United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas



































United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas
(S.D. Tex.)
Seal of the Southern District of Texas.svg
Southern District of Texas map.png
Location
Houston

.mw-parser-output .nobold{font-weight:normal}
More locations


  • Brownsville

  • Corpus Christi


  • Galveston United States Post Office and Courthouse
    (Galveston)


  • Laredo

  • McAllen

  • Victoria



Appeals to Fifth Circuit
Established March 11, 1902
Judges 19
Chief Judge Lee H. Rosenthal
Officers of the court
U.S. Attorney Ryan Patrick
www.txs.uscourts.gov

The United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas (in case citations, S.D. Tex.) is the Federal district court with jurisdiction over the southern part of Texas. The court's headquarters is in Houston, Texas and has six additional offices in the district.


Appeals from cases brought in the Southern District of Texas are taken to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are appealed to the Federal Circuit).


Since January 8, 2018, the current United States Attorney is Ryan Patrick.




Contents






  • 1 History


    • 1.1 Galveston Division




  • 2 Laredo Division


  • 3 Jurisdiction


  • 4 Current judges


  • 5 Vacancies and pending nominations


  • 6 Former judges


  • 7 Chief judges


  • 8 Succession of seats


  • 9 See also


  • 10 Notes


  • 11 External links





History




The oldest federal civil building in Texas, the 1861 Customs and Courthouse in Galveston, once housed the Southern District of Texas.




Federal Courthouse in Galveston that housed the court & its predecessor, from 1891–1917[1]


Since its foundation, the Southern District of Texas has been served by forty-one District Judges and six Clerks of Court. The first federal judge in Texas was John C. Watrous, who was appointed on May 26, 1846, and had previously served as Attorney General of the Republic of Texas. He was assigned to hold court in Galveston, at the time, the largest city in the state. As seat of the Texas Judicial District, the Galveston court had jurisdiction over the whole state.[2] On February 21, 1857, the state was divided into two districts, Eastern and Western, with Judge Watrous continuing in the Eastern district.[3] Judge Watrous and Judge Thomas H. DuVal, of the Western District of Texas, left the state on the secession of Texas from the Union, the only two United States Judges not to resign their posts in states that seceded. When Texas was restored to the Union, Watrous and DuVal resumed their duties and served until 1870. Judge Amos Morrill served in the Eastern District of Texas from 1872 to 1884. He was succeeded by Chauncy B. Sabin (1884 to 1890) and David E. Bryant (1890 to 1902). In 1902, when the Southern District was created by Act of Congress, Judge Bryant continued to serve in the Eastern District of Texas.


In 1917 the General Services Administration added courtrooms and judicial offices to the second floor of the 1861 U.S. Customs House in Galveston, and it became the new federal courthouse for the Southern District of Texas. This location would later become the seat of the Galveston Division, after Congress added a second judgeship in the 1930s.[3][4][5]


The Southern District of Texas started with one judge, Waller T. Burns, and a Clerk of Court, Christopher Dart, seated in Galveston. Since that time, the court has grown to nineteen district judgeships, six bankruptcy judgeships, fourteen magistrate judgeships, and over 200 deputy clerks.



Galveston Division




The U.S. federal building in Galveston, current home of the Galveston Division.


In 2007 criminal charges were filed against Judge Samuel B. Kent, the only District judge in the Galveston Division, who sat at the Federal Courthouse in Galveston, the oldest federal judgeship in the state.[6] Due to the litigation, Chief Judge Hayden Head transferred Kent and his staff to the Houston Division.[6][7] Judge Kent subsequently pleaded guilty, in February 2009, to obstruction of justice and, after being impeached by the House of Representatives, resigned in June 2009.[8] The next month, it was announced that Judge Kent's post would remain vacant for the time being, and a replacement judge would be assigned to McAllen, due to the increase in cases in the Texas border area concerning subjects such as drugs and immigration.[9]




Laredo Division




The United States Courthouse is the current home of the Laredo Division.


Laredo, Texas, is located on the northern bank of the Rio Grande River and is unique in its ability to operate international bridges between two Mexican states. The city presently maintains four border crossings and one rail bridge with the Mexican State of Tamaulipas at Nuevo Laredo and the Mexican State of Nuevo León at Colombia. Webb County also borders the State of Nuevo León and the State of Coahuila, Mexico, northwest of Laredo. Laredo is the largest inland port along the U.S.-Mexico border and the Pan American Highway leading into Mexico through Laredo stretches from Canada and continues into Central and South America. Because of its location and accessibility to Mexico, Laredo’s economy is primarily based on international trade with Mexico. According to the Laredo Development Foundation, more than 700 of the Fortune 1,000 companies do international business via Laredo and more than 9,000 trucks cross through town per day along with 1,800 loaded rail cars. Laredo is ranked first in growth in Texas and seventh in the country by the Milken Institute.[10]


The division encompasses five counties with the federal courthouse located in Laredo, Texas. There are two Laredo district court judges - Judges Diana Saldaña and Marina Garcia Marmolejo, who presided over more than 2,000 felony cases in 2013 - most of which involved charges of narcotics trafficking and alien smuggling. In addition, there are three federal magistrates who alternate duties every two weeks. Additionally, the federal grand jury convenes every other week where AUSAs rotate the responsibility of presenting felony cases.[10]



Jurisdiction


Bob Casey Federal Courthouse in Downtown Houston

The jurisdiction of the Southern District of Texas is divided as follows:



  • The Brownsville Division covers Cameron and Willacy Counties.

  • The Corpus Christi Division covers Aransas, Bee, Brooks, Duval, Jim Wells, Kenedy, Kleberg, Live Oak, Nueces, and San Patricio Counties.

  • The Galveston Division covers Brazoria, Chambers, Galveston, and Matagorda Counties.

  • The Houston Division covers Austin, Brazos, Colorado, Fayette, Fort Bend, Grimes, Harris, Madison, Montgomery, San Jacinto, Walker, Waller, and Wharton Counties.

  • The Laredo Division covers Jim Hogg, La Salle, McMullen, Webb, and Zapata Counties.

  • The McAllen Division covers Hidalgo and Starr Counties.

  • The Victoria Division covers Calhoun, DeWitt, Goliad, Jackson, Lavaca, Refugio, and Victoria Counties.



Current judges



























































































































































































































































































































































#
Title
Judge
Duty station
Born
Term of service
Appointed by
Active

Chief

Senior
34
Chief Judge

Lee H. Rosenthal

Houston
1952
1992–present
2016–present


G.H.W. Bush
25
District Judge

Ricardo Hinojosa

McAllen
1950
1983–present
2009–2016


Reagan
26
District Judge

Lynn Hughes

Houston
1941
1985–present



Reagan
29
District Judge

Sim Lake

Houston
1944
1988–present



Reagan
36
District Judge

Vanessa Gilmore

Houston
1956
1994–present



Clinton
39
District Judge

Keith P. Ellison

Houston
1950
1999–present



Clinton
40
District Judge

Randy Crane

McAllen
1965
2002–present



G.W. Bush
41
District Judge

Andrew Hanen

Houston
1953
2002–present



G.W. Bush
42
District Judge

Micaela Alvarez

McAllen
1958
2004–present



G.W. Bush
44
District Judge

Diana Saldaña

Laredo
1971
2011–present



Obama
45
District Judge

Nelva Gonzales Ramos

Corpus Christi
1965
2011–present



Obama
46
District Judge

Marina Marmolejo

Laredo
1971
2011–present



Obama
48
District Judge

Alfred H. Bennett

Houston
1965
2015–present



Obama
49
District Judge

George C. Hanks Jr.

Galveston / Victoria
1964
2015–present



Obama
50
District Judge

Jose Rolando Olvera Jr.

Brownsville
1963
2015–present



Obama
51
District Judge

Fernando Rodriguez Jr.

Brownsville
1969
2018–present



Trump
52
District Judge

vacant






53
District Judge

vacant






54
District Judge

vacant






12
Senior Judge

Carl Olaf Bue Jr.

inactive
1922
1970–1987

1987–present

Nixon
24
Senior Judge

Hayden Wilson Head Jr.

Corpus Christi
1944
1981–2009
2003–2009
2009–present

Reagan
27
Senior Judge

David Hittner

Houston
1939
1986–2004

2004–present

Reagan
28
Senior Judge

Kenneth M. Hoyt

Houston
1948
1988–2013

2013–present

Reagan
30
Senior Judge

Melinda Harmon

Houston
1946
1989–2018

2018–present

G.H.W. Bush
31
Senior Judge

John David Rainey

Victoria
1945
1990–2010

2010–present

G.H.W. Bush
33
Senior Judge

Ewing Werlein Jr.

Houston
1936
1992–2006

2006–present

G.H.W. Bush
35
Senior Judge

Janis Graham Jack

Corpus Christi
1946
1994–2011

2011–present

Clinton
37
Senior Judge

Nancy Friedman Atlas

Houston
1949
1995–2014

2014–present

Clinton
38
Senior Judge

Hilda G. Tagle

Brownsville / Houston
1946
1998–2012

2012–present

Clinton
43
Senior Judge

Gray H. Miller

Houston
1948
2006–2018

2018–present

G.W. Bush


Vacancies and pending nominations








































Seat
Seat last held by
Vacancy reason
Date of vacancy
Nominee
Date of nomination
16

Janis Graham Jack

Senior Status
June 1, 2011

David S. Morales
April 12, 2018
6

Melinda Harmon
March 31, 2018




14

Gray H. Miller
December 9, 2018




2

Sim Lake
July 5, 2019[11]






Former judges

































































































































































































































































































#
Judge
State
Born–died
Active service

Chief Judge

Senior status
Appointed by
Reason for
termination
1

Waller Thomas Burns

TX
1858–1917
1902–1917



T. Roosevelt
death
2

Joseph Chappell Hutcheson Jr.

TX
1879–1973
1918–1931



Wilson
appointment to 5th Cir.
3

Thomas Martin Kennerly

TX
1874–1962
1931–1954

1954–1962

Hoover
death
4

James Allred

TX
1899–1959
1939–1942



F. Roosevelt
resignation
4.1

James Allred

TX
1899–1959
1949–1959



Truman
death
5

Allen Burroughs Hannay

TX
1892–1983
1942–1975
1954–1962
1975–1983

F. Roosevelt
death
6

Ben Clarkson Connally

TX
1909–1975
1949–1974
1962–1974
1974–1975

Truman
death
7

Joe McDonald Ingraham

TX
1903–1990
1954–1969



Eisenhower
appointment to 5th Cir.
8

Reynaldo Guerra Garza

TX
1915–2004
1961–1979
1974–1979


Kennedy
appointment to 5th Cir.
9

James Latane Noel Jr.

TX
1909–1997
1961–1976[Note 1]

1976–1997

Kennedy
death
10

John Virgil Singleton Jr.

TX
1918–2015
1966–1988
1979–1988
1988–1992

L. Johnson
retirement
11

Woodrow Bradley Seals

TX
1917–1990
1966–1982

1982–1990

L. Johnson
death
13

Owen DeVol Cox

TX
1910–1990
1970–1981

1981–1990

Nixon
death
14

Robert J. O'Conor Jr.

TX
1934–present
1975–1984



Ford
resignation
15

Ross N. Sterling

TX
1931–1988
1976–1988



Ford
death
16

Finis E. Cowan

TX
1929–present
1977–1979



Carter
resignation
17

George Edward Cire

TX
1922–1985
1979–1985



Carter
death
18

James DeAnda

TX
1925–2006
1979–1992
1988–1992


Carter
retirement
19

Norman William Black

TX
1931–1997
1979–1996
1992–1996
1996–1997

Carter
death
20

George P. Kazen

TX
1940–present
1979–2009
1996–2003
2009–2018

Carter
retirement
21

Gabrielle Kirk McDonald

TX
1942–present
1979–1988



Carter
resignation
22

Hugh Gibson

TX
1918–1998
1979–1989

1989–1998

Carter
death
23

Filemon Bartolome Vela

TX
1935–2004
1980–2000

2000–2004

Carter
death
32

Samuel B. Kent

TX
1949–present
1990–2009



G.H.W. Bush
resignation[Note 2]
47

Gregg Costa

TX
1972–present
2012–2014



Obama
appointment to 5th Cir.




  1. ^ Recess appointment; formally nominated on January 15, 1962, confirmed by the United States Senate on March 16, 1962, and received commission on March 17, 1962.


  2. ^ Resigned June 30, 2009 after being impeached.




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

























































See also



  • Courts of Texas

  • List of United States federal courthouses in Texas



Notes





  1. ^ National Park Service Archaeological Field Inspection


  2. ^ "U.S. Department of Justice: 2002 Centennial Report, pgs. 1, 10" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-06-01. Retrieved 2010-05-24..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}


  3. ^ ab "Southern District of Texas: History of the District". Archived from the original on 2009-09-17. Retrieved 2009-10-04.


  4. ^ General Services Administration: U.S. Custom House, Galveston, Texas


  5. ^ "Galveston Historical Foundation: More About the Custom House". Archived from the original on 2009-02-20. Retrieved 2009-10-03.


  6. ^ ab Paschenko, Chris (2012-04-27). "Senate confirms Costa for isle federal judgeship". Galveston County Daily News. Retrieved 2012-04-27.


  7. ^ http://www.txs.uscourts.gov/district/genord/2007/2007-17.pdf Southern District of Texas General Order 2007–17


  8. ^ Flood, Marry (2009-02-23). "Judge Kent accepts plea deal and retires from bench". Retrieved 2009-02-23.


  9. ^ Rice, Harvey (2009-07-09). "Kent's judgeship in Galveston moving to McAllen". Houston Chronicle. Archived from the original on 2009-07-22. Retrieved 2009-07-22. The Galveston federal courthouse where disgraced former U.S. District Judge Samuel Kent presided for 18 years will remain vacant and his replacement moved to McAllen, the chief judge of the Southern District said Thursday. [...] The decision to move the post from Galveston to McAllen was made because few cases are heard in Galveston while immigration and drug cases are swamping judges in courts near the border, Chief Judge Hayden Head said.


  10. ^ ab "Laredo". United States Department of Justice. Retrieved 11 October 2016.
    This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.



  11. ^ Future Judicial Vacancies




External links


  • U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas













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