United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois

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United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois
(S.D. Ill.)
Map
Map of the changing boundaries of the Districts of Illinois
Map of the changing boundaries of the Districts of Illinois
Location East St. Louis, Illinois
Appeals to Seventh Circuit
Established February 13, 1855
Judges assigned 4
Chief judge David R. Herndon
Official site

The United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois (in case citations, S.D. Ill.) is a Federal district court covering approximately the southern half of the state of Illinois.

Appeals from the Southern District of Illinois are taken to the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are appealed to the Federal Circuit).

Contents

History [edit]

The United States District Court for the District of Illinois was established by a statute passed by the United States Congress on March 3, 1819, 3 Stat. 502.[1][2] The act established a single office for a judge to preside over the court. Initially, the court was not within any existing judicial circuit, so the district court exercised the jurisdiction of both a district court and a circuit court, with appeals and writs of error taken directly to the United States Supreme Court. In 1837, Congress placed the District of Illinois within the newly created Seventh Circuit, and the district court resumed its normal jurisdiction, 5 Stat. 176.[2]

The Southern District itself was created by a statute passed on February 13, 1855, 10 Stat. 606, which subdivided the District of Illinois into the Northern and the Southern Districts.[2] The boundaries of the District and the seats of the courts were set forth in the statute:

“ The counties of Hancock, McDonough, Peoria, Woodford, Livingston, and Iroquois, and all the counties in the said State north of them, shall compose one district, to be called the northern district of Illinois, and courts shall be held for the said district at the city of Chicago; and the residue of the counties of the said State shall compose another district, to be called the southern district of Illinois, and courts shall be held for the same at the city of Springfield. ”

The district has since been re-organized several times. The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Illinois was created on March 3, 1905 by 33 Stat. 992,[2] by splitting counties out of the Northern and Southern Districts. It was later eliminated in a reorganization on October 2, 1978 which replaced it with a Central District, 92 Stat. 883,[2] formed primarily from parts of the Southern District, and returning some counties to the Northern District.

Jurisdiction [edit]

The jurisdiction of the Southern District of Illinois comprises the following counties: Alexander, Bond, Calhoun, Clark, Clay, Clinton, Crawford, Cumberland, Edwards, Effingham, Fayette, Franklin, Gallatin, Hamilton, Hardin, Jackson, Jasper, Jefferson, Jersey, Johnson, Lawrence, Madison, Marion, Massac, Monroe, Perry, Pope, Pulaski, Randolph, Richland, Saline, St. Clair, Union, Wabash, Washington, Wayne, White, and Williamson. The district was created in 1979. It has jurisdiction over the eastern suburbs of St. Louis and the city of Carbondale.

The United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Illinois represents the United States in civil and criminal litigation in the court.

Current Judges [edit]

# Title Judge Duty station Born Term of service Appointed by
Active Chief Senior
20 Chief Judge David R. Herndon East St. Louis, IL 1953 1998–present 2007–present — Clinton
17 District Judge John Phil Gilbert Benton, IL 1949 1992–present 1993–2000 — George H. W. Bush
19 District Judge G. Patrick Murphy East St. Louis, IL 1948 1998–present 2000–2007 — Clinton
21 District Judge Michael Joseph Reagan East St. Louis, IL 1954 2000–present – — Clinton
16 Senior District Judge William Donald Stiehl East St. Louis, IL 1925 1986–1996 1992–1993 1996–present Reagan

Former Judges [edit]

# Judge Appointed by Began active
service		 Ended active
service		 Ended senior
status		 End reason
70001000000000000001 Treat, Jr., Samuel HubbelSamuel Hubbel Treat, Jr. Pierce, FranklinFranklin Pierce 01855-03-03March 3, 1855 01887-03-27March 27, 1887 – death
70002000000000000002 Allen, William JoshuaWilliam Joshua Allen Cleveland, GroverGrover Cleveland 01887-04-18April 18, 1887[3] 01901-01-26January 26, 1901 – death
70003000000000000003 Humphrey, J. OtisJ. Otis Humphrey McKinley, WilliamWilliam McKinley 01901-03-08March 8, 1901 01918-06-14June 14, 1918 – death
70004000000000000004 FitzHenry, LouisLouis FitzHenry Wilson, WoodrowWoodrow Wilson 01918-07-06July 6, 1918 01933-10-03October 3, 1933 – reappointment
70005000000000000005 Briggle, Charles GuyCharles Guy Briggle Hoover, HerbertHerbert Hoover 01932-01-25January 25, 1932 01958-08-01August 1, 1958 01972-06-06June 6, 1972 death
70006000000000000006 Adair, J. LeroyJ. Leroy Adair Roosevelt, Franklin D.Franklin D. Roosevelt 01937-04-27April 27, 1937 01956-01-19January 19, 1956 – death
70007000000000000007 Major, James EarlJames Earl Major Roosevelt, Franklin D.Franklin D. Roosevelt 01933-06-12June 12, 1933[4] 01937-04-05April 5, 1937 – reappointment
70008000000000000008 Mercer, Frederick OlenFrederick Olen Mercer Eisenhower, Dwight D.Dwight D. Eisenhower 01956-06-19June 19, 1956 01966-04-03April 3, 1966 – death
70009000000000000009 Juergens, William GeorgeWilliam George Juergens Eisenhower, Dwight D.Dwight D. Eisenhower 01956-06-22June 22, 1956 01988-12-07December 7, 1988 – death
700110000000000000010 Poos, OmerOmer Poos Eisenhower, Dwight D.Dwight D. Eisenhower 01958-08-21August 21, 1958 01973-08-31August 31, 1973 01976-08-11August 11, 1976 death
700111000000000000011 Morgan, Robert DaleRobert Dale Morgan Johnson, Lyndon B.Lyndon B. Johnson 01967-06-12June 12, 1967 01979-03-31March 31, 1979 – assignment to another court
700112000000000000012 Foreman, James L.James L. Foreman Nixon, RichardRichard Nixon 01972-03-07March 7, 1972 01992-06-02June 2, 1992 02007-05-12May 12, 2007 retirement
700113000000000000013 Wood Jr., HarlingtonHarlington Wood Jr. Nixon, RichardRichard Nixon 01973-07-18July 18, 1973 01976-05-28May 28, 1976 – reappointment
700114000000000000014 Ackerman, James WaldoJames Waldo Ackerman Ford, GeraldGerald Ford 01976-07-02July 2, 1976 01979-03-31March 31, 1979 – assignment to another court
700115000000000000015 Beatty, William LouisWilliam Louis Beatty Carter, JimmyJimmy Carter 01979-10-05October 5, 1979 01992-11-09November 9, 1992 02001-07-22July 22, 2001 death
700118000000000000018 Riley, Paul E.Paul E. Riley Clinton, BillBill Clinton 01994-10-07October 7, 1994 02001-10-11October 11, 2001 – death

See also [edit]

Notes [edit]

  1. ^ Asbury Dickens, A Synoptical Index to the Laws and Treaties of the United States of America (1852), p. 393.
  2. ^ a b c d e U.S. District Courts of Illinois, Legislative history, Federal Judicial Center.
  3. ^ Recess appointment; formally nominated on December 20, 1887, confirmed by the United States Senate on January 19, 1888, and received commission on January 19, 1888.
  4. ^ Recess appointment; formally nominated on January 8, 1934, confirmed by the United States Senate on January 23, 1934, and received commission on January 26, 1934.

External links [edit]

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