three years before the end of the given calendar year.
Vacant posts	The number of months during the year an authorized judgeship was vacant.
Trial/Post	The number of trials completed divided by the number of authorized judgeships on the court. Trials include evidentiary trials, hearings on temporary restraining orders, and preliminary injunctions.
Source: United States Courts, "Explanation of the Judicial Caseload Profiles for United States District Courts," accessed September 25, 2018

United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama caseload stats, 2010-2023
Year	Cases Filed	Cases Terminated	Cases Pending	Number of Judgeships	Vacant Judgeship Months	Average Total Filings per Judgeship	Trials Completed per Judgeship	Median time from filing to disposition, criminal	Median time from filing to disposition, civil	Three-year civil cases (#)	Three-year civil cases (%)
2010	4,332	4,214	3,929	8	0	542	22	7	14	116	3
2011	4,915	3,098	5,630	8	0	615	24	6	8	167	3
2012	4,931	4,038	6,637	8	2	616	23	7	8	258	4
2013	3,006	5,317	4,363	8	13	376	22	7	21	434	11
2014	3,072	4,387	3,048	8	9	384	22	7	18	208	8
2015	2,932	2,973	3,020	8	20	367	17	7	11	233	9
2016	2,805	2,755	3,085	8	12	351	30	8	10	268	11
2017	2,956	2,785	3,269	8	24	370	17	7	11	296	11
2018	2,962	2,960	3,276	8	25	370	17	7	11	375	15
2019	3,049	2,977	3,356	8	5	381	21	8	11	382	15
2020	2,715	2,694	3,368	8	0	339	15	10	11	342	13
2021	2,369	2,868	2,869	8	0	296	18	12	11	351	16
2022	2,380	2,564	2,695	8	0	298	20	11	11	366	18
2023	2,649	2,576	2,782	8	0	331	23	10	9	360	17
Average	3,220	3,300	3,666	8	8	403	21	8	12	297	11

History

The District of Alabama was established by Congress on April 21, 1820, with one post to cover the entire state. On March 10, 1824, Congress divided the district into the Northern District of Alabama and the Southern District of Alabama, with one judicial post for each district. Over time, seven additional judicial posts were added for a total of eight current posts.

Judicial posts

The following table highlights the development of judicial posts for the Southern District of Alabama:

Year	Statute	Total Seats
April 21, 1820	3 Stat. 564	1(District of Alabama)
March 10, 1824	4 Stat. 9	1
February 25, 1907	34 Stat. 931	2
June 5, 1936	49 Stat. 1476	1(Reassigned)
March 26, 1938	52 Stat. 120	2(Temporary)
December 1938	Temporary expired	1
December 24, 1942	56 Stat. 1092	2
May 19, 1961	75 Stat. 80	3
June 2, 1970	84 Stat. 294	4
October 20, 1978	92 Stat. 1629	7
December 1, 1990	104 Stat. 5089	8(Temporary)
c1996	Temporary post expired	7
November 2, 2002	116 Stat. 1758	8(Temporary)

Federal courthouse

Six separate courthouses serve the Northern District of Alabama:

• Hugo L. Black United States Courthouse in Birmingham
• United States District Court in Huntsville
• Tuscaloosa Federal Building and Courthouse in Tuscaloosa
• United States District Court in Anniston
• Seybourn H. Lynne U.S. Courthouse & Post Office in Decatur
• John McKinley Federal Building in Florence

About United States District Courts

The United States district courts are the general trial courts of the United States federal courts. There are 94 such courts. Both civil and criminal cases are filed in the district court, which is a court of both law and equity.

There is a United States bankruptcy court and a number of bankruptcy judges associated with each United States district court. Each federal judicial district has at least one courthouse, and most districts have more than one.

There is at least one judicial district for each state, and one each for Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. District courts in three insular areas—the United States Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands—exercise the same jurisdiction as U.S. district courts. Despite their name, these courts are technically not District Courts of the United States. Judges on these territorial courts do not enjoy the protections of Article III of the Constitution, and serve terms of 10 years rather than for life.

There are 677 U.S. District Court judgeships.

The number of federal district judge positions is set by the U.S. Congress in Title 28 of the U.S. Code, Section 133, which authorizes a set number of judge positions, or judgeships, making changes and adjustments in these numbers from time to time.

In order to relieve the pressure of trying the hundreds of thousands of cases brought before the federal district courts each year, many trials are tried by juries, along with a presiding judge.

Appointments by president

The chart below shows the number of district court judges confirmed by the U.S. Senate through November 1 of the fourth year of each president's term in office. At this point in the term, President Bill Clinton had the most district court appointments with 169.

Judges by district

See also: Judicial vacancies in federal courts

The table below displays the number of judges in each district and indicates how many were appointed by presidents from each major political party. It also includes the number of vacancies in a district and how many pending nominations for that district are before the United States Senate. The table can be sorted by clicking the column headers above the line, and you can navigate through the pages by clicking the arrows at the top of the table. It is updated every Monday.

Judicial selection

The district courts are served by Article III federal judges who are appointed for life during "good behavior." They are usually first recommended by senators (or members of the House, occasionally). The President of the United States makes the appointments, which must then be confirmed by the U.S. Senate in accordance with Article III of the United States Constitution.

Step	A Candidacy Proceeds	A Candidacy Halts
1. Recommendation made by Congress Member to the President	President Nominates to Senate Judiciary Committee	President Declines Nomination
2. Senate Judiciary Committee interviews Candidate	Sends candidate to Senate for confirmation	Returns candidate to President, who may re-nominate to Committee
3. Senate votes on candidate confirmation	Candidate becomes federal judge	Candidate does not receive judgeship

Magistrate judges

The district courts are also served by magistrate judges. Congress created the judicial office of federal magistrate in 1968. In 1990, the position title was changed to magistrate judge. The chief judge of each district appoints one or more magistrate judges, who discharge many of the ancillary duties of district judges so judges can handle more trials. There are both full-time and part-time magistrate judge positions, and these positions are assigned to the district courts according to caseload criteria (subject to funding by Congress). A full-time magistrate judge serves a term of eight years; a part-time magistrate judge's term of office is four years.

See also

• United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
• United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama
• United States District Court for the Southern District of Alabama
• United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida
• United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida
• United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida
• United States District Court for the Middle District of Georgia
• United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia
• United States District Court for the Southern District of Georgia

External links

• Search Google News for this topic
• Official website of the Northern District of Alabama
• Opinions of the Northern District of Alabama
• U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Alabama