United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana

Southern District of Indiana
Seventh Circuit
Judgeships
Posts: 5
Judges: 4
Vacancies: 1
Judges
Chief: Tanya Walton Pratt
Active judges: Matthew Brookman, James Patrick Hanlon, Tanya Walton Pratt, James R. Sweeney II Senior judges: Sarah Barker, William Lawrence, Jane Magnus-Stinson, Richard Young

The United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana is one of 94 United States district courts. It was created in 1928 by an act of Congress that split Indiana into two separate districts. The district has courthouses in Indianapolis, Terre Haute, Evenasville, and New Albany, Indiana. When decisions of the court are appealed, they are appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit based in Chicago, Illinois, at the Everett M. Dirksen Federal Courthouse and Building.

Vacancies

See also: Current federal judicial vacancies

There is one current vacancy on the United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, out of the court's five judicial positions.

Pending nominations

There are no pending nominees for this court.

Active judges

Article III judges

Judge	Appointed By	Assumed Office	Bachelors	Law
Tanya Walton Pratt	Barack Obama (D)	June 15, 2010 -	Spelman College, 1981	Howard University School of Law, 1984
James R. Sweeney II	Donald Trump (R)	September 13, 2018 -	United States Naval Academy, 1983	University of Notre Dame Law School, 1996
James Patrick Hanlon	Donald Trump (R)	November 5, 2018 -	DePauw University, 1992	Valparaiso University School of Law, 1996
Matthew Brookman	Joe Biden (D)	March 31, 2023 -	DePauw University, 1990	University of Washington School of Law

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: 2
• Republican appointed: 2

Senior judges

Judge	Appointed By	Assumed Office	Bachelors	Law
Sarah Barker	Ronald Reagan (R)	June 30, 2014 -	Indiana University, 1965	American University, Washington College of Law, 1969
William Lawrence	George W. Bush (R)	July 1, 2018 -	Indiana University, 1970	Indiana University School of Law, 1973
Richard Young	Bill Clinton (D)	March 31, 2023 -	Drake University, 1975	George Mason University School of Law, 1980
Jane Magnus-Stinson	Barack Obama (D)	July 1, 2024 -	Butler University, 1979	Indiana University School of Law, 1983

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: 2
• 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.

Judge	Appointed By	Assumed Office	Bachelors	Law
Tim Baker	United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana	October 1, 2001 -	Indiana University, 1984	Valparaiso University Law, 1989
Craig McKee	United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana	August 23, 2007 -	Indiana State University	Indiana University Law
Mark Dinsmore	United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana	December 17, 2010 -	Wabash College, 1983	University of Toledo Law
Van T. Willis	United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana	May 15, 2015 -	University of Kentucky	University of Kentucky
Mario Garcia	United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana	April 5, 2021 -

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Jane Magnus-Stinson - (2016 - 2021) Richard Young - (2009 - 2016) David Hamilton - (2008 - 2009) Larry McKinney - (2001 - 2007) Sarah Barker - (1994 - 2000) Gene Brooks - (1987 - 1994) James Noland - (1984 - 1986) Samuel Dillin - (1982 - 1984) William Steckler - (1954 - 1982)

Former judges

For more information about the judges of the Southern District of Indiana, see former federal judges of the Southern District of Indiana.

Jurisdiction

The Counties of the Southern District of Indiana (click for larger map)

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

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

The Indianapolis Division, covering Bartholomew, Boone, Brown, Clinton, Decatur, Delaware, Fayette, Fountain, Franklin, Hamilton, Hancock, Hendricks, Henry, Howard, Johnson, Madison, Marion, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Randolph, Rush, Shelby, Tipton, Union and Wayne counties.

The Terre Haute Division, covering Clay, Greene, Knox, Owen, Parke, Putnam, Sullivan, Vermillion and Vigo counties.

The Evansville Division, covering Daviess, Dubois, Gibson, Martin, Perry, Pike, Posey, Spencer, Vanderburgh and Warrick counties.

The New Albany Division, covering Clark, Crawford, Dearborn, Floyd, Harrison, Jackson, Jefferson, Jennings, Lawrence, Ohio, Orange, Ripley, Scott, Switzerland and Washington counties.

Caseloads

This section contains court management statistics dating back to 2010. It was last updated in September 2024.

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 Southern District of Indiana caseload stats, 2010-2023
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	2,953	2,696	2,590	5	11	591	15	9	10	102	5
2011	2,746	2,709	2,421	5	0	549	22	12	9	63	3
2012	3,130	2,984	2,779	5	0	626	20	11	9	60	3
2013	3,483	3,447	2,821	5	0	697	22	10	9	57	2
2014	3,322	3,160	2,969	5	5	664	18	12	9	49	2
2015	3,407	3,412	2,957	5	12	681	20	13	9	39	2
2016	5,024	3,430	4,549	5	12	1,005	19	13	8	53	1
2017	6,360	3,937	6,968	5	12	1,272	15	13	8	100	2
2018	5,844	4,129	8,679	5	15	1,169	16	11	8	227	3
2019	6,932	5,204	10,410	5	0	1,386	18	14	8	1,129	12
2020	5,370	4,177	11,591	5	0	1,074	10	16	8	2,985	28
2021	4,902	4,672	11,815	5	0	980	17	15	12	3,810	35
2022	4,071	4,467	11,412	5	0	814	11	17	13	5,135	47
2023	3,791	3,861	11,339	5	0	758	13	19	10	5,666	52
Average	4,381	3,735	6,664	5	5	876	17	13	9	1,391	14

History

Indiana was established as one judicial district by Congress on March 3, 1817 with one post to cover the entire state. This district court was not 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 United States Supreme Court.

On March 3, 1837, Statute 5 Stat. 176 allowed Congress to repeal the circuit court jurisdiction of the U.S. District Court for the District of Indiana, and then assigned the district over to the Seventh Circuit. Congress again re-organized the circuits on January 28, 1863, and assigned the District of Indiana to the Eighth Circuit, and then again over to the Seventh Circuit on July 23, 1866.

Statute 45 Stat. 437 on April 21, 1928 divided the District of Indiana into two judicial districts known as the Northern District of Indiana and the Southern District of Indiana. A judgeship was assigned to each new district. Over time 4 additional judicial posts were added for a total of 5 current posts.

Judicial posts

The following table highlights the development of judicial posts for the Southern District of Indiana:

Year	Statute	Total Seats
April 21, 1928	45 Stat. 437	1
February 10, 1954	68 Stat. 8	2
May 19, 1961	75 Stat. 80	3
March 18, 1966	80 Stat. 75	4
October 20, 1978	92 Stat. 1629	5

Noteworthy cases

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

• Judge rules that Indiana must recognize same-sex marriages from other states (2014)      Judge(s):Richard Young (Bowling v Pence, 1:14-cv-00405-RLY-TAB)	Click for summary→
Judge Richard Young's ruling on August 19, 2014, held that Indiana's ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional. This was not the judge's first decision to allow such marriages in the state. A couple months prior, he made a similar decision (see below). However, his rulings have been stayed pending appeal. At issue in Bowling v. Pence was whether Indiana would recognize same-sex marriages that occurred in other states. Young also touched on the issue of whether Governor Mike Pence should be included in the same-sex marriage lawsuits. Pence had previously argued that he had no authority to enforce the state's same-sex marriage laws. However, after Young first struck down the state's ban on such marriages in June, Gov. Pence issued a memo saying that the ban was still effective and that the judge's ruling should be disregarded. Young responded, writing in the Bowling order: “ The court, after witnessing the Governor do what he claimed he could not do, reverses course and finds him to be a proper party to such lawsuits. The court wishes to reiterate that it finds the Governor's prior representations contradicting such authority to be, at a minimum, troubling. ”

• Judge rules Indiana prisons' treatment of the mentally ill is cruel and unusual punishment (2012)      Judge(s):Tanya Walton Pratt (Indiana Protection and Advocacy Services Commission v. Indiana Dept. of Correction, No. 08-01317)	Click for summary→
In December 2012, Judge Tanya Walton Pratt ruled against the Indiana Department of Corrections (IDOC) in regards to the State treatment of mentally ill inmates. IDOC has sometimes used solitary confinement in cases of mentally ill inmates, confining them to their cells for between 23 and 24 hours per day. This is a standard practice of the State in the case of any inmate deemed to be a danger to themselves or others, regardless of mental state. In her ruling, Judge Pratt found this practice to constitute cruel and unusual punishment in the case of mentally ill inmates, as they do not receive the minimally acceptable level of care in solitary confinement. Pratt also noted that such confinement often leads to an exacerbation of the mental illness, sometimes resulting in worsening condition, more violent outbursts, or increased suicide attempts. Perhaps most notably, Pratt's ruling called the practices of IDOC, "deliberately indifferent," noting that the department was aware of the issues with their care of the mentally ill, though they did little or nothing to correct the problem. This is not Pratt's first high profile ruling in Indiana. In 2011, Pratt issued the preliminary injunction that disallowed the state from partially defunding Planned Parenthood.

Noteworthy events

Federal Judicial Conference recommendation (2019)

In March 2019, the Federal Judicial Conference (FJC) recommended that two judgeships be added to the district. Based on FJC data, the district handled 1,009 weighted filings per judgeship from September 2017 to September 2018. Weighted filings are a specific metric used by the federal judiciary that accounts for the different amounts of time judges require to resolve types of civil and criminal cases. The national average in that period for weighted filings per judgeship was 513.

The FJC is the policy-making body for the United States federal courts system. It was first organized as the Conference of Senior Circuit Judges in 1922. The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States serves as chair of the conference. The members of the conference are the chief judge of each judicial circuit, the Chief Judge of the Court of International Trade, and a district judge from each regional judicial circuit.

Federal courthouse

Four separate courthouses serve the Southern District of Indiana: the Birch Bayh Federal Building & U.S. Courthouse in Indianapolis, the U.S. Courthouse in Terre Haute, the Winfield K. Denton Federal Building & U.S. Courthouse in Evansville, and the Lee H. Hamilton Federal Building & U.S. Courthouse in New Albany.

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.

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.

Appointments by president

The chart below shows the number of district court judges confirmed by the U.S. Senate through March 1 of the first year of each president's term in office. At this point in the term, no president had made Article III judicial appointments.