United states district court northern district of ohio eastern division

Northern District of Ohio
Sixth Circuit
United states district court northern district of ohio eastern division
Judgeships
Posts: 11
Judges: 11
Vacancies: 0
Judges
Chief: Patricia Gaughan
Active judges: John R. Adams, Pamela A. Barker, Bridget Brennan, J. Philip Calabrese, Charles Fleming, Patricia Gaughan, Jeffrey J. Helmick, James Knepp, Sara Lioi, Benita Pearson, David A. Ruiz

Senior judges:
Christopher Boyko, James Carr, Peter Economus, James Gwin, Donald Nugent, Solomon Oliver, Dan Polster, Jack Zouhary

The United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio is one of 94 United States district courts. The main courthouse is located in Cleveland, Ohio, along with other offices in Toledo, Akron, and Youngstown. When decisions of the court are appealed, they are appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit based in downtown Cincinnati at the Potter A. Stewart Federal Courthouse and Building.

Vacancies

See also: Current federal judicial vacancies

There are no current vacancies on the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, out of the court's 11 judicial positions.

Pending nominations

There are no pending nominees for this court.

Active judges

Article III judges

JudgeAppointed ByAssumed OfficeBachelorsLaw

Patricia Gaughan

Bill Clinton (D)

December 26, 1995 -

St. Mary's College, 1975

Notre Dame Law School, 1978

John R. Adams

George W. Bush (R)

February 12, 2003 -

Bowling Green State University, 1978

University of Akron School of Law, 1983

Sara Lioi

George W. Bush (R)

March 14, 2007 -

Bowling Green State University, 1983

The Ohio State University, Moritz School of Law, 1987

Benita Pearson

Barack Obama (D)

December 27, 2010 -

Georgetown University, 1985

Cleveland State University, Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, 1995

Jeffrey J. Helmick

Barack Obama (D)

June 7, 2012 -

University of Michigan, 1983

The Ohio State University, Moritz School of Law, 1988

Pamela A. Barker

Donald Trump (R)

June 18, 2019 -

Kenyon College, 1979

Ohio State University, 1982

James Knepp

Donald Trump (R)

November 13, 2020 -

Mount Union College, 1986

University of Toledo College of Law, 1992

J. Philip Calabrese

Donald Trump (R)

December 3, 2020 -

College of the Holy Cross, 1993

Harvard Law School, 2000

Bridget Brennan

Joe Biden (D)

February 8, 2022 -

John Carroll University, 1997

Case Western Reserve University School of Law, 2000

Charles Fleming

Joe Biden (D)

February 8, 2022 -

Kent State University, 1986

Case Western Reserve University School of Law, 1990

David A. Ruiz

Joe Biden (D)

February 8, 2022 -

Ohio State University, 1997

Ohio State University, Moritz College of Law, 2000

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: 6
  • Republican appointed: 5

Senior judges

JudgeAppointed ByAssumed OfficeBachelorsLaw

Peter Economus

Bill Clinton (D)

July 3, 2009 -

Youngstown State University, 1967

University of Akron School of Law, 1970

James Carr

Bill Clinton (D)

June 1, 2010 -

Kenyon College, 1966

Harvard Law School, 1969

Donald Nugent

Bill Clinton (D)

January 1, 2017 -

Xavier University, 1970

Cleveland State University, Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, 1974

Jack Zouhary

George W. Bush (R)

July 1, 2019 -

Dartmouth College, 1973

University of Toledo College of Law, 1976

Christopher Boyko

George W. Bush (R)

January 6, 2020 -

Mount Union College, 1976

Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, 1979

Dan Polster

Bill Clinton (D)

January 31, 2021 -

Harvard College, 1972

Harvard Law School, 1976

James Gwin

Bill Clinton (D)

January 31, 2021 -

Kenyon College, 1976

University of Akron School of Law, 1979

Solomon Oliver

Bill Clinton (D)

February 15, 2021 -

College of Wooster, 1969

New York University School of Law, 1972

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: 6
  • Republican appointed: 2

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.[1]

JudgeAppointed ByAssumed OfficeBachelorsLaw

William Baughman

February 16, 2000 -

Saint Vincent College

Notre Dame Law

Thomas Parker

March 25, 2016 -

Miami University

Case Western Reserve University

Jonathan D. Greenberg

August 18, 2016 -

Carmen Henderson

United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio

July 1, 2020 -

Darrell Clay

May 14, 2021 -

Amanda Knapp

United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio

October 1, 2021 -

University of Pennsylvania, 1999

Harvard Law School, 2002

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.[2]

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.[3][4][5]

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.[3][4][5]

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.[2][3][4][5]

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.[6]

  • Solomon Oliver - (2010 - 2017)
  • James G. Carr - (2004 - 2010)
  • Paul Matia - (1999 - 2004)
  • George White - (1995 - 1999)
  • Thomas Lambros - (1990 - 1995)
  • Frank Battisti - (1969 - 1990)
  • Girard Kalbfleisch - (1967 - 1969)
  • James Connell - (1960 - 1967)
  • Charles McNamee - (1960 - 1960)
  • Frank Kloeb - (1959 - 1960)
  • Paul Jones - (1948 - 1959)

Former judges

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

Jurisdiction

United states district court northern district of ohio eastern division

The counties of the Northern District of Ohio (click for larger map)

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

The geographic jurisdiction of the Northern District of Ohio consists of all the following counties in the northern part of the state of Ohio.

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

The Eastern Division, covering Ashland, Ashtabula, Carroll, Crawford, Columbiana, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Holmes, Lake, Lorain, Mahoning, Medina, Portage, Richland, Stark, Summit, Trumbull, Tuscarawas and Wayne counties.

The Western Division, covering Allen, Auglaize, Defiance, Erie, Fulton, Hancock, Hardin, Henry, Huron, Lucas, Marion, Mercer, Ottawa, Paulding, Putnam, Sandusky, Seneca, Van Wert, Williams, Wood and Wyandot counties.

Caseloads

This section contains court management statistics dating back to 2010. It was last updated in May 2021. 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 Ohio caseload stats, 2010-2019
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 4,575 5,641 5,071 11 19 416 12 7 14 304 7
2011 6,895 4,412 7,294 11 12 627 16 7 10 571 8
2012 8,406 5,168 10,833 11 5 764 11 8 10 337 3
2013 5,641 4,665 11,830 11 0 513 13 8 9 303 3
2014 4,628 5,528 10,919 11 0 421 12 9 13 2,817 27
2015 5,578 8,220 8,852 11 0 507 11 8 25 3,222 39
2016 4,666 8,198 5,350 11 0 424 11 8 23 1,127 23
2017 4,422 4,541 5,246 11 12 402 11 9 10 1,237 27
2018 5,926 4,524 6,509 11 12 539 13 8 9 1,241 22
2019 5,925 5,386 7,050 11 11 539 12 9 10 805 13
Average 5,666 5,628 7,895 11 7 515 12 8 13 1,196 17

History

On February 19, 1803, the State of Ohio was organized as a judicial district with one judgeship authorized for this U.S. district court. This district court was not yet assigned to a judicial circuit and was therefore granted the same jurisdiction as the United States circuit courts, excluding appeals and writs of error, which are the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court.

On February 24, 1807, Statute 2 Stat. 420 repealed the authority of the district court in Ohio to exercise the jurisdiction of the U.S. circuit courts. The district of Ohio was reassigned to the newly organized Seventh Circuit, providing for a United States circuit court for the district.

The State of Ohio divided into two judicial districts on February 10, 1855. These judicial districts were known as the Northern District of Ohio and the Southern District of Ohio. One judgeship was assigned to each of these districts, with the district judge serving the District of Ohio being reassigned to serve the Southern District of Ohio.

Congress went on to reorganize the circuits on July 23, 1866, and assigned the state of Ohio to the Sixth Circuit. Over time, 11 additional judicial posts were added for a total of 12 current posts.[7]

Judicial posts

The following table highlights the development of judicial posts for the Northern District of Ohio:[7]

Year Statute Total Seats
February 10, 1855 10 Stat. 604 1
December 19, 1900 31 Stat 726 2 (1 temporary)
February 24, 1910 36 Stat. 202 2
September 14, 1922 42 Stat. 837 3
May 1, 1941 55 Stat. 148 4
February 10, 1954 68 Stat. 8 5
May 19, 1961 75 Stat. 80 7
March 18, 1966 80 Stat. 75 7
June 2, 1970 84 Stat. 294 8
October 20, 1978 92 Stat. 1629 10
July 10, 1984 98 Stat. 347 11
December 1, 1990 104 Stat. 5089 12 (1 temporary)
December 27, 2010 Post Expired 11

Noteworthy cases

For a searchable list of opinions, please see Justia.com-Dockets and Filings-Northern District of Ohio.

Federal courthouse

Four separate courthouses serve the Northern District of Ohio and are located in Akron, Cleveland, Toledo, and Youngstown.[8]

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.[9][10]

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.[11]

Appointments by president

The chart below shows the number of district court judges confirmed by the U.S. Senate through October 1 of the second year of each president's term in office. At this point in the term, President Clinton had the most district court appointments with 83.

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.[10]

Step
United states district court northern district of ohio eastern division
Candidacy Proceeds
United states district court northern district of ohio eastern division
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.[12]

See also

  • United States Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit
  • Eastern District of Kentucky
  • Western District of Kentucky
  • Eastern District of Michigan
  • Western District of Michigan
  • Southern District of Ohio
  • Eastern District of Tennessee
  • Middle District of Tennessee
  • Western District of Tennessee
  • Search Google News for this topic
  • United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio
  • US Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Ohio
  • Judges of the Northern District of Ohio
  • Opinions of the Northern District of Ohio

Footnotes

  1. Federal Judicial Center, "Magistrate Judgeships," accessed April 29, 2021
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 United States Courts, "Frequently Asked Questions," accessed January 25, 2022
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Cornell Law School Legal Information Institute, "28 U.S. Code § 136 - Chief judges; precedence of district judges," accessed January 25, 2022
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Cornell Law School Legal Information Institute, "28 U.S. Code § 258 - Chief judges; precedence of judges," accessed January 25, 2022
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Cornell Law School Legal Information Institute, "28 U.S. Code § 45 - Chief judges; precedence of judges," accessed January 25, 2022
  6. Cornell Law School Legal Information Institute, "28 U.S. Code § 171 - Appointment and number of judges; character of court; designation of chief judge," accessed January 25, 2022
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Federal Judicial Center, "History of the Northern District of Ohio"
  8. Northern District of Ohio, "Court Locations," accessed May 10, 2021
  9. US Courts, "Federal Judgeships," accessed May 10, 2021 (archived)
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 U.S. Courts, "United States District Court Federal Judiciary Frequently Asked Questions," accessed May 10, 2021 (archived)
  11. United States District Courts, "District Courts," accessed May 10, 2021
  12. The 'Lectric Law Library, "Understanding the U.S. federal courts"

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U.S. Circuit Courts and District Courts
 

First Circuit

District of Maine • District of Massachusetts • District of New Hampshire • District of Puerto Rico • District of Rhode Island

 

Second Circuit

District of Connecticut • Eastern District of New York • Northern District of New York • Southern District of New York • Western District of New York • District of Vermont

 

Third Circuit

District of Delaware • District of New Jersey • Eastern District of Pennsylvania • Middle District of Pennsylvania • Western District of Pennsylvania

 

Fourth Circuit

District of Maryland • Eastern District of North Carolina • Middle District of North Carolina • Western District of North Carolina • District of South Carolina • Eastern District of Virginia • Western District of Virginia • Northern District of West Virginia • Southern District of West Virginia

 

Fifth Circuit

Eastern District of Louisiana • Middle District of Louisiana • Western District of Louisiana • Northern District of Mississippi • Southern District of Mississippi • Eastern District of Texas • Northern District of Texas • Southern District of Texas • Western District of Texas

 

Sixth Circuit

Eastern District of Kentucky • Western District of Kentucky • Eastern District of Michigan • Western District of Michigan • Northern District of Ohio • Southern District of Ohio • Eastern District of Tennessee • Middle District of Tennessee • Western District of Tennessee

 

Seventh Circuit

Central District of Illinois • Northern District of Illinois • Southern District of Illinois • Northern District of Indiana • Southern District of Indiana • Eastern District of Wisconsin • Western District of Wisconsin

 

Eighth Circuit

Eastern District of Arkansas • Western District of Arkansas • Northern District of Iowa • Southern District of Iowa • District of Minnesota • Eastern District of Missouri • Western District of Missouri • District of Nebraska • District of North Dakota • District of South Dakota

 

Ninth Circuit

District of Alaska • District of Arizona • Central District of California • Eastern District of California • Northern District of California • Southern District of California • District of Hawaii • District of Idaho • District of Montana • District of Nevada • District of Oregon • Eastern District of Washington • Western District of Washington

 

Tenth Circuit

District of Colorado • District of Kansas • District of New Mexico • Eastern District of Oklahoma • Northern District of Oklahoma • Western District of Oklahoma • District of Utah • District of Wyoming

 

Eleventh Circuit

Middle District of Alabama • Northern District of Alabama • Southern District of Alabama • Middle District of Florida • Northern District of Florida • Southern District of Florida • Middle District of Georgia • Northern District of Georgia • Southern District of Georgia

United states district court northern district of ohio eastern division

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Federal judges who have served the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio
Active judges

Chief Judge: Patricia Gaughan   •  John R. Adams (United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio judge)  •  Sara Lioi  •  Benita Pearson  •  Pamela A. Barker  •  Jeffrey J. Helmick  •  James Knepp (Ohio)  •  David A. Ruiz (Ohio)  •  Philip Calabrese  •  Bridget Brennan  •  Charles Fleming (Ohio)

Senior judges

James G. Carr (Ohio)  •  Christopher Boyko  •  Peter Economus  •  James Gwin  •  Donald Nugent  •  Solomon Oliver  •  Dan Polster  •  Jack Zouhary  •  

Magistrate judges William Baughman  •  Thomas Parker (Ohio)  •  Jonathan D. Greenberg  •  Darrell Clay  •  Amanda Knapp  •  Carmen Henderson  •  
Former Article III judges

Ann Aldrich  •  Sam Bell (Ohio)  •  David Dowd  •  David Katz (Ohio)  •  Lesley Wells  •  Kathleen M. O'Malley  •  Alice Batchelder  •  Robert Krupansky  •  Leroy Contie  •  Hiram V. Willson  •  Charles Taylor Sherman  •  Martin Welker  •  Augustus Ricks  •  Francis Joseph Wing  •  Robert Walker Tayler  •  William Louis Day  •  John Milton Killits  •  John Hessin Clarke  •  David Westenhaver  •  Paul Jones (Ohio)  •  George Philip Hahn  •  Frank Kloeb  •  George White (Ohio)  •  Frank Battisti  •  James Connell  •  Emerich Freed  •  Ben Green  •  Girard Kalbfleisch  •  Alvin Krenzler  •  Thomas Lambros  •  John Manos  •  Paul Matia  •  Charles McNamee  •  Richard McQuade  •  William K. Thomas (Ohio federal judge)  •  Nicholas Walinski  •  Samuel West  •  Robert Wilkin  •  Don Young (Ohio)  •  Paul Weick  •  

Former Chief judges

James G. Carr (Ohio)  •  Solomon Oliver  •  Paul Jones (Ohio)  •  Frank Kloeb  •  George White (Ohio)  •  Frank Battisti  •  James Connell  •  Girard Kalbfleisch  •  Thomas Lambros  •  Paul Matia  •  Charles McNamee  •  

United states district court northern district of ohio eastern division

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Can you look up court cases in Ohio?

PACER (Public Access Court Electronic Records) The Public Access Court Electronic Records (PACER) System contains docket sheet information on most criminal and civil cases that are unavailable through the CM/ECF System. A national District Court case and party index is also available through PACER.

How do I find someone's court records?

There are three ways to look at court records: Go to the courthouse and ask to look at paper records. Go to the courthouse and look at electronic court records. If your court offers it, look at electronic records over the internet.

How do I look up federal court cases in Ohio?

Federal case files are maintained electronically and are available through the internet-based Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) service. PACER allows anyone with an account to search and locate appellate, district, and bankruptcy court case and docket information. Register for a PACER account.

Where is the United States District Court Northern District of Ohio located?

United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio
(N.D. Ohio)
Location
Carl B. Stokes U.S. Courthouse (Cleveland) More locations John F. Seiberling Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse (Akron) James M. Ashley and Thomas W.L. Ashley U.S. Courthouse (Toledo) Youngstown Lima
Appeals to
Sixth Circuit
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