United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa
Southern District of Iowa |
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Eighth Circuit |
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Judgeships |
Posts: 3 |
Judges: 3 |
Vacancies: 0 |
Judges |
Chief: Stephanie Rose |
Active judges: Rebecca Goodgame Ebinger, Stephen Locher, Stephanie Rose Senior judges: |
The United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa is one of 94 United States district courts. It is headquartered in Des Moines, with satellite facilities in Council Bluffs and Davenport. When decisions of the court are appealed, they are appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, based in downtown St. Louis, Missouri, at the Thomas F. Eagleton Federal Courthouse and Building.
Vacancies
- See also: Current federal judicial vacancies
There are no current vacancies on the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa, 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 |
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September 17, 2012 - |
University of Iowa, 1994 |
University of Iowa Law, 1996 |
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February 16, 2016 - |
Georgetown University, 1997 |
Yale Law School, 2004 |
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July 18, 2022 - |
University of Notre Dame, 2000 |
Harvard Law School, 2003 |
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: 3
- Republican appointed: 0
Senior judges
Judge | Appointed By | Assumed Office | Bachelors | Law |
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November 5, 2006 - |
Kansas State College, 1962 |
University of Iowa College of Law, 1965 |
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July 1, 2012 - |
Loras College, 1969 |
Creighton University School of Law, 1972 |
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March 1, 2015 - |
Dakota Wesleyan University, 1969 |
Drake University Law School, 1979 |
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: 1
- 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]
Judge | Appointed By | Assumed Office | Bachelors | Law |
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February 13, 2014 - |
University of Iowa, 1985 |
University of Iowa, 1988 |
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February 3, 2015 - |
University of Notre Dame, 1988 |
University of Iowa, 1991 |
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]
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Former judges
For more information about the judges of the Southern District of Iowa, see former federal judges of the Southern District of Iowa.
Jurisdiction
The Southern District of Iowa has original jurisdiction over cases filed within its jurisdiction. These cases can include civil and criminal matters that fall under federal law.
There are three court divisions, each covering the following counties:
The Central Division, covering Adair, Adams, Appanoose, Boone, Clarke, Dallas, Davis, Decatur, Greene, Guthrie, Jasper, Jefferson, Keokuk, Lucas, Madison, Mahaska, Marion, Monroe, Polk, Poweshiek, Ringgold, Story, Taylor, Union, Wapello, Warren and Wayne counties
The Eastern Division, covering Clinton, Des Moines, Henry, Johnson, Lee, Louisa, Muscatine, Scott, Van Buren and Washington counties
The Western Division, covering Audubon, Cass, Fremont, Harrison, Mills, Montgomery, Page, Pottawattamie and Shelby counties
Caseloads
This section contains court management statistics dating back to 2010. It was last updated in August 2023. Click [show] below for more information on caseload terms and definitions.
Caseload statistics explanation | |||||||||
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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. | ||||||||
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 | 1,491 | 1,688 | 1,037 | 3 | 0 | 497 | 39 | 11 | 11 | 23 | 4 |
2011 | 1,283 | 1,323 | 896 | 3 | 0 | 428 | 30 | 10 | 9 | 24 | 4 |
2012 | 1,356 | 1,430 | 941 | 3 | 2 | 452 | 32 | 10 | 7 | 26 | 4 |
2013 | 1,192 | 1,291 | 852 | 3 | 0 | 397 | 42 | 9 | 9 | 20 | 4 |
2014 | 1,181 | 1,198 | 829 | 3 | 0 | 394 | 28 | 9 | 10 | 29 | 5 |
2015 | 1,258 | 1,251 | 835 | 3 | 10 | 419 | 35 | 9 | 9 | 23 | 4 |
2016 | 1,481 | 1,282 | 1,024 | 3 | 1 | 494 | 29 | 9 | 10 | 20 | 3 |
2017 | 1,254 | 1,398 | 878 | 3 | 0 | 418 | 37 | 9 | 10 | 22 | 5 |
2018 | 1,396 | 1,369 | 902 | 3 | 0 | 465 | 45 | 9 | 9 | 19 | 4 |
2019 | 1,369 | 1,317 | 952 | 3 | 0 | 456 | 39 | 9 | 10 | 14 | 3 |
2020 | 1,201 | 1,144 | 1,000 | 3 | 0 | 400 | 44 | 11 | 7 | 22 | 5 |
2021 | 1,175 | 1,291 | 888 | 3 | 0 | 392 | 51 | 21 | 5 | 21 | 5 |
2022 | 1,154 | 1,177 | 873 | 3 | 0 | 385 | 41 | 11 | 11 | 27 | 6 |
Average | 1,292 | 1,320 | 916 | 3 | 1 | 431 | 38 | 11 | 9 | 22 | 4 |
History
The District of Iowa was established by Congress on March 3, 1845, with one post to cover the entire state. Since the District of Iowa was not yet assigned to a judicial circuit, it was granted the same jurisdiction as the United States circuit courts, excluding appeals and writs of error, which are the jurisdiction of the United States Supreme Court.
On July 15, 1862, Statute 12 Stat. 576 repealed the circuit court jurisdiction of the District of Iowa and instead established a United States circuit court in the district, and then assigned the district over to the Ninth Circuit. Statute 14 Stat. 209 on July 23, 1866, reorganized the circuits and assigned the District of Iowa to the Eighth Circuit.
The State of Iowa was divided into two circuits, the Northern and the Southern, on July 20, 1882 by statute 22 Stat. 172. One judgeship was assigned to each district. Over time two additional judicial posts were added for a total of three current posts.[7]
Judicial posts
The following table highlights the development of judicial posts for the Southern District of Iowa:[7]
Year | Statute | Total Seats |
March 3, 1845 | 5 Stat. 789 | 1 |
July 20, 1882 | 22 Stat. 172 | 1 |
January 19, 1928 | 45 Stat. 52 | 2 (1 temporary) |
May 19, 1961 | 75 Stat. 80 | 2 (1 temporary) |
October 20, 1978 | 92 Stat. 1629 | 3 (1 temporary) |
December 1, 1990 | 104 Stat. 5089 | 3 (1 temporary) |
Noteworthy cases
For a searchable list of opinions, click here.
• Judge approves federal government’s request to seize pension (2012) Judge(s):Robert Pratt (US v. Cunningham, US 09-1037) | Click for summary→ |
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In June 2012, Judge Robert Pratt granted the federal government’s petition to seize the $2,700 monthly pension of Ramona Cunningham. Cunningham was convicted in 2008 of facilitating the misspending of about $2.5 million of Iowa public funds. That amount was spent on excessive salaries and bonuses for administrators of the Central Iowa Employment and Training Consortium between 2003 and 2006.[8] Judge Pratt ruled that the entirety of Cunningham’s pension could be seized by the federal government while she is in prison, but that the seizure would have be reduced to 25% upon her release. The money was to be put towards the $1.7 million restitution that she and a co-defendant had been ordered to pay.<ref name="bb"> | |
Federal courthouse
Three separate courthouses serve the Southern District of Iowa located in Des Moines, Davenport, and Council Bluffs.
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 August 1 of the fourth year of each president's term in office. At this point in the term, President Bill Clinton had the most district court appointments with 168.
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 | ![]() |
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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 Eighth Circuit
- United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas
- United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas
- United States District Court for the Northern District of Iowa
- United States District Court for the District of Minnesota
- United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri
- United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri
- United States District Court for the District of Nebraska
- United States District Court for the District of North Dakota
- United States District Court for the District of South Dakota
External links
- Search Google News for this topic
- Official website of the Southern District of Iowa
- Opinions of the Southern District of Iowa
- U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Iowa
Footnotes
- ↑ U.S. District Court - NH, "Magistrate Judges," archived April 14, 2014
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 United States Courts, "Frequently Asked Questions," accessed January 25, 2022
- ↑ 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
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Cornell Law School Legal Information Institute, "28 U.S. Code § 258 - Chief judges; precedence of judges," accessed January 25, 2022
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Cornell Law School Legal Information Institute, "28 U.S. Code § 45 - Chief judges; precedence of judges," accessed January 25, 2022
- ↑ 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
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Federal Judicial Center, "The U.S. District Courts and the Federal Judiciary," accessed April 26, 2021
- ↑ Bloomberg Businessweek, "Judge: Feds can seize pension of former Iowa jobs agency executive blamed for spending scandal," June 12, 2012
- ↑ US Courts, "Federal Judgeships," accessed May 10, 2021 (archived)
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 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"
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State of Iowa Des Moines (capital) |
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Active judges |
Chief Judge: Stephanie Rose • Rebecca Goodgame Ebinger • Stephen Locher | ||
Senior judges | |||
Magistrate judges | Thomas Shields (Iowa) • Ross Walters • Stephen B. Jackson, Jr. • Helen C. Adams • | ||
Former Article III judges |
Charles Wolle • John Jarvey • James M. Love • John Simson Woolson • Smith McPherson • Martin Joseph Wade • Charles Almon Dewey • William Stuart • Harold Vietor • William Hanson (federal judge) • Edwin Hicklin • Roy Stephenson • Carroll Switzer • William F. Riley • | ||
Former Chief judges |
Robert Pratt • Charles Wolle • Ronald Longstaff • William Stuart • Harold Vietor • William Hanson (federal judge) • Roy Stephenson • |