United States District Court for the District of Kansas
The United States District Court for the District of Kansas (in case citations, D. Kan.) is the federal district court whose jurisdiction is the state of Kansas. The Court operates out of the Robert J. Dole United States Courthouse in Kansas City, Kansas, the Frank Carlson Federal Building in Topeka, and the United States Courthouse in Wichita. The District of Kansas was created in 1861, replacing the territorial court that preceded it, and President Abraham Lincoln appointed Archibald Williams as the Court's first judge.
United States District Court for the District of Kansas | |
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(D. Kan.) | |
Location | Kansas City |
Appeals to | Tenth Circuit |
Established | January 29, 1861 |
Judges | 6 |
Chief Judge | Eric F. Melgren |
Officers of the court | |
U.S. Attorney | Kate E. Brubacher |
U.S. Marshal | Ronald L. Miller |
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Appeals from the District of Kansas are made to the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are appealed to the Federal Circuit).
As of March 10, 2023 the United States attorney is Kate E. Brubacher. On March 12, 2015, Ronald L. Miller, most recently police chief of Topeka, Kansas, was confirmed as U.S. Marshal.[1]
The clerk of court is Skyler B. O'Hara, who is located in Topeka.
Current judges
As of December 2, 2022:
# | Title | Judge | Duty station | Born | Term of service | Appointed by | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Active | Chief | Senior | ||||||
27 | Chief Judge | Eric F. Melgren | Wichita | 1956 | 2008–present | 2021–present | — | G.W. Bush |
28 | District Judge | Daniel D. Crabtree | Kansas City | 1956 | 2014–present | — | — | Obama |
29 | District Judge | John W. Broomes | Wichita | 1969 | 2018–present | — | — | Trump |
30 | District Judge | Holly Teeter | Kansas City | 1979 | 2018–present | — | — | Trump |
31 | District Judge | Toby Crouse | Topeka | 1975 | 2020–present | — | — | Trump |
32 | District Judge | vacant | — | — | — | — | — | — |
21 | Senior Judge | John Watson Lungstrum | Kansas City | 1945 | 1991–2010 | 2001–2007 | 2010–present | G.H.W. Bush |
22 | Senior Judge | Monti Belot | inactive | 1943 | 1991–2008 | — | 2008–present | G.H.W. Bush |
23 | Senior Judge | Kathryn H. Vratil | Kansas City | 1949 | 1992–2014 | 2008–2014 | 2014–present | G.H.W. Bush |
26 | Senior Judge | Julie A. Robinson | Kansas City | 1957 | 2001–2022 | 2017–2021 | 2022–present | G.W. Bush |
Vacancies and pending nominations
Seat | Prior judge's duty station | Seat last held by | Vacancy reason | Date of vacancy | Nominee | Date of nomination |
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5 | Kansas City | Julie A. Robinson | Senior status | January 14, 2022 | – | – |
Former judges
# | Judge | State | Born–died | Active service | Chief Judge | Senior status | Appointed by | Reason for termination |
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1 | Archibald Williams | KS | 1801–1863 | 1861–1863 | — | — | Lincoln | death |
2 | Mark W. Delahay | KS | 1828–1879 | 1863–1873[Note 1] | — | — | Lincoln | resignation |
3 | Cassius Gaius Foster | KS | 1837–1899 | 1874–1899 | — | — | Grant | retirement |
4 | William Cather Hook | KS | 1857–1921 | 1899–1903 | — | — | McKinley | elevation to 8th Cir. |
5 | John Calvin Pollock | KS | 1857–1937 | 1903–1937 | — | — | T. Roosevelt | death |
6 | George Thomas McDermott | KS | 1886–1937 | 1928–1929 | — | — | Coolidge | elevation to 10th Cir. |
7 | Richard Joseph Hopkins | KS | 1873–1943 | 1929–1943 | — | — | Hoover | death |
8 | Guy T. Helvering | KS | 1878–1946 | 1943–1946 | — | — | F. Roosevelt | death |
9 | Arthur Johnson Mellott | KS | 1888–1957 | 1945–1957 | 1948–1957 | — | Truman | death |
10 | Delmas Carl Hill | KS | 1906–1989 | 1949–1961[Note 2] | 1957–1961 | — | Truman | elevation to 10th Cir. |
11 | Arthur Jehu Stanley Jr. | KS | 1901–2001 | 1958–1971 | 1961–1971 | 1971–2001 | Eisenhower | death |
12 | Wesley E. Brown | KS | 1907–2012 | 1962–1979 | 1971–1977 | 1979–2012 | Kennedy | death |
13 | Henry George Templar | KS | 1904–1988 | 1962–1974 | — | 1974–1988 | Kennedy | death |
14 | Frank Gordon Theis | KS | 1911–1998 | 1967–1981 | 1977–1981 | 1981–1998 | L. Johnson | death |
15 | Earl Eugene O'Connor | KS | 1922–1998 | 1971–1992 | 1981–1992 | 1992–1998 | Nixon | death |
16 | Richard Dean Rogers | KS | 1921–2016 | 1975–1989 | — | 1989–2016 | Ford | death |
17 | Dale E. Saffels | KS | 1921–2002 | 1979–1990 | — | 1990–2002 | Carter | death |
18 | Patrick F. Kelly | KS | 1929–2007 | 1980–1995 | 1992–1995 | 1995–1996 | Carter | retirement |
19 | Sam A. Crow | KS | 1926–2022 | 1981–1996 | — | 1996–2022 | Reagan | death |
20 | George Thomas Van Bebber | KS | 1931–2005 | 1989–2000 | 1995–2000 | 2000–2005 | G.H.W. Bush | death |
24 | J. Thomas Marten | KS | 1951–present | 1996–2017 | 2014–2017 | 2017–2021 | Clinton | retirement |
25 | Carlos Murguia | KS | 1957–present | 1999–2020 | — | — | Clinton | resignation |
- Recess appointment; formally nominated on December 14, 1863, confirmed by the United States Senate on March 15, 1864, and received commission the same day.
- Recess appointment; formally nominated on January 5, 1950, confirmed by the Senate on March 8, 1950, and received commission on March 9, 1950.
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
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