U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington is a United States district court, a federal trial court where most federal civil and criminal cases are first heard. It lies within the Ninth 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.
| Judge | Appointed by | Since |
|---|---|---|
| William Fremming Nielsen | Bush (R) | 1991 |
| Robert H. Whaley | Clinton (D) | 1995 |
| Edward F. Shea | Clinton (D) | 1998 |
| Lonny R. Suko | Bush (R) | 2003 |
| Rosanna Malouf Peterson | Obama (D) | 2010 |
| Thomas Owen Rice | Obama (D) | 2012 |
| Stanley Allen Bastian | Obama (D) | 2014 |
| Mary Katherine Dimke | Biden (D) | 2021 |
| Rebecca Louise Pennell | Biden (D) | 2024 |
| Judge | Appointed by | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Salvador Mendoza Jr. | Obama (D) | 2014–2022 |
| Frederick L. Van Sickle | Bush (R) | 1991–2021 |
| Alan Angus McDonald | Reagan (R) | 1985–2007 |
| Justin Lowe Quackenbush | Carter (D) | 1980–2024 |
| Robert James McNichols | Carter (D) | 1979–1993 |
| Jack Edward Tanner | Carter (D) | 1978–1978 |
| Marshall Allen Neill | Nixon (R) | 1972–1979 |
| William Nelson Goodwin | Johnson (D) | 1966–1975 |
| Charles Lawrence Powell | Eisenhower (R) | 1959–1975 |
| William James Lindberg | Truman (D) | 1951–1961 |
| Samuel Marion Driver | Truman (D) | 1946–1958 |
| Lloyd Llewellyn Black | (assignment) (N) | 1940–1950 |
| Lewis Baxter Schwellenbach | Roosevelt (D) | 1940–1945 |
| John Stanley Webster | Harding (R) | 1924–1962 |
| Frank H. Rudkin | Taft (R) | 1911–1923 |
| Edward Whitson | Roosevelt (R) | 1905–1910 |
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 1905.
Source: FJC Biographical Directory. Data last verified 2026-06-28. Verify against the primary source before relying.