United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan

The United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan (in case citations, W.D. Mich.) is the federal district court with jurisdiction over the western portion of the state of Michigan, including the entire Upper Peninsula and the Lower Peninsula from Lansing westward.

United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan
(W.D. Mich.)
Location	Grand Rapids More locations Kalamazoo Lansing Marquette Traverse City Sault Ste. Marie
Appeals to	Sixth Circuit
Established	February 24, 1863
Judges	4
Chief Judge	Hala Y. Jarbou
Officers of the court
U.S. Attorney	(acting)
U.S. Marshal	(acting)
www.miwd.uscourts.gov

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

As of May 5, 2022^[update], the United States attorney for the Western District of Michigan is Mark Totten.

History

Old Federal Building in Sault Ste. Marie served as a courthouse of the Western District of Michigan; the court met there from 1912 until 1941.

The United States District Court for the District of Michigan was established on July 1, 1836, by 5 Stat. 61, with a single judgeship. The district court was not assigned to a judicial circuit, but was granted the same jurisdiction as United States circuit courts, except in appeals and writs of error, which were the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court. Due to the Toledo War, a boundary dispute with Ohio, Michigan did not become a state of the union until January 26, 1837. On March 3, 1837, Congress passed an act that repealed the circuit court jurisdiction of the U.S. District Court for the District of Michigan, assigned the District of Michigan to the Seventh Circuit, and established a U.S. circuit court for the district, 5 Stat. 176.

On July 15, 1862, Congress reorganized the circuits and assigned Michigan to the Eighth Circuit by 12 Stat. 576, and on January 28, 1863, the Congress again reorganized Seventh and Eight Circuits and assigned Michigan to the Seventh Circuit, by 12 Stat. 637. On February 24, 1863, Congress divided the District of Michigan into the Eastern and the Western districts, with one judgeship authorized for each district, by 12 Stat. 660. The Western District was later further divided into a Southern Division and a Northern Division.

In the Northern Division, Court was held at the Old Federal Building in Sault Ste. Marie from 1912 until 1941. While the law allows court to be held in Sault Ste. Marie, it no longer is.

Jurisdiction

The District Court is based in Grand Rapids, courthouses also located in Kalamazoo, Lansing, and Marquette in the Upper Peninsula. The United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit has appellate jurisdiction over the court.

Divisions

The Western District comprises two divisions.

Northern Division

The Northern Division comprises the counties of Alger, Baraga, Chippewa, Delta, Dickinson, Gogebic, Houghton, Iron, Keweenaw, Luce, Mackinac, Marquette, Menominee, Ontonagon, and Schoolcraft.

Court for the Northern Division can be held in Marquette and Sault Sainte Marie.

Southern Division

The Southern Division comprises the counties of Allegan, Antrim, Barry, Benzie, Berrien, Branch, Calhoun, Cass, Charlevoix, Clinton, Eaton, Emmet, Grand Traverse, Hillsdale, Ingham, Ionia, Kalamazoo, Kalkaska, Kent, Lake, Leelanau, Manistee, Mason, Mecosta, Missaukee, Montcalm, Muskegon, Newaygo, Oceana, Osceola, Ottawa, Saint Joseph, Van Buren, and Wexford.

Court for the Southern Division can be held in Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Lansing, and Traverse City.

Notable cases

Some of the notable cases that have come before the United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan include:

• Bogaert v. Land
• Brown v. Davenport
• Carroll v. United States
• Lehnert v. Ferris Faculty Ass'n
• Newberry v. United States
• Upjohn Co. v. United States
• United States v. Bestfoods
• United States v. Craft
• United States v. Ogoshi

Current judges

As of January 4, 2023^[update]:

#	Title	Judge	Duty station	Born	Term of service			Appointed by
					Active	Chief	Senior
22	Chief Judge	Hala Y. Jarbou	Lansing	1971	2020–present	2022–present	—	Trump
19	District Judge	Paul Lewis Maloney	Kalamazoo	1949	2007–present	2008–2015	—	G.W. Bush
20	District Judge	Robert James Jonker	Grand Rapids	1960	2007–present	2015–2022	—	G.W. Bush
23	District Judge	Jane M. Beckering	Grand Rapids	1965	2021–present	—	—	Biden
18	Senior Judge	Gordon Jay Quist	inactive	1937	1992–2006	—	2006–present	G.H.W. Bush
21	Senior Judge	Janet T. Neff	Grand Rapids	1945	2007–2021	—	2021–present	G.W. Bush

Former judges

#	Judge	State	Born–died	Active service	Chief Judge	Senior status	Appointed by	Reason for termination
1	Solomon Lewis Withey	MI	1820–1886	1863–1886	—	—	Lincoln	death
2	Henry Franklin Severens	MI	1835–1923	1886–1900	—	—	Cleveland	elevation to 6th Cir.
3	George P. Wanty	MI	1856–1906	1900–1906	—	—	McKinley	death
4	Loyal Edwin Knappen	MI	1854–1930	1906–1910	—	—	T. Roosevelt	elevation to 6th Cir.
5	Arthur Carter Denison	MI	1861–1942	1910–1911	—	—	Taft	elevation to 6th Cir.
6	Clarence W. Sessions	MI	1859–1931	1911–1931	—	—	Taft	death
7	Fred Morton Raymond	MI	1876–1946	1925–1946	—	—	Coolidge	death
8	Raymond Wesley Starr	MI	1888–1968	1946–1961	1954–1961	1961–1968	Truman	death
9	W. Wallace Kent	MI	1916–1973	1954–1971	1961–1971	—	Eisenhower	elevation to 6th Cir.
10	Noel Peter Fox	MI	1910–1987	1962–1979	1971–1979	1979–1987	Kennedy	death
11	Albert J. Engel Jr.	MI	1924–2013	1970–1974	—	—	Nixon	elevation to 6th Cir.
12	Wendell Alverson Miles	MI	1916–2013	1974–1986	1979–1986	1986–2013	Nixon	death
13	Douglas Woodruff Hillman	MI	1922–2007	1979–1991	1986–1991	1991–2002	Carter	retirement
14	Benjamin F. Gibson	MI	1931–2021	1979–1996	1991–1995	1996–1999	Carter	retirement
15	Richard Alan Enslen	MI	1931–2015	1979–2005	1995–2001	2005–2015	Carter	death
16	Robert Holmes Bell	MI	1944–2023	1987–2017	2001–2008	2017–2023	Reagan	death
17	David McKeague	MI	1946–present	1992–2005	—	—	G.H.W. Bush	elevation to 6th Cir.

1. Recess appointment; formally nominated on December 8, 1925, confirmed by the United States Senate on December 18, 1925, and received commission the same day.

Chief judges

Chief judges have administrative responsibilities with respect to their district court. Unlike the Supreme Court, where one justice is specifically nominated to be chief, the office of chief judge rotates among the district court judges. To be chief, a judge must have been in active service on the court for at least one year, be under the age of 65, and have not previously served as chief judge.

A vacancy is filled by the judge highest in seniority among the group of qualified judges. The chief judge serves for a term of seven years, or until age 70, whichever occurs first. The age restrictions are waived if no members of the court would otherwise be qualified for the position.

When the office was created in 1948, the chief judge was the longest-serving judge who had not elected to retire, on what has since 1958 been known as senior status, or declined to serve as chief judge. After August 6, 1959, judges could not become or remain chief after turning 70 years old. The current rules have been in operation since October 1, 1982.

Succession of seats

Seat 1 Seat established on February 24, 1863 by 12 Stat. 660 Withey 1863–1886 Severens 1886–1900 Wanty 1900–1906 Knappen 1906–1910 Denison 1910–1911 Sessions 1911–1931 Seat abolished on April 1, 1931 pursuant to 43 Stat. 949

Seat 2 Seat established on February 17, 1925 by 43 Stat. 949 Raymond 1925–1946 Starr 1946–1961 Fox 1962–1979 Enslen 1979–2005 Maloney 2007–present

Seat 3 Seat established on February 10, 1954 by 68 Stat. 8 Kent 1954–1971 Engel, Jr. 1970–1974 Miles 1974–1986 Bell 1987–2017 Jarbou 2020–present

Seat 4 Seat established on October 20, 1978 by 92 Stat. 1629 Hillman 1979–1991 McKeague 1992–2005 Neff 2007–2021 Beckering 2021–present

Seat 5 Seat established on October 20, 1978 by 92 Stat. 1629 Gibson 1979–1996 Seat abolished on July 13, 1996 (temporary judgeship expired)

Seat 6 Seat established on December 1, 1990 by 104 Stat. 5089 (temporary) Seat became permanent upon the abolition of Seat 5 on July 13, 1996 Quist 1992–2006 Jonker 2007–present

See also

• Courts of Michigan
• List of current United States district judges
• List of United States federal courthouses in Michigan

References

1. "Mark A. Totten Sworn In As United States Attorney" (Press release). Grand Rapids, Michigan: U.S. Attorney's Office Western District of Michigan. May 5, 2022. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
2. U.S. District Courts of Michigan, Legislative history, Federal Judicial Center.
3. 28 U.S.C. § 102
4. "United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan". Retrieved March 3, 2014.

External links

• United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan Official Website
• United States Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Official Website

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