U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama
U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama is a United States district court, a federal trial court where most federal civil and criminal cases are first heard. It lies within the Eleventh 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Myron Herbert Thompson | Carter (D) | 1980 |
| William Harold Albritton III | Bush (R) | 1991 |
| William Keith Watkins | Bush (R) | 2005 |
| Emily Coody Marks | Trump (R) | 2018 |
| R. Austin Huffaker Jr. | Trump (R) | 2019 |
| Billy Wayne Lewis Jr. | Trump (R) | 2025 |
| Judge | Appointed by | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Andrew Lynn Brasher | Trump (R) | 2019–2020 |
| Mark E. Fuller | Bush (R) | 2002–2015 |
| Ira DeMent | Bush (R) | 1992–2011 |
| Joel Fredrick Dubina | Reagan (R) | 1986–1990 |
| Truman McGill Hobbs | Carter (D) | 1980–2015 |
| Robert Edward Varner | Nixon (R) | 1971–2006 |
| Thomas Virgil Pittman | Johnson (D) | 1966–1970 |
| Frank Minis Johnson Jr. | Eisenhower (R) | 1956–1979 |
| Charles Brents Kennamer | Hoover (R) | 1931–1955 |
| Henry De Lamar Clayton | Wilson (D) | 1914–1929 |
| Thomas Goode Jones | Roosevelt (R) | 1901–1914 |
| John Bruce | Grant (R) | 1875–1901 |
| Richard Busteed | Lincoln (R) | 1864–1874 |
| George Washington Lane | Lincoln (R) | 1861–1863 |
| William Giles Jones | Buchanan (D) | 1860–1861 |
| John Gayle | Taylor (N) | 1849–1859 |
| William Crawford | (assignment) (N) | 1839–1849 |
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 1839.
Source: FJC Biographical Directory. Data last verified 2026-06-28. Verify against the primary source before relying.