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United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri

The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri (in case citations, E.D. Mo.) is a trial level federal district court based in St. Louis, Missouri, with jurisdiction over fifty counties in the eastern half of Missouri. The court is one of ninety-four district-level courts which make up the first tier of the U.S. federal judicial system. Judges of this court preside over civil and criminal trials on federal matters that originate within the borders of its jurisdiction. It is organized into three divisions, with court held in St. Louis, Hannibal, and Cape Girardeau.

United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri
(E.D. Mo.)
LocationThomas F. Eagleton U.S. Courthouse
More locations
Appeals toEighth Circuit
EstablishedMarch 3, 1857
Judges9
Chief JudgeStephen R. Clark
Officers of the court
U.S. AttorneySayler A. Fleming (acting)
U.S. MarshalJohn D. Jordan
moed.uscourts.gov

The court was formed when the District of Missouri was divided into East and West in 1857, and its boundaries have changed little since that division.[1] In its history it has heard a number of important cases that made it to the United States Supreme Court, covering issues related to freedom of speech, abortion, property rights, and campaign finance. There are currently nine active judges, five judges in senior status, and seven magistrate judges attached to the court.

As of December 31, 2020, the acting United States attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri is Sayler A. Fleming.[2]

Mandate and jurisdiction edit

As a United States district court, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri conducts civil trials and issues orders. The cases it hears concern either federal question jurisdiction, where a federal law or treaty is applicable, or diversity jurisdiction, where parties are domiciled in different states. The court also holds criminal trials of persons charged with violations of federal law. Appeals from cases brought in the Eastern District of Missouri are heard by the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are appealed to the Federal Circuit). These cases can then be appealed to the United States Supreme Court.[3]

The Court is based in St. Louis but is organized into three divisions: Eastern, Northern, and Southeastern.

The court for the Eastern division is held in downtown St. Louis, in the Thomas F. Eagleton United States Courthouse, where the St. Louis Clerk's Office is located. It covers the counties of Crawford, Dent, Franklin, Gasconade, Jefferson, Lincoln, Maries, Phelps, Saint Charles, Saint Francois, Saint Louis, Warren, Washington, and the independent City of St. Louis.

The Northern division is based in Hannibal, Missouri, but its office is unstaffed unless court is being held there. It covers the counties of Adair, Audrain, Chariton, Clark, Knox, Lewis, Linn, Macon, Marion, Monroe, Montgomery, Pike, Ralls, Randolph, Schuyler, Shelby, and Scotland.

The Southeastern division is based at Cape Girardeau. Its courthouse is named for Rush Limbaugh Sr.[4] That division's jurisdiction covers Bollinger, Butler, Cape Girardeau, Carter, Dunklin, Iron, Madison, Mississippi, New Madrid, Pemiscot, Perry, Reynolds, Ripley, Sainte Genevieve, Scott, Shannon, Stoddard, and Wayne counties.

History edit

 
The Old Courthouse of St. Louis, where the court met prior to 1884, as it appears today.
 
From 1884 to 1935, the court met at the U.S. Custom House and Post Office of St. Louis.

Origins edit

Missouri was admitted as a state on August 10, 1821, and the United States Congress established the United States District Court for the District of Missouri on March 16, 1822.[1][5][6] The District was assigned to the Eighth Circuit on March 3, 1837.[1][7] Congress subdivided it into Eastern and Western Districts on March 3, 1857.[1][8] and has since made only small adjustments to the boundaries of that subdivision. The division was prompted by a substantial increase in the number of admiralty cases arising from traffic on the Mississippi River, which had followed an act of Congress passed in 1845 and upheld by the Supreme Court of the United States in 1851, extending federal admiralty jurisdiction to inland waterways.[9] These disputes involved "contracts of affreightment, collisions, mariners' wages, and other causes of admiralty jurisdiction", and litigants of matters arising in St. Louis found it inconvenient to travel to Jefferson City for their cases to be tried.[9]

 
Samuel Treat was the first judge to serve Missouri's Eastern District.

When the District of Missouri was subdivided, Robert William Wells, who was the sole judge serving the District of Missouri at the time of the division, was reassigned to the Western District,[10] allowing President Franklin Pierce to appoint Samuel Treat as the first judge for the Eastern District of Missouri.[11] The court was initially authorized to meet in St. Louis, which had previously been one of the two authorized meeting places of the District Court for the District of Missouri.[12] It met for a time at the landmark courthouse shared with Missouri state courts, which was the tallest building in the state during that period. For the first thirty years of its existence, the court was primarily concerned with admiralty and maritime cases, including maritime insurance claims.[9]

Civil War and aftermath edit

Within a few years of the court's establishment, the American Civil War erupted, and Missouri was placed under martial law.[13] Missouri was a border state with sharply divided loyalties among its citizenry, resulting in the imposition of stern controls from the Union government, including the imprisonment of large number of Missouri militiamen.[13] When the District, by the hand of Judge Treat, issued a writ of habeas corpus for the release of one of them, Captain Emmett McDonald, Union commanding general William S. Harney refused, asserting that he had to answer to a "higher law".[13] A substantial portion of the court's docket in this period came from tax cases:[9]

when the Civil War came it brought in its train a new class of cases, arising from the violation of treasury regulations, and proceedings to enforce the internal revenue law in all its complex and multiplied divisions and subdivisions. When whisky and tobacco, and net income, and gross receipts, and manufactories, and occupations, and legacies, and bonds, and notes, and conveyances, and drugs and medicines, and other innumerable things, were taxed by the Federal government, and each one had a separate code of laws of its own ...[9]

The court, in this time, also tried numerous criminal cases arising from efforts to evade the tax laws through smuggling and fraud.[9] Following the Civil War, and in response to the economic disruption it had caused, Congress enacted the Bankruptcy Act of 1867.[14] Between its enactment and its subsequent repeal in 1878, the Act caused "countless controversies" arising in bankruptcy to be brought before the District Court.[9] Despite the turmoil inflicted by the Civil War, Missouri experienced a population boom, becoming the fifth largest state in the U.S. by 1890, and having a busy court docket which reflected this population growth.[15]

Further division and expansion edit

 
Rush Hudson Limbaugh Sr. Courthouse, Southeastern Division

In 1887 a Congressional Act divided the Eastern District into the Northern and Eastern Divisions of the Eastern District. The courts of the Eastern Division continued to be held at the U.S. Custom House and Post Office in St. Louis,[16] while the courts of the Northern Division were moved to the U.S. Post Office at Hannibal, Missouri, where they met until 1960.[12][17] These two courts, along with the four courts of the Western District, made six courts for the state, and at the time no other state had so many separate federal courts.[18] The district has since been further divided into the Eastern, Northern, and Southeast divisions.

In 1888, Audrain County, Missouri was moved from the Eastern to the Western District. In 1897, it was moved back to the Eastern district.[18] In 1891, the United States circuit courts were eliminated in favor of the new United States courts of appeals. When the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit heard its first case, on October 12, 1891, the presiding judge Henry Clay Caldwell was joined by two district court judges from within the jurisdiction of the Circuit. One of those was Amos Madden Thayer of the Eastern District of Missouri.[15] Thayer would later be appointed to the Eight Circuit in his own right.

The court was authorized to meet in Cape Girardeau beginning in 1905,[12] and from 1910 to 1920 was additionally authorized to meet in Rolla, Missouri.[12] On September 14, 1922,[19] an additional temporary judgeship was authorized for each district of Missouri, and on August 19, 1935,[20] these temporary judgeships were made permanent. Additional judgeships were added to the Eastern District in 1936, 1942, 1970, 1978, and 1984, and two were added in 1990, bringing the Eastern District to its current total of nine judges.

The court continued to meet at the U.S. Custom House and Post Office until 1935,[16] and then moved to the United States Court House and Custom House in St. Louis.[21] In 2001 it moved to the Thomas F. Eagleton United States Courthouse, the largest courthouse in the United States.[22]

The 2000 census reported that the district had a population of nearly 2.8 million, ranking 38th in population among the 90 U.S. judicial districts.[23]

Jean Constance Hamilton, appointed by George H. W. Bush in 1990, was the first female judge appointed to the District. The first African American to serve was Clyde S. Cahill Jr., who was appointed by Jimmy Carter in 1980. Over the history of the District, five of its judges have been elevated to the Eighth Circuit – Elmer Bragg Adams, John Caskie Collet, Charles Breckenridge Faris, Amos Madden Thayer and William H. Webster.

Notable cases edit

During the Great Depression, three important United States Supreme Court cases were decided which determined the constitutionality of New Deal measures, one of which originated in the Eastern District of Missouri. The case, originally filed as Norman v. B & O Railroad,[24] reached the Supreme Court along with two cases filed in the United States Court of Claims, under the single heading of the Gold Clause Cases.[15] The Supreme Court upheld the determination of the trial court judge, Charles Breckenridge Faris, who found that Congress had the power to prohibit parties from contracting for payment in gold.

In 1976, the court heard the original proceedings in Planned Parenthood of Central Missouri v. Danforth,[25] a case that challenged several Missouri state regulations regarding abortion. The case was eventually appealed to the United States Supreme Court, which reaffirmed the right to abortion and struck down certain restrictions as unconstitutional.

Due to a school desegregation suit in 1972, the court required St. Louis to accept a busing plan in 1980. Judge William L. Hungate declared that a mandatory plan would go into effect unless other arrangements were made to adhere to the terms of the suit. In 1983, an unprecedented voluntary busing plan was put into place, integrating the schools without a mandated plan being required.

In Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier,[26] a case that started in Missouri's Eastern District went before the United States Supreme Court in 1988, it was held that public school curricular student newspapers are subject to a lower level of First Amendment protection. Another First Amendment case in public schools came up in 1998, when E.D. Mo. heard Beussink v. Woodland R-IV School District.[27] Judge Rodney W. Sippel ruled that the school violated a student's rights by sanctioning him for material he posted on his website. This case has been widely cited in higher courts.[28]

In the 2000s, two more notable cases originated in this District and were heard by the United States Supreme Court. Nixon v. Shrink Missouri Government PAC[29] upheld state limits on campaign contributions to state offices, and Sell v. United States[30] imposed stringent limits on the right of a lower court to order the forcible administration of antipsychotic medication to a criminal defendant who had been determined to be incompetent to stand trial for the sole purpose of making him competent and able to be tried. Several notable antitrust cases originated in this district including Brown Shoe Co. v. United States[31] (preventing a merger between two shoe wholesalers which would have reduced competition in the region), and United Shoe Machinery Corp. v. United States[32] (prohibiting certain long-term leases of manufacturing equipment). Another important case brought in the district, Ruckelshaus v. Monsanto Co.,[33] involved the right of companies to maintain trade secrets under Missouri law in the face of federal regulations requiring disclosure of pesticide components.

Current judges edit

As of June 9, 2023:

# Title Judge Duty station Born Term of service Appointed by
Active Chief Senior
41 Chief Judge Stephen R. Clark St. Louis 1966 2019–present 2022–present Trump
35 District Judge Henry Autrey St. Louis 1952 2002–present G.W. Bush
39 District Judge Brian C. Wimes[Note 1] none[Note 2] 1966 2012–present Obama
40 District Judge Ronnie L. White St. Louis 1953 2014–present Obama
42 District Judge Sarah Pitlyk St. Louis 1977 2019–present Trump
43 District Judge Matthew T. Schelp St. Louis 1970 2020–present Trump
44 District Judge vacant
45 District Judge vacant
46 District Judge vacant
21 Senior Judge Edward Louis Filippine inactive 1930 1977–1995 1990–1995 1995–present Carter
27 Senior Judge Jean Constance Hamilton inactive 1945 1990–2013 1995–2002 2013–2022 G.H.W. Bush
31 Senior Judge Catherine D. Perry St. Louis 1952 1994–2018 2009–2016 2018–present Clinton
32 Senior Judge E. Richard Webber inactive 1942 1995–2009 2009–2022 Clinton
33 Senior Judge Nanette Kay Laughrey[Note 1] none[Note 3] 1946 1996–2011 2011–present Clinton
34 Senior Judge Rodney W. Sippel[Note 1] St. Louis 1956 1997–2023 2016–2022 2023–present Clinton
36 Senior Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. Cape Girardeau 1952 2008–2020 2020–present G.W. Bush
37 Senior Judge Audrey G. Fleissig St. Louis 1955 2010–2023 2023–present Obama
38 Senior Judge John Andrew Ross St. Louis 1954 2011–2023 2023–present Obama
  1. ^ a b c Jointly appointed to the Eastern and Western Districts of Missouri
  2. ^ Judge Wimes maintains chambers only in the Western District.
  3. ^ Judge Laughrey maintains chambers only in the Western District.

Vacancies and pending nominations edit

Seat Prior judge's duty station Seat last held by Vacancy reason Date of vacancy Nominee Date of nomination
3 St. Louis Rodney W. Sippel Senior status January 28, 2023
2 Audrey G. Fleissig April 14, 2023
9 John Andrew Ross June 9, 2023
5 Ronnie L. White Retirement July 31, 2024[34]

Former judges edit

# Judge State Born–died Active service Chief Judge Senior status Appointed by Reason for
termination
1 Samuel Treat MO 1815–1902 1857–1887 Pierce retirement
2 Amos Madden Thayer MO 1841–1905 1887–1894 Cleveland elevation to 8th Cir.
3 Henry Samuel Priest MO 1853–1930 1894–1895 Cleveland resignation
4 Elmer Bragg Adams MO 1842–1916 1895–1905[Note 1] Cleveland elevation to 8th Cir.
5 Gustavus A. Finkelnburg MO 1837–1908 1905–1907[Note 2] T. Roosevelt resignation
6 David Patterson Dyer MO 1838–1924 1907–1919 1919–1924 T. Roosevelt death
7 Charles Breckenridge Faris MO 1864–1938 1919–1935 Wilson elevation to 8th Cir.
8 Charles B. Davis MO 1877–1943 1924–1943 Coolidge death
9 George Moore MO 1878–1962 1935–1962 1948–1959 1962 F. Roosevelt death
10 John Caskie Collet MO 1898–1955 1937–1947[Note 3] F. Roosevelt elevation to 8th Cir.
11 Richard M. Duncan MO 1889–1974 1943–1965[Note 3] 1965–1974 F. Roosevelt death
12 Rubey Mosley Hulen MO 1894–1956 1943–1956 F. Roosevelt death
13 Roy Winfield Harper MO 1905–1994 1947[Note 4][Note 3]
1947–1948[Note 5][Note 3]
1948–1971[Note 6][Note 3]
1959–1971 1971–1994 Truman
Truman
Truman
death
14 Randolph Henry Weber MO 1909–1961 1957–1961 Eisenhower death
15 James Hargrove Meredith MO 1914–1988 1962–1979 1971–1979 1979–1988 Kennedy death
16 John Keating Regan MO 1911–1987 1962–1977 1977–1987 Kennedy death
17 William Robert Collinson MO 1912–1995 1965–1980[Note 3] 1980–1995 L. Johnson death
18 William H. Webster MO 1924–present 1970–1973 Nixon elevation to 8th Cir.
19 Harris Kenneth Wangelin MO 1913–1987 1970–1983[Note 3] 1979–1983 1983–1987 Nixon death
20 John Francis Nangle MO 1922–2008 1973–1990 1983–1990 1990–2008 Nixon death
22 William L. Hungate MO 1922–2007 1979–1991 1991–1992 Carter retirement
23 Clyde S. Cahill Jr. MO 1923–2004 1980–1992 1992–2004 Carter death
24 Joseph Edward Stevens Jr. MO 1928–1998 1981–1995[Note 3] 1995–1998 Reagan death
25 Stephen N. Limbaugh Sr. MO 1927–present 1983–1996[Note 3] 1996–2008 Reagan retirement
26 George F. Gunn Jr. MO 1927–1998 1985–1996 1996–1998 Reagan death
28 Donald J. Stohr MO 1934–2015 1992–2006 2006–2015 G.H.W. Bush death
29 Carol E. Jackson MO 1952–present 1992–2017 2002–2009 G.H.W. Bush retirement
30 Charles Alexander Shaw MO 1944–2020 1993–2009 2009–2020 Clinton death
  1. ^ Recess appointment; formally nominated on December 4, 1895, confirmed by the United States Senate on December 9, 1895, and received commission the same day.
  2. ^ Recess appointment; formally nominated on December 5, 1905, confirmed by the Senate on December 12, 1905, and received commission the same day.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Jointly appointed to the Eastern and Western Districts of Missouri.
  4. ^ Recess appointment; not confirmed by the Senate.
  5. ^ Received a second recess appointment and was again rejected by the Senate.
  6. ^ Received a third recess appointment; formally nominated on January 13, 1949, confirmed by the Senate on January 31, 1949, and received commission on February 2, 1949.

Chief judges edit

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 edit

United States Attorneys edit

List of U.S. Attorneys since 1857[35][36]

  • Calvin F. Burns (1857–1861)
  • Asa S. Jones (1861–1862)
  • William W. Edwards (1862–1863)
  • William N. Grover (1863)
  • John Willock Noble (1867–1870)
  • Chester H. Krum (1870–1876)
  • William H. Bliss (1876–1887)
  • Thomas P. Bashaw (1887–1889)
  • George D. Reynolds (1889–1894)
  • William H. Clopton (1894–1898)
  • Edward A. Rozier (1898–1902)
  • David Patterson Dyer (1902–1907)
  • Henry W. Blodgett (1907–1910)
  • Charles A. Houts (1910–1914)
  • Arthur L. Oliver (1914–1919)
  • Walter Lewis Hensley (1919–1920)
  • James E. Carroll (1920–1923)
  • Allen Curry (1923–1926)
  • Louis H. Breuer (1926–1934)
  • Harry C. Blanton (1934–1947)
  • Drake Watson (1947–1951)
  • George L. Robertson (1951–1953)
  • William W. Crowdis (1953)
  • Harry Richards (1953–1959)
  • William H. Webster (1959–1961)
  • D. Jeff Lance (1961–1962)
  • Richard D. Fitzgibbon, Jr. (1962–1967)
  • Veryl Riddle (1967–1969)
  • James E. Reeves (1969)
  • Daniel Bartlett, Jr. (1969)
  • James E. Reeves (1969–1973)
  • Donald J. Stohr (1973–1976)
  • Barry A. Short (1976–1977)
  • Robert D. Kingsland (1977–1981)
  • Thomas E. Dittmeier (1981–1990)
  • Stephen B. Higgins (1990–1993)
  • Edward L. Dowd, Jr. (1993–1999)
  • Michael W. Reap (1999–2000)
  • Audrey G. Fleissig (2000–2001)
  • Raymond Gruender (2001–2004)
  • James Martin (2004–2005)
  • Catherine Hanaway (2005–2009)
  • Michael W. Reap (2009–2010)
  • Richard G. Callahan (2010–2017)
  • Caroline A. Costantin (2017)
  • Jeffrey Jensen (2017–2020)
  • Sayler A. Fleming (2020–present)

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d "U.S. District Courts of Missouri, Legislative history". Biographical Directory of Federal Judges. Federal Judicial Center. Retrieved April 16, 2009.
  2. ^ . December 31, 2020. Archived from the original on January 5, 2022.
  3. ^ "The U.S. District Courts and the Federal Judiciary". Biographical Directory of Federal Judges. Federal Judicial Center. from the original on July 14, 2007. Retrieved April 16, 2009.
  4. ^ "Rush Hudson Limbaugh Sr. U.S. Courthouse". United States General Services Administration. Retrieved March 21, 2009.
  5. ^ Stat. 653
  6. ^ Dickens, Asbury (1852). A Synoptical Index to the Laws and Treaties of the United States of America. Boston: Little, Brown and company. p. 393.
  7. ^ Stat. 176
  8. ^ 11 Stat. 197
  9. ^ a b c d e f g Broadhead, James O. (March 5, 1887). "Address of Col. J. O. Broadhead". In Bar Association of St. Louis (ed.). Proceedings of the Saint Louis Bar on the Retirement of Hon. Samuel Treat. St. Louis: Nixon-Jones printing co. pp. 10–17.
  10. ^ "Robert William Wells". Biographical Directory of Federal Judges. Federal Judicial Center. from the original on May 13, 2009. Retrieved April 16, 2009.
  11. ^ "Samuel Treat". Biographical Directory of Federal Judges. Federal Judicial Center. Retrieved April 16, 2009.
  12. ^ a b c d "U.S. District Courts of Missouri, Authorized Meeting Places". Biographical Directory of Federal Judges. Federal Judicial Center. Retrieved April 16, 2009.
  13. ^ a b c Neely, Mark E. Jr. (January 3, 1991). The Fate of Liberty: Abraham Lincoln and Civil Liberties. Oxford University Press. pp. 32. ISBN 978-0-7607-8864-6.
  14. ^ 14 Stat. 517
  15. ^ a b c Morris, Jeffrey Brandon (November 16, 2007). Establishing Justice in Middle America: A History of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit (1st ed.). Univ Of Minnesota Press. ISBN 978-0-8166-4816-0.
  16. ^ a b "St. Louis, Missouri, 1884". Biographical Directory of Federal Judges. Federal Judicial Center. Retrieved April 16, 2009.
  17. ^ "Hannibal, Missouri, 1888". Biographical Directory of Federal Judges. Federal Judicial Center. Retrieved April 16, 2009.
  18. ^ a b Gray, Melvin L. (1901). "United States Courts". In Howard L. Conrad (ed.). Encyclopedia of the History of Missouri. Southern History Co. pp. 267–269.
  19. ^ 42 Stat. 838
  20. ^ 49 Stat. 659
  21. ^ "St. Louis, 1935". Biographical Directory of Federal Judges. Federal Judicial Center. Retrieved April 16, 2009.
  22. ^ "Thomas F. Eagleton U.S. Courthouse". U.S. General Services Administration. April 6, 2009. Retrieved April 16, 2009.
  23. ^ Decker, Scott H.; et al. (February 2007). "Project Safe Neighborhoods: Strategic Interventions" (PDF). United States Department of Justice. p. 3. Retrieved April 16, 2009.
  24. ^ Norman v. B & O Railroad, 294 U.S. 240 (1935)
  25. ^ Planned Parenthood of Missouri v. Danforth, 428 U.S. 52 (1976).
  26. ^ Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier, 484 U.S. 260 (1988).
  27. ^ Beussink v. Woodland R-IV School district, 30 F. Supp. 2d 1175 (E.D. Mo. 1998).
  28. ^ Court transcript, accessed March 30, 2009. September 30, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  29. ^ Nixon v. Shrink Missouri Government PAC, 528 U.S. 377 (2000).
  30. ^ Sell v. United States, 539 U.S. 166 (2003).
  31. ^ Brown Shoe Co., Inc. v. United States, 370 U.S. 294 (1962).
  32. ^ United Shoe Machinery Corp. v. United States, 258 U.S. 451 (1922).
  33. ^ Ruckelshaus v. Monsanto Co., 467 U.S. 986 (1984).
  34. ^ "Future Judicial Vacancies | United States Courts". www.uscourts.gov.
  35. ^ https://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/usao/legacy/2011/11/23/bicn_celebration.pdf[bare URL PDF]
  36. ^ "The Political Graveyard: U.S. District Attorneys in Missouri".

External links edit

  • Official website  

38°37′44″N 90°11′34″W / 38.62889°N 90.19278°W / 38.62889; -90.19278

united, states, district, court, eastern, district, missouri, case, citations, trial, level, federal, district, court, based, louis, missouri, with, jurisdiction, over, fifty, counties, eastern, half, missouri, court, ninety, four, district, level, courts, whi. The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri in case citations E D Mo is a trial level federal district court based in St Louis Missouri with jurisdiction over fifty counties in the eastern half of Missouri The court is one of ninety four district level courts which make up the first tier of the U S federal judicial system Judges of this court preside over civil and criminal trials on federal matters that originate within the borders of its jurisdiction It is organized into three divisions with court held in St Louis Hannibal and Cape Girardeau United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri E D Mo LocationThomas F Eagleton U S Courthouse St Louis More locationsCape GirardeauHannibalAppeals toEighth CircuitEstablishedMarch 3 1857Judges9Chief JudgeStephen R ClarkOfficers of the courtU S AttorneySayler A Fleming acting U S MarshalJohn D Jordanmoed uscourts govThe court was formed when the District of Missouri was divided into East and West in 1857 and its boundaries have changed little since that division 1 In its history it has heard a number of important cases that made it to the United States Supreme Court covering issues related to freedom of speech abortion property rights and campaign finance There are currently nine active judges five judges in senior status and seven magistrate judges attached to the court As of December 31 2020 update the acting United States attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri is Sayler A Fleming 2 Contents 1 Mandate and jurisdiction 2 History 2 1 Origins 2 2 Civil War and aftermath 2 3 Further division and expansion 3 Notable cases 4 Current judges 5 Vacancies and pending nominations 6 Former judges 7 Chief judges 8 Succession of seats 9 United States Attorneys 10 See also 11 References 12 External linksMandate and jurisdiction editAs a United States district court the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri conducts civil trials and issues orders The cases it hears concern either federal question jurisdiction where a federal law or treaty is applicable or diversity jurisdiction where parties are domiciled in different states The court also holds criminal trials of persons charged with violations of federal law Appeals from cases brought in the Eastern District of Missouri are heard by the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit except for patent claims and claims against the U S government under the Tucker Act which are appealed to the Federal Circuit These cases can then be appealed to the United States Supreme Court 3 The Court is based in St Louis but is organized into three divisions Eastern Northern and Southeastern The court for the Eastern division is held in downtown St Louis in the Thomas F Eagleton United States Courthouse where the St Louis Clerk s Office is located It covers the counties of Crawford Dent Franklin Gasconade Jefferson Lincoln Maries Phelps Saint Charles Saint Francois Saint Louis Warren Washington and the independent City of St Louis The Northern division is based in Hannibal Missouri but its office is unstaffed unless court is being held there It covers the counties of Adair Audrain Chariton Clark Knox Lewis Linn Macon Marion Monroe Montgomery Pike Ralls Randolph Schuyler Shelby and Scotland The Southeastern division is based at Cape Girardeau Its courthouse is named for Rush Limbaugh Sr 4 That division s jurisdiction covers Bollinger Butler Cape Girardeau Carter Dunklin Iron Madison Mississippi New Madrid Pemiscot Perry Reynolds Ripley Sainte Genevieve Scott Shannon Stoddard and Wayne counties History edit nbsp The Old Courthouse of St Louis where the court met prior to 1884 as it appears today nbsp From 1884 to 1935 the court met at the U S Custom House and Post Office of St Louis Origins edit Missouri was admitted as a state on August 10 1821 and the United States Congress established the United States District Court for the District of Missouri on March 16 1822 1 5 6 The District was assigned to the Eighth Circuit on March 3 1837 1 7 Congress subdivided it into Eastern and Western Districts on March 3 1857 1 8 and has since made only small adjustments to the boundaries of that subdivision The division was prompted by a substantial increase in the number of admiralty cases arising from traffic on the Mississippi River which had followed an act of Congress passed in 1845 and upheld by the Supreme Court of the United States in 1851 extending federal admiralty jurisdiction to inland waterways 9 These disputes involved contracts of affreightment collisions mariners wages and other causes of admiralty jurisdiction and litigants of matters arising in St Louis found it inconvenient to travel to Jefferson City for their cases to be tried 9 nbsp Samuel Treat was the first judge to serve Missouri s Eastern District When the District of Missouri was subdivided Robert William Wells who was the sole judge serving the District of Missouri at the time of the division was reassigned to the Western District 10 allowing President Franklin Pierce to appoint Samuel Treat as the first judge for the Eastern District of Missouri 11 The court was initially authorized to meet in St Louis which had previously been one of the two authorized meeting places of the District Court for the District of Missouri 12 It met for a time at the landmark courthouse shared with Missouri state courts which was the tallest building in the state during that period For the first thirty years of its existence the court was primarily concerned with admiralty and maritime cases including maritime insurance claims 9 Civil War and aftermath edit Within a few years of the court s establishment the American Civil War erupted and Missouri was placed under martial law 13 Missouri was a border state with sharply divided loyalties among its citizenry resulting in the imposition of stern controls from the Union government including the imprisonment of large number of Missouri militiamen 13 When the District by the hand of Judge Treat issued a writ of habeas corpus for the release of one of them Captain Emmett McDonald Union commanding general William S Harney refused asserting that he had to answer to a higher law 13 A substantial portion of the court s docket in this period came from tax cases 9 when the Civil War came it brought in its train a new class of cases arising from the violation of treasury regulations and proceedings to enforce the internal revenue law in all its complex and multiplied divisions and subdivisions When whisky and tobacco and net income and gross receipts and manufactories and occupations and legacies and bonds and notes and conveyances and drugs and medicines and other innumerable things were taxed by the Federal government and each one had a separate code of laws of its own 9 The court in this time also tried numerous criminal cases arising from efforts to evade the tax laws through smuggling and fraud 9 Following the Civil War and in response to the economic disruption it had caused Congress enacted the Bankruptcy Act of 1867 14 Between its enactment and its subsequent repeal in 1878 the Act caused countless controversies arising in bankruptcy to be brought before the District Court 9 Despite the turmoil inflicted by the Civil War Missouri experienced a population boom becoming the fifth largest state in the U S by 1890 and having a busy court docket which reflected this population growth 15 Further division and expansion edit nbsp Rush Hudson Limbaugh Sr Courthouse Southeastern DivisionIn 1887 a Congressional Act divided the Eastern District into the Northern and Eastern Divisions of the Eastern District The courts of the Eastern Division continued to be held at the U S Custom House and Post Office in St Louis 16 while the courts of the Northern Division were moved to the U S Post Office at Hannibal Missouri where they met until 1960 12 17 These two courts along with the four courts of the Western District made six courts for the state and at the time no other state had so many separate federal courts 18 The district has since been further divided into the Eastern Northern and Southeast divisions In 1888 Audrain County Missouri was moved from the Eastern to the Western District In 1897 it was moved back to the Eastern district 18 In 1891 the United States circuit courts were eliminated in favor of the new United States courts of appeals When the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit heard its first case on October 12 1891 the presiding judge Henry Clay Caldwell was joined by two district court judges from within the jurisdiction of the Circuit One of those was Amos Madden Thayer of the Eastern District of Missouri 15 Thayer would later be appointed to the Eight Circuit in his own right The court was authorized to meet in Cape Girardeau beginning in 1905 12 and from 1910 to 1920 was additionally authorized to meet in Rolla Missouri 12 On September 14 1922 19 an additional temporary judgeship was authorized for each district of Missouri and on August 19 1935 20 these temporary judgeships were made permanent Additional judgeships were added to the Eastern District in 1936 1942 1970 1978 and 1984 and two were added in 1990 bringing the Eastern District to its current total of nine judges The court continued to meet at the U S Custom House and Post Office until 1935 16 and then moved to the United States Court House and Custom House in St Louis 21 In 2001 it moved to the Thomas F Eagleton United States Courthouse the largest courthouse in the United States 22 The 2000 census reported that the district had a population of nearly 2 8 million ranking 38th in population among the 90 U S judicial districts 23 Jean Constance Hamilton appointed by George H W Bush in 1990 was the first female judge appointed to the District The first African American to serve was Clyde S Cahill Jr who was appointed by Jimmy Carter in 1980 Over the history of the District five of its judges have been elevated to the Eighth Circuit Elmer Bragg Adams John Caskie Collet Charles Breckenridge Faris Amos Madden Thayer and William H Webster Notable cases editDuring the Great Depression three important United States Supreme Court cases were decided which determined the constitutionality of New Deal measures one of which originated in the Eastern District of Missouri The case originally filed as Norman v B amp O Railroad 24 reached the Supreme Court along with two cases filed in the United States Court of Claims under the single heading of the Gold Clause Cases 15 The Supreme Court upheld the determination of the trial court judge Charles Breckenridge Faris who found that Congress had the power to prohibit parties from contracting for payment in gold In 1976 the court heard the original proceedings in Planned Parenthood of Central Missouri v Danforth 25 a case that challenged several Missouri state regulations regarding abortion The case was eventually appealed to the United States Supreme Court which reaffirmed the right to abortion and struck down certain restrictions as unconstitutional Due to a school desegregation suit in 1972 the court required St Louis to accept a busing plan in 1980 Judge William L Hungate declared that a mandatory plan would go into effect unless other arrangements were made to adhere to the terms of the suit In 1983 an unprecedented voluntary busing plan was put into place integrating the schools without a mandated plan being required In Hazelwood v Kuhlmeier 26 a case that started in Missouri s Eastern District went before the United States Supreme Court in 1988 it was held that public school curricular student newspapers are subject to a lower level of First Amendment protection Another First Amendment case in public schools came up in 1998 when E D Mo heard Beussink v Woodland R IV School District 27 Judge Rodney W Sippel ruled that the school violated a student s rights by sanctioning him for material he posted on his website This case has been widely cited in higher courts 28 In the 2000s two more notable cases originated in this District and were heard by the United States Supreme Court Nixon v Shrink Missouri Government PAC 29 upheld state limits on campaign contributions to state offices and Sell v United States 30 imposed stringent limits on the right of a lower court to order the forcible administration of antipsychotic medication to a criminal defendant who had been determined to be incompetent to stand trial for the sole purpose of making him competent and able to be tried Several notable antitrust cases originated in this district including Brown Shoe Co v United States 31 preventing a merger between two shoe wholesalers which would have reduced competition in the region and United Shoe Machinery Corp v United States 32 prohibiting certain long term leases of manufacturing equipment Another important case brought in the district Ruckelshaus v Monsanto Co 33 involved the right of companies to maintain trade secrets under Missouri law in the face of federal regulations requiring disclosure of pesticide components Current judges editAs of June 9 2023 update Title Judge Duty station Born Term of service Appointed byActive Chief Senior41 Chief Judge Stephen R Clark St Louis 1966 2019 present 2022 present Trump35 District Judge Henry Autrey St Louis 1952 2002 present G W Bush39 District Judge Brian C Wimes Note 1 none Note 2 1966 2012 present Obama40 District Judge Ronnie L White St Louis 1953 2014 present Obama42 District Judge Sarah Pitlyk St Louis 1977 2019 present Trump43 District Judge Matthew T Schelp St Louis 1970 2020 present Trump44 District Judge vacant 45 District Judge vacant 46 District Judge vacant 21 Senior Judge Edward Louis Filippine inactive 1930 1977 1995 1990 1995 1995 present Carter27 Senior Judge Jean Constance Hamilton inactive 1945 1990 2013 1995 2002 2013 2022 G H W Bush31 Senior Judge Catherine D Perry St Louis 1952 1994 2018 2009 2016 2018 present Clinton32 Senior Judge E Richard Webber inactive 1942 1995 2009 2009 2022 Clinton33 Senior Judge Nanette Kay Laughrey Note 1 none Note 3 1946 1996 2011 2011 present Clinton34 Senior Judge Rodney W Sippel Note 1 St Louis 1956 1997 2023 2016 2022 2023 present Clinton36 Senior Judge Stephen N Limbaugh Jr Cape Girardeau 1952 2008 2020 2020 present G W Bush37 Senior Judge Audrey G Fleissig St Louis 1955 2010 2023 2023 present Obama38 Senior Judge John Andrew Ross St Louis 1954 2011 2023 2023 present Obama a b c Jointly appointed to the Eastern and Western Districts of Missouri Judge Wimes maintains chambers only in the Western District Judge Laughrey maintains chambers only in the Western District Vacancies and pending nominations editSeat Prior judge s duty station Seat last held by Vacancy reason Date of vacancy Nominee Date of nomination3 St Louis Rodney W Sippel Senior status January 28 2023 2 Audrey G Fleissig April 14 2023 9 John Andrew Ross June 9 2023 5 Ronnie L White Retirement July 31 2024 34 Former judges edit Judge State Born died Active service Chief Judge Senior status Appointed by Reason fortermination1 Samuel Treat MO 1815 1902 1857 1887 Pierce retirement2 Amos Madden Thayer MO 1841 1905 1887 1894 Cleveland elevation to 8th Cir 3 Henry Samuel Priest MO 1853 1930 1894 1895 Cleveland resignation4 Elmer Bragg Adams MO 1842 1916 1895 1905 Note 1 Cleveland elevation to 8th Cir 5 Gustavus A Finkelnburg MO 1837 1908 1905 1907 Note 2 T Roosevelt resignation6 David Patterson Dyer MO 1838 1924 1907 1919 1919 1924 T Roosevelt death7 Charles Breckenridge Faris MO 1864 1938 1919 1935 Wilson elevation to 8th Cir 8 Charles B Davis MO 1877 1943 1924 1943 Coolidge death9 George Moore MO 1878 1962 1935 1962 1948 1959 1962 F Roosevelt death10 John Caskie Collet MO 1898 1955 1937 1947 Note 3 F Roosevelt elevation to 8th Cir 11 Richard M Duncan MO 1889 1974 1943 1965 Note 3 1965 1974 F Roosevelt death12 Rubey Mosley Hulen MO 1894 1956 1943 1956 F Roosevelt death13 Roy Winfield Harper MO 1905 1994 1947 Note 4 Note 3 1947 1948 Note 5 Note 3 1948 1971 Note 6 Note 3 1959 1971 1971 1994 Truman Truman Truman death14 Randolph Henry Weber MO 1909 1961 1957 1961 Eisenhower death15 James Hargrove Meredith MO 1914 1988 1962 1979 1971 1979 1979 1988 Kennedy death16 John Keating Regan MO 1911 1987 1962 1977 1977 1987 Kennedy death17 William Robert Collinson MO 1912 1995 1965 1980 Note 3 1980 1995 L Johnson death18 William H Webster MO 1924 present 1970 1973 Nixon elevation to 8th Cir 19 Harris Kenneth Wangelin MO 1913 1987 1970 1983 Note 3 1979 1983 1983 1987 Nixon death20 John Francis Nangle MO 1922 2008 1973 1990 1983 1990 1990 2008 Nixon death22 William L Hungate MO 1922 2007 1979 1991 1991 1992 Carter retirement23 Clyde S Cahill Jr MO 1923 2004 1980 1992 1992 2004 Carter death24 Joseph Edward Stevens Jr MO 1928 1998 1981 1995 Note 3 1995 1998 Reagan death25 Stephen N Limbaugh Sr MO 1927 present 1983 1996 Note 3 1996 2008 Reagan retirement26 George F Gunn Jr MO 1927 1998 1985 1996 1996 1998 Reagan death28 Donald J Stohr MO 1934 2015 1992 2006 2006 2015 G H W Bush death29 Carol E Jackson MO 1952 present 1992 2017 2002 2009 G H W Bush retirement30 Charles Alexander Shaw MO 1944 2020 1993 2009 2009 2020 Clinton death Recess appointment formally nominated on December 4 1895 confirmed by the United States Senate on December 9 1895 and received commission the same day Recess appointment formally nominated on December 5 1905 confirmed by the Senate on December 12 1905 and received commission the same day a b c d e f g h i Jointly appointed to the Eastern and Western Districts of Missouri Recess appointment not confirmed by the Senate Received a second recess appointment and was again rejected by the Senate Received a third recess appointment formally nominated on January 13 1949 confirmed by the Senate on January 31 1949 and received commission on February 2 1949 nbsp William H Webster was the District Court s most recent judge to be elevated to the Eighth CircuitChief judges editChief 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 editSeat 1Seat established on March 3 1857 by 11 Stat 197Treat 1857 1887Thayer 1887 1894Priest 1894 1895Adams 1895 1905Finkelnburg 1905 1907Dyer 1907 1919Faris 1919 1935Moore 1935 1962Meredith 1962 1979Cahill Jr 1980 1992Perry 1994 2018Pitlyk 2019 present Seat 2Seat established on September 14 1922 by 42 Stat 838 temporary Seat made permanent on August 19 1935 by 49 Stat 659Davis 1924 1943Hulen 1943 1956Weber 1957 1961Regan 1962 1977Filippine 1977 1995Webber Jr 1995 2009Fleissig 2010 2023vacant 2023 present Seat 3Seat established on June 22 1936 by 49 Stat 1804 concurrent with Western District Collet 1937 1947Harper 1947 1971Wangelin 1970 1983Limbaugh Sr 1983 1996Sippel 1997 2023vacant 2023 present Seat 4Seat established on December 24 1942 by 56 Stat 1083 temporary concurrent with Western District Seat made permanent on February 10 1954 by 68 Stat 8Duncan 1943 1965Collinson 1965 1980Stevens Jr 1981 1995Laughrey 1996 2011Wimes 2012 present Seat 5Seat established on June 2 1970 by 84 Stat 294Webster 1970 1973Nangle 1973 1990Hamilton 1990 2013White 2014 present Seat 6Seat established on October 20 1978 by 92 Stat 1629Hungate 1979 1991Jackson 1992 2017Clark 2019 present Seat 7Seat established on July 10 1984 by 98 Stat 333Gunn Jr 1985 1996Autrey 2002 present Seat 8Seat established on December 1 1990 by 104 Stat 5089Stohr 1992 2006Limbaugh Jr 2008 2020Schelp 2020 present Seat 9Seat established on December 1 1990 by 104 Stat 5089 temporary Shaw 1993 2009Ross 2011 2023vacant 2023 presentUnited States Attorneys editList of U S Attorneys since 1857 35 36 Calvin F Burns 1857 1861 Asa S Jones 1861 1862 William W Edwards 1862 1863 William N Grover 1863 John Willock Noble 1867 1870 Chester H Krum 1870 1876 William H Bliss 1876 1887 Thomas P Bashaw 1887 1889 George D Reynolds 1889 1894 William H Clopton 1894 1898 Edward A Rozier 1898 1902 David Patterson Dyer 1902 1907 Henry W Blodgett 1907 1910 Charles A Houts 1910 1914 Arthur L Oliver 1914 1919 Walter Lewis Hensley 1919 1920 James E Carroll 1920 1923 Allen Curry 1923 1926 Louis H Breuer 1926 1934 Harry C Blanton 1934 1947 Drake Watson 1947 1951 George L Robertson 1951 1953 William W Crowdis 1953 Harry Richards 1953 1959 William H Webster 1959 1961 D Jeff Lance 1961 1962 Richard D Fitzgibbon Jr 1962 1967 Veryl Riddle 1967 1969 James E Reeves 1969 Daniel Bartlett Jr 1969 James E Reeves 1969 1973 Donald J Stohr 1973 1976 Barry A Short 1976 1977 Robert D Kingsland 1977 1981 Thomas E Dittmeier 1981 1990 Stephen B Higgins 1990 1993 Edward L Dowd Jr 1993 1999 Michael W Reap 1999 2000 Audrey G Fleissig 2000 2001 Raymond Gruender 2001 2004 James Martin 2004 2005 Catherine Hanaway 2005 2009 Michael W Reap 2009 2010 Richard G Callahan 2010 2017 Caroline A Costantin 2017 Jeffrey Jensen 2017 2020 Sayler A Fleming 2020 present See also editCourts of Missouri List of current United States district judges List of United States federal courthouses in MissouriReferences edit a b c d U S District Courts of Missouri Legislative history Biographical Directory of Federal Judges Federal Judicial Center Retrieved April 16 2009 Meet the U S Attorney December 31 2020 Archived from the original on January 5 2022 The U S District Courts and the Federal Judiciary Biographical Directory of Federal Judges Federal Judicial Center Archived from the original on July 14 2007 Retrieved April 16 2009 Rush Hudson Limbaugh Sr U S Courthouse United States General Services Administration Retrieved March 21 2009 3 Stat 653 Dickens Asbury 1852 A Synoptical Index to the Laws and Treaties of the United States of America Boston Little Brown and company p 393 5 Stat 176 11 Stat 197 a b c d e f g Broadhead James O March 5 1887 Address of Col J O Broadhead In Bar Association of St Louis ed Proceedings of the Saint Louis Bar on the Retirement of Hon Samuel Treat St Louis Nixon Jones printing co pp 10 17 Robert William Wells Biographical Directory of Federal Judges Federal Judicial Center Archived from the original on May 13 2009 Retrieved April 16 2009 Samuel Treat Biographical Directory of Federal Judges Federal Judicial Center Retrieved April 16 2009 a b c d U S District Courts of Missouri Authorized Meeting Places Biographical Directory of Federal Judges Federal Judicial Center Retrieved April 16 2009 a b c Neely Mark E Jr January 3 1991 The Fate of Liberty Abraham Lincoln and Civil Liberties Oxford University Press pp 32 ISBN 978 0 7607 8864 6 14 Stat 517 a b c Morris Jeffrey Brandon November 16 2007 Establishing Justice in Middle America A History of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit 1st ed Univ Of Minnesota Press ISBN 978 0 8166 4816 0 a b St Louis Missouri 1884 Biographical Directory of Federal Judges Federal Judicial Center Retrieved April 16 2009 Hannibal Missouri 1888 Biographical Directory of Federal Judges Federal Judicial Center Retrieved April 16 2009 a b Gray Melvin L 1901 United States Courts In Howard L Conrad ed Encyclopedia of the History of Missouri Southern History Co pp 267 269 42 Stat 838 49 Stat 659 St Louis 1935 Biographical Directory of Federal Judges Federal Judicial Center Retrieved April 16 2009 Thomas F Eagleton U S Courthouse U S General Services Administration April 6 2009 Retrieved April 16 2009 Decker Scott H et al February 2007 Project Safe Neighborhoods Strategic Interventions PDF United States Department of Justice p 3 Retrieved April 16 2009 Norman v B amp O Railroad 294 U S 240 1935 Planned Parenthood of Missouri v Danforth 428 U S 52 1976 Hazelwood v Kuhlmeier 484 U S 260 1988 Beussink v Woodland R IV School district 30 F Supp 2d 1175 E D Mo 1998 Court transcript accessed March 30 2009 Archived September 30 2007 at the Wayback Machine Nixon v Shrink Missouri Government PAC 528 U S 377 2000 Sell v United States 539 U S 166 2003 Brown Shoe Co Inc v United States 370 U S 294 1962 United Shoe Machinery Corp v United States 258 U S 451 1922 Ruckelshaus v Monsanto Co 467 U S 986 1984 Future Judicial Vacancies United States Courts www uscourts gov https www justice gov sites default files usao legacy 2011 11 23 bicn celebration pdf bare URL PDF The Political Graveyard U S District Attorneys in Missouri External links editOfficial website nbsp 38 37 44 N 90 11 34 W 38 62889 N 90 19278 W 38 62889 90 19278 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri amp oldid 1180984522, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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