United States District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana
| Middle District of Louisiana |
|---|
| Fifth Circuit |
|
| Judgeships |
| Posts: 3 |
| Judges: 3 |
| Vacancies: 0 |
| Judges |
| Chief: Shelly Deckert Dick |
| Active judges: Shelly Deckert Dick, Brian Jackson, John W. deGravelles Senior judges: |
The United States Court for the Middle District of Louisiana is one of 94 United States district courts. When decisions of the court are appealed, they are appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit based in New Orleans at the John Minor Wisdom Federal Courthouse.
Vacancies
- See also: Current federal judicial vacancies
There are no current vacancies on the United States District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana, out of the court's three judicial positions.
Pending nominations
There are no pending nominees for this court.
Active judges
Article III judges
| Judge | Appointed By | Assumed Office | Bachelors | Law |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 15, 2010 - |
Xavier University, 1982 |
Southern University Law, 1985 |
||
| May 10, 2013 - |
University of Texas, 1981 |
Louisiana State University, Paul M. Hebert Law Center, 1988 |
||
| July 23, 2014 - |
Louisiana State University, 1971 |
Louisiana State University, Paul M. Hebert Law Center, 1974 |
Active Article III judges by appointing political party
Below is a display of 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.
- Democratic appointed: 3
- Republican appointed: 0
Senior judges
There are no judges matching these criteria.
Senior judges by appointing political party
Below is a display of 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.
No data found.
Magistrate judges
| Judge | Appointed By | Assumed Office | Bachelors | Law |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
United States District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana |
February 20, 2013 - |
Louisiana State University, 1998 |
Georgetown University Law Center, 2001 |
|
|
United States District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana |
January 4, 2016 - |
The University of Iowa, 1995 |
Louisiana State University School of Law, 1999 |
|
|
United States District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana |
February 18, 2020 - |
Louisiana State University, 1990 |
University of Pennsylvania, 1993 |
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.[1]
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.[2][3][4]
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.[2][3][4]
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.[1][2][3][4]
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.[5]
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Former judges
For more information about the judges of the Middle District of Louisiana, see former federal judges of the Middle District of Louisiana.
Jurisdiction
The Middle District of Louisiana 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 Middle District of Louisiana consists of all the following parishes in the middle part of the state of Louisiana.[6]
Caseloads
This section contains court management statistics dating back to 2010. It was last updated in September 2025. 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. | ||||||||
| United States District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana caseload stats, 2010-2024 | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | 1,119 | 1,174 | 1,268 | 3 | 5 | 373 | 30 | 13 | 9 | 91 | 9 |
| 2011 | 1,090 | 1,131 | 1,167 | 3 | 5 | 363 | 36 | 12 | 11 | 79 | 8 |
| 2012 | 1,129 | 1,176 | 1,178 | 3 | 12 | 376 | 31 | 8 | 11 | 61 | 7 |
| 2013 | 1,085 | 1,089 | 1,166 | 3 | 4 | 362 | 28 | 8 | 11 | 45 | 5 |
| 2014 | 1,031 | 1,067 | 1,113 | 3 | 12 | 344 | 28 | 9 | 13 | 36 | 4 |
| 2015 | 1,169 | 1,018 | 1,266 | 3 | 0 | 390 | 40 | 8 | 11 | 33 | 3 |
| 2016 | 1,104 | 1,083 | 1,283 | 3 | 0 | 368 | 46 | 10 | 12 | 52 | 5 |
| 2017 | 2,078 | 1,115 | 2,253 | 3 | 0 | 693 | 34 | 11 | 11 | 48 | 2 |
| 2018 | 1,396 | 1,262 | 2,386 | 3 | 0 | 465 | 41 | 9 | 11 | 43 | 2 |
| 2019 | 1,136 | 1,511 | 2,013 | 3 | 0 | 379 | 38 | 10 | 17 | 53 | 3 |
| 2020 | 1,051 | 1,459 | 1,612 | 3 | 0 | 350 | 27 | 12 | 26 | 228 | 17 |
| 2021 | 878 | 1,137 | 1,345 | 3 | 0 | 293 | 33 | 13 | 16 | 134 | 12 |
| 2022 | 1,335 | 1,150 | 1,537 | 3 | 0 | 445 | 26 | 15 | 14 | 68 | 5 |
| 2023 | 1,894 | 1,384 | 2,044 | 3 | 0 | 631 | 27 | 11 | 10 | 59 | 3 |
| 2024 | 1,204 | 1,563 | 1,694 | 3 | 0 | 401 | 19 | 11 | 10 | 60 | 4 |
| Average | 1,247 | 1,221 | 1,555 | 3 | 3 | 416 | 32 | 11 | 13 | 73 | 6 |
History
Federal courts in Louisiana were established by Congress on March 26, 1804, with one post to cover the territory of Orleans. This was the only time that Congress granted a district court with the same jurisdiction as the state courts to a territory. On March 3, 1823, Congress divided the district into the Eastern District of Louisiana and the Western District of Louisiana. On February 13, 1845, Congress consolidated the districts into one district, with one post over the entire state. On March 3, 1849, Congress again divided the district into the Eastern District of Louisiana and the Western District of Louisiana only to reunite it into one district again on July 27, 1866. Finally, Congress divided the district for the last time on March 3, 1881. Then on December 18, 1971, Congress split the Middle District of Louisiana from the two existing districts, resulting in the current jurisdictions. Over time, two additional judicial posts were added to the Middle District of Louisiana for a total of three posts.[7]
Judicial posts
The following table highlights the development of judicial posts for the Middle District of Louisiana:[7]
| Year | Statute | Total Seats |
| March 26, 1804 | 2 Stat. 283 | 1(Whole State) |
| December 18, 1971 | 85 Stat. 741 | 1 |
| October 20, 1978 | 92 Stat. 1629 | 2 |
| October 6, 1997 | 111 Stat. 1173 | 3 |
Noteworthy cases
For a searchable database of opinions, click here.
Mandatory display of the Ten Commandments in public classrooms (2024)
On June 19, 2024, Gov. Jeff Landry signed a bill into law that would require every public school classroom in Louisiana from kindergarten through college level to display the Ten Commandments by January 1, 2025. House Bill 71, sponsored by Rep. Dodie Horton (R), contains language, display, and funding specifics for classroom copies of the Ten Commandments.[8] This is not the first bill on this topic, but it is the first in the nation to pass since a similar Kentucky law was struck down by the Supreme Court in 1980.[9]
In a statement in defense of the bill, Rep. Horton said, "Given all of the junk our children are exposed to in the classrooms today, it is imperative that we put the Ten Commandments back into its historic position. We have every confidence that it will survive legal scrutiny."[10]
On June 24, a group of Louisiana parents whose children attend publicly-funded schools filed a lawsuit challenging the law. Reverend Jeff Simms, a plaintiff on the case, stated, "This new law doesn't just interfere with my and my children's religious freedom, it tramples on it. The separation of church and state means that families get to decide if, when and how their children should be introduced to religious Scripture and texts, not the state."[10][11]
On July 23, Judge John W. deGravelles approved a temporary hold on the law until November 15, 2024, which was agreed on by the plaintiffs and the state. The hearing began on September 30 and lasted until mid-November.[12] On November 12, Judge deGravelles declared the law unconstitutional as it conflicted with precedent set by the U.S. Supreme Court and violated the religious rights of public school students.[13]
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill filed an appeal to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit after the ruling in November. On January 23, 2025, Judges Irma Ramirez, James Dennis, and Catharina Haynes heard oral arguments for the appeal. A decision is expected in the spring of 2025.[14]
| • Man sentenced for threatening former U.S. Attorney (2014) Judge(s):James J. Brady (U.S. v. Estrade) | Click for summary→ |
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On March 3, 2014, Judge James J. Brady sentenced Gerald P. Estrade to forty-one months in prison plus three years of supervised release for making death threats against Jim Letten, former U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana.[15] In the underlying case, Estrade told medical staff at a Baton Rouge, Louisiana, medical facility that he swallowed pills as part of a suicide attempt. While undergoing treatment, he indicated that he planned to buy a firearm, go to Letten's house, kill the federal public official and his family, and then kill himself. Estrade confessed to federal agents that he'd previously made threats against Letten's life while serving as a state prison inmate. Estrade pleaded guilty to his most recent threats against Letten in November 2013.[15] Judge Brady recommended that Estrade receive mental health treatment while serving time in prison.[15] | |
| • Louisiana's death row inmates subjected to inhumane conditions (2013) Judge(s):Brian Jackson (Ball, et al v. LeBlanc, et al, 13-00368-BAJ-SCR) | Click for summary→ |
|---|---|
|
On December 19, 2013, Chief Judge Brian Jackson ruled that death row inmates' constitutional rights at the Louisiana State Penitentiary were being violated because of inhumane treatment, which the court deemed to be cruel and unusual punishment. In the underlying case, three inmates filed suit in June 2013, alleging that they endured extreme conditions in their cells during the summers when temperatures rose to more than 100 degrees. The prison's death row was the only area of the facility that was not air-conditioned. One week after filing suit, the plaintiffs filed a motion for a preliminary injunction to keep the temperatures at a reasonable level. The court instituted a monitoring period, and during that time, a prison official attempted to manipulate the temperatures to make it seem cooler than it actually was. Aside from that occasion, prison guards reportedly acted with "deliberate indifference" to the prisoners' circumstances. Chief Judge Jackson found the inmates' allegations of cruel and unusual punishment to constitute an Eighth Amendment violation, and ordered that officials at the Penitentiary develop a plan to reduce the heat in the death row cells to a temperature of 88 degrees or below. He further ordered that death row prisoners be afforded one cold shower per day and access to ice and cold drinking water throughout the day, noting that "financial considerations [would] not be considered a legitimate reason for Defendants’ failure to comply with [his] order," because their "purported financial hardships 'can never be an adequate justification for depriving any person of his constitutional rights.'" Chief Judge Jackson further ruled that his order applied to all death row inmates, not just the ones who brought suit. Prison officials indicated that they would appeal the ruling to the United States Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit.[16][17] | |
| • Louisiana tax firm shut down in federal suit (2013) Judge(s):James J. Brady (United States v. Ann M. Williams, etc., 3:13-cv-00221) | Click for summary→ |
|---|---|
|
The U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana permanently prohibited Ann Williams, owner of tax preparation firm Ann's Tax Service, from preparing federal returns for clients. According to a government complaint, the firm repeatedly slanted customers' tax liability by misreporting business income, exaggerating and fabricating business expenses, and falsely claiming the Earned Income Credit. The government estimated that as much as $2.2 million in tax revenue was lost as a result of the fraud.[18] While Williams and her firm did not admit to the allegations brought against them, they agreed to the civil injunction order issued on April 10 by Louisiana Judge James J. Brady. The U.S. Attorney's Office of the Middle District of Louisiana acted as local counsel for the lawsuit.[18] | |
Federal courthouse
The Middle District of Louisiana has one federal courthouse.
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.[19][20]
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.[21]
Appointments by president
The chart below shows the number of district court judges confirmed by the U.S. Senate through October 1 of the first year of presidents' second term in office. At this point in the term, President Obama had the most district court appointments with 21.
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.[20]
| Step |  Candidacy Proceeds
|
 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.[22]
See also
- United States Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit
- United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana
- United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana
- United States District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi
- United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi
- United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas
- United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas
- United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas
- United States District Court for the Western District of Texas
External links
- Search Google News for this topic
- United States District Court for the Louisiana Middle District
- U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Louisiana
- Judges of the Middle District of Louisiana
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 United States Courts, "Frequently Asked Questions," accessed January 25, 2022
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Cornell Law School Legal Information Institute, "28 U.S. Code § 136 - Chief judges; precedence of district judges," accessed January 25, 2022
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Cornell Law School Legal Information Institute, "28 U.S. Code § 258 - Chief judges; precedence of judges," accessed January 25, 2022
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Cornell Law School Legal Information Institute, "28 U.S. Code § 45 - Chief judges; precedence of judges," accessed January 25, 2022
- ↑ 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
- ↑ Cornell Law School, 28 U.S.C. § 98(a)
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Federal Judicial Center, "U.S. District Courts for the Districts of Louisiana," accessed May 12, 2021
- ↑ AP News, "New law requires all Louisiana public school classrooms to display the Ten Commandments," June 20, 2024
- ↑ The New York Times, "Louisiana’s Ten Commandments Law Signals a Broader Christian Agenda," June 21, 2024
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 NOLA.com, "Louisiana is sued over new law requiring public schools to post Ten Commandments," June 24, 2024
- ↑ Americans United for Separation of Church and State, "Rev. Roake v. Brumley," June 24, 2024
- ↑ The 74 Million, "Louisiana Delays Ten Commandments in Classrooms while Law is Challenged," July 23, 2024
- ↑ Reuters, "US judge declares Louisiana's Ten Commandments law unconstitutional," November 12, 2024
- ↑ Louisiana Illuminator, "Louisiana’s Ten Commandments law undergoes 5th Circuit judges’ scrutiny," January 24, 2025
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 The Advocate, "BR man gets 41 months in prison for threatening to kill Jim Letten," March 3, 2014
- ↑ Digital Journal, "Federal judge: Louisiana death row inmates endure deadly heat," December 23, 2013
- ↑ Times Picayune, "Judge rules heat levels on Angola death row subject inmates to 'cruel and unusual punishment'," December 19, 2013
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 U.S. Department of Justice, "Federal Court Shuts Down Louisiana Tax Return Preparer," April 10, 2013
- ↑ US Courts, "Federal Judgeships," accessed May 10, 2021 (archived)
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 U.S. Courts, "United States District Court Federal Judiciary Frequently Asked Questions," accessed May 10, 2021 (archived)
- ↑ United States District Courts, "District Courts," accessed May 10, 2021
- ↑ The 'Lectric Law Library, "Understanding the U.S. federal courts"
| |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Active judges |
Chief Judge: Shelly Deckert Dick • Brian Jackson (Louisiana) • John W. deGravelles | ||
| Senior judges |
| ||
| Magistrate judges | Richard L. Bourgeois, Jr. • Erin Wilder-Doomes • Scott Johnson (Louisiana) • | ||
| Former Article III judges |
Ralph Tyson • James J. Brady • John Parker (Louisiana) • Frank Polozola • Elmer West • | ||
| Former Chief judges |
Ralph Tyson • John Parker (Louisiana) • Frank Polozola • Elmer West • | ||
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