U.S. District Court for the District of Indiana
Indiana · A federal trial court, where federal civil and criminal cases are first heard. Appeals go to the Seventh Circuit.
U.S. District Court for the District of Indiana is a United States district court, a federal trial court where most federal civil and criminal cases are first heard. It lies within the Seventh Circuit, which reviews its decisions on appeal. This page lists every judge to serve on the court, current and former, with who appointed them and whom they succeeded.
Party letters here are the appointing president’s, never a judge’s own: D Democratic, R Republican, N pre-modern-party era (Federalist, Whig, and other early parties); “–” means no recorded party. Counts cover the court’s entire history.
Current judges
No currently serving judges on record.
Seats over time
Each band is one judgeship, from the court’s founding to today. A segment’s width is the holder’s tenure; its color is the appointing president’s party. Gaps are vacancies.
Former judges
| Judge | Appointed by | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Robert C. Baltzell | Coolidge (R) | 1925–1928 |
| Thomas Whitten Slick | Coolidge (R) | 1925–1928 |
| Albert Barnes Anderson | T. Roosevelt (R) | 1902–1925 |
| John Harris Baker | B. Harrison (R) | 1892–1902 |
| William Allen Woods | Arthur (R) | 1884–1892 |
| Walter Quintin Gresham | Grant (R) | 1869–1883 |
| David McDonald | Lincoln (R) | 1864–1869 |
| Albert Smith White | Lincoln (R) | 1864–1864 |
| Caleb Blood Smith | Lincoln (R) | 1862–1864 |
| Elisha Mills Huntington | Tyler (N) | 1842–1862 |
| Jesse Lynch Holman | Jackson (D) | 1836–1842 |
| Benjamin Parke | Monroe (N) | 1817–1835 |
How a judge gets here. Each judge is nominated by a president and confirmed by the U.S. Senate, then holds a numbered seat, for life, until they take senior status, or until they leave the bench. Open any judge to see who appointed them, how the Senate voted, and whom they succeeded, a chain that runs back to 1817. Read more on how federal judges are appointed.
Source: FJC Biographical Directory and CourtListener / Free Law Project (bulk data). Data as of 2026-08-10 (FJC); magistrates 2026-03-31 (CourtListener bulk snapshot). Verify against the primary source before relying.