U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan
U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan is a United States district court, a federal trial court where most federal civil and criminal cases are first heard. It lies within the Sixth 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Gordon Jay Quist | Bush (R) | 1992 |
| Robert James Jonker | Bush (R) | 2007 |
| Paul Lewis Maloney | Bush (R) | 2007 |
| Janet T. Neff | Bush (R) | 2007 |
| Hala Yalda Jarbou | Trump (R) | 2020 |
| Jane Marie Beckering | Biden (D) | 2021 |
| Judge | Appointed by | Years |
|---|---|---|
| David William McKeague | Bush (R) | 1992–2005 |
| Robert Holmes Bell | Reagan (R) | 1987–2023 |
| Richard Alan Enslen | Carter (D) | 1979–2015 |
| Benjamin F. Gibson | Carter (D) | 1979–1999 |
| Douglas Woodruff Hillman | Carter (D) | 1979–2002 |
| Wendell Alverson Miles | Nixon (R) | 1974–2013 |
| Albert Joseph Engel | Nixon (R) | 1970–1974 |
| Noel Peter Fox | Kennedy (D) | 1962–1987 |
| W. Wallace Kent | Eisenhower (R) | 1954–1971 |
| Raymond Wesley Starr | Truman (D) | 1946–1968 |
| Fred Morton Raymond | Coolidge (R) | 1925–1946 |
| Clarence W. Sessions | Taft (R) | 1911–1931 |
| Arthur Carter Denison | Taft (R) | 1910–1911 |
| Loyal Edwin Knappen | Roosevelt (R) | 1906–1910 |
| George P. Wanty | McKinley (R) | 1900–1906 |
| Henry Franklin Severens | Cleveland (D) | 1886–1900 |
| Solomon Lewis Withey | Lincoln (R) | 1863–1886 |
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 1863.
Source: FJC Biographical Directory. Data last verified 2026-06-28. Verify against the primary source before relying.