United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas

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United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas
(S.D. Tex.)
Seal of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas
Map
Southern District of Texas map.png
Location Houston, Texas
Appeals to Fifth Circuit
Established March 11, 1902
Judges assigned 19
Chief judge Ricardo H. Hinojosa
Official site

The United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas (in case citations, S.D. Tex.) is the Federal district court with jurisdiction over the southern part of Texas. The court's headquarters is in Houston, Texas and has six additional offices in the district.

Appeals from cases brought in the Southern District of Texas are taken to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth 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 oldest federal civil building in Texas, the 1861 Customs and Courthouse in Galveston, once housed the Southern District of Texas.
Federal Courthouse in Galveston that housed the court & its predecessor, from 1891–1917[1]

Since its foundation, the Southern District of Texas has been served by forty-one District Judges and six Clerks of Court. The first federal judge in Texas was John C. Watrous, who was appointed on May 26, 1846, and had previously served as Attorney General of the Republic of Texas. He was assigned to hold court in Galveston, at the time, the largest city in the state. As seat of the Texas Judicial District, the Galveston court had jurisdiction over the whole state.[2] On February 21, 1857, the state was divided into two districts, Eastern and Western, with Judge Watrous continuing in the Eastern district.[3] Judge Watrous and Judge Thomas H. DuVal, of the Western District of Texas, left the state on the secession of Texas from the Union, the only two United States Judges not to resign their posts in states that seceded. When Texas was restored to the Union, Watrous and DuVal resumed their duties and served until 1870. Judge Amos Morrill served in the Eastern District of Texas from 1872 to 1884. He was succeeded by Chauncy B. Sabin (1884 to 1890) and David E. Bryant (1890 to 1902). In 1902, when the Southern District was created by Act of Congress, Judge Bryant continued to serve in the Eastern District of Texas.

In 1917 the General Services Administration added courtrooms and judicial offices to the second floor of the 1861 U.S. Customs House in Galveston, and it became the new federal courthouse for the Southern District of Texas. This location would later become the seat of the Galveston Division, after congress added a second judgeship in the 1930s.[3][4][5]

The Southern District of Texas started with one judge, Waller T. Burns, and a Clerk of Court, Christopher Dart, seated in Galveston. Since that time, the court has grown to nineteen district judgeships, six bankruptcy judgeships, fourteen magistrate judgeships, and over 200 deputy clerks.

Galveston Division [edit]

The U.S. federal building in Galveston, current home of the Galveston Division.

In 2007 criminal charges were filed against Judge Samuel B. Kent, the only District judge in the Galveston Division, who sat at the Federal Courthouse in Galveston, the oldest federal judgeship in the state.[6] Due to the litigation, Chief Judge Hayden Head transferred Kent and his staff to the Houston Division.[6][7] Judge Kent subsequently pled guilty, in February 2009, to obstruction of justice and, after being impeached by the House of Representatives, resigned in June 2009.[8] The next month, it was announced that a Judge Kent's would remain vacant for the time being, and a replacement judge would be assigned to McAllen, due to the increase in cases in the Texas border area concerning subjects such as drugs and immigration.[9] In April 2012 the U.S. Senate confirmed Gregg Costa as a federal judge and assigned him to fill the vacant judicial seat in Galveston.[6]

Jurisdiction [edit]

Bob Casey Federal Courthouse in Downtown Houston

The jurisdiction of the Southern District of Texas is divided as follows:

Current judges [edit]

  • As of June 1, 2011, a vacancy exists due to Judge Janis Graham Jack's decision to assume senior status. No replacement nomination is pending.
  • As of December 31, 2012, a second vacancy exists due to Judge Hilda G. Tagle's decision to assume senior status. No replacement nomination is pending.
  • As of March 2, 2013, a third vacancy exists due to Judge Kenneth M. Hoyt's decision to assume senior status. No replacement nomination is pending.
# Title Judge Duty station Born Term of service Appointed by
Active Chief Senior
25 Chief Judge Ricardo Hinojosa McAllen 1950 1983–present 2009–present — Reagan
26 District Judge Lynn Nettleton Hughes Houston 1941 1985–present — — Reagan
29 District Judge Sim Lake Houston 1944 1988–present — — Reagan
30 District Judge Melinda Harmon Houston 1946 1989–present — — G.H.W. Bush
34 District Judge Lee Hyman Rosenthal Houston 1952 1992–present — — G.H.W. Bush
36 District Judge Vanessa Gilmore Houston 1956 1994–present — — Clinton
37 District Judge Nancy Friedman Atlas Houston 1949 1995–present — — Clinton
39 District Judge Keith P. Ellison Houston 1950 1999–present — — Clinton
40 District Judge Randy Crane McAllen 1965 2002–present — — G.W. Bush
41 District Judge Andrew S. Hanen Brownsville 1953 2002–present — — G.W. Bush
42 District Judge Micaela Alvarez McAllen 1958 2004–present — — G.W. Bush
43 District Judge Gray Hampton Miller Houston 1948 2006–present — — G.W. Bush
44 District Judge Diana Saldaña Laredo 1971 2011–present — — Obama
45 District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos Corpus Christi 1965 2011–present — — Obama
46 District Judge Marina Marmolejo Laredo 1971 2011–present — — Obama
47 District Judge Gregg Costa Galveston 1972 2012–present — — Obama
48 District Judge vacant — — — — — —
49 District Judge vacant — — — — — —
50 District Judge vacant — — — — — —
12 Senior District Judge Carl Olaf Bue Jr. inactive 1922 1970–1987 — 1987–present Nixon
20 Senior District Judge George P. Kazen Laredo 1940 1979–2009 1996–2003 2009–present Carter
24 Senior District Judge Hayden Wilson Head, Jr. Corpus Christi 1944 1981–2009 2003–2009 2009–present Reagan
27 Senior District Judge David Hittner Houston 1939 1986–2004 — 2004–present Reagan
28 Senior District Judge Kenneth M. Hoyt Houston/Galveston 1948 1988–2013 — 2013–present Reagan
31 Senior District Judge John David Rainey Victoria 1945 1990–2010 — 2010–present G.H.W. Bush
33 Senior District Judge Ewing Werlein, Jr. Houston 1936 1992–2006 — 2006–present G.H.W. Bush
35 Senior District Judge Janis Graham Jack Corpus Christi 1946 1994–2011 — 2011–present Clinton
38 Senior District Judge Hilda G. Tagle Brownsville 1946 1998–2012 — 2012–present Clinton

Former judges [edit]

Judge Appointed by Began active
service		 Ended active
service		 Ended senior
status		 End reason
James Allred Franklin D. Roosevelt 01939-02-23February 23, 1939 01942-05-15May 15, 1942 – resignation
James Allred Harry S. Truman 01949-10-13October 13, 1949 01959-09-24September 24, 1959 – death
Norman William Black Jimmy Carter 01979-05-11May 11, 1979 01996-12-06December 6, 1996 01997-07-23July 23, 1997 death
Waller Thomas Burns Theodore Roosevelt 01902-04-22April 22, 1902 01917-11-17November 17, 1917 – death
George Edward Cire Jimmy Carter 01979-05-11May 11, 1979 01985-05-05May 5, 1985 – death
Ben Clarkson Connally Harry S. Truman 01949-10-13October 13, 1949 01974-12-28December 28, 1974 01975-12-02December 2, 1975 death
Finis E. Cowan Jimmy Carter 01977-06-14June 14, 1977 01979-06-30June 30, 1979 – resignation
Owen DeVol Cox Richard Nixon 01970-12-01December 1, 1970 01981-03-20March 20, 1981 01990-07-21July 21, 1990 death
James DeAnda Jimmy Carter 01979-05-11May 11, 1979 01992-10-01October 1, 1992 – retirement
Reynaldo Guerra Garza John F. Kennedy 01961-04-14April 14, 1961 01979-08-01August 1, 1979 – reappointment
Hugh Gibson Jimmy Carter 01979-10-05October 5, 1979 01989-11-01November 1, 1989 01998-06-18June 18, 1998 death
Allen Burroughs Hannay Franklin D. Roosevelt 01942-08-12August 12, 1942 01975-08-06August 6, 1975 01983-10-22October 22, 1983 death
Joseph Chappell Hutcheson, Jr. Woodrow Wilson 01918-04-06April 6, 1918 01931-01-26January 26, 1931 – reappointment
Joe McDonald Ingraham Dwight D. Eisenhower 01954-08-06August 6, 1954 01969-12-31December 31, 1969 – reappointment
Thomas Martin Kennerly Herbert Hoover 01931-02-07February 7, 1931 01954-08-29August 29, 1954 01962-07-29July 29, 1962 death
Samuel B. Kent George H. W. Bush 01990-10-01October 1, 1990 02009-02-23February 23, 2009 – resigned effective June 30, 2009 after being impeached
Gabrielle Kirk McDonald Jimmy Carter 01979-05-11May 11, 1979 01988-08-14August 14, 1988 – resignation
James Latane Noel, Jr. John F. Kennedy 01961-10-05October 5, 1961[10] 01976-12-15December 15, 1976 01997-08-29August 29, 1997 death
Robert J. O'Conor, Jr. Gerald Ford 01975-04-25April 25, 1975 01984-09-30September 30, 1984 – resignation
Woodrow Bradley Seals Lyndon B. Johnson 01966-07-23July 23, 1966 01982-12-25December 25, 1982 01990-10-27October 27, 1990 death
John Virgil Singleton, Jr. Lyndon B. Johnson 01966-07-22July 22, 1966 01988-04-01April 1, 1988 01992-06-01June 1, 1992 retirement
Ross N. Sterling Gerald Ford 01976-05-07May 7, 1976 01988-01-14January 14, 1988 – death
Filemon Bartolome Vela Jimmy Carter 01980-06-18June 18, 1980 02000-05-01May 1, 2000 02004-04-13April 13, 2004 death

On Thursday, May 17, 2012, President Barack Obama nominated Gary Blankinship, of Pasadena, Texas, a former Vice President for the National Association of Police Organizations, to be United States Marshal for the Southern District of Texas for the term of four years, to succeed Ruben Monzon, who had resigned. Formerly, he had been a Senior Police Officer with the Houston Police Department, working there from 1982 until 2012. Prior to that, he had served with the Harris County Sheriff's Department.[11][12]

See also [edit]

Notes [edit]

  1. ^ National Park Service Archaeological Field Inspection
  2. ^ U.S. Department of Justice: 2002 Centennial Report, pgs. 1, 10
  3. ^ a b Southern District of Texas: History of the District
  4. ^ General Services Administration: U.S. Custom House, Galveston, Texas
  5. ^ Galveston Historical Foundation: More About the Custom House
  6. ^ a b c Paschenko, Chris (2012-04-27). "Senate confirms Costa for isle federal judgeship". Galveston County Daily News. Retrieved 2012-04-27. 
  7. ^ http://www.txs.uscourts.gov/district/genord/2007/2007-17.pdf Southern District of Texas General Order 2007–17
  8. ^ Flood, Marry (2009-02-23). "Judge Kent accepts plea deal and retires from bench". Retrieved 2009-02-23. 
  9. ^ Rice, Harvey (2009-07-09). "Kent's judgeship in Galveston moving to McAllen". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 2009-07-22. "The Galveston federal courthouse where disgraced former U.S. District Judge Samuel Kent presided for 18 years will remain vacant and his replacement moved to McAllen, the chief judge of the Southern District said Thursday. [...] The decision to move the post from Galveston to McAllen was made because few cases are heard in Galveston while immigration and drug cases are swamping judges in courts near the border, Chief Judge Hayden Head said." (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/5iS6Y7PYp)
  10. ^ Recess appointment; formally nominated on January 15, 1962, confirmed by the United States Senate on March 16, 1962, and received commission on March 17, 1962.
  11. ^ http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2012/05/17/presidential-nominations-sent-senate
  12. ^ http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2012/05/17/president-obama-nominates-gary-blankinship-serve-us-marshal

External links [edit]

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