Who appointed Gershwin Allen Drain?

President Barack Obama appointed Gershwin Allen Drain to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan in 2012.

Was Gershwin Allen Drain appointed by a Democrat or a Republican?

Gershwin Allen Drain was appointed by President Barack Obama, a Democrat. JudicialFinder records the appointing president's party, not a judge's own politics.

What was Gershwin Allen Drain's confirmation vote?

The Senate confirmed Gershwin Allen Drain 55–41 on August 2, 2012.

Eastern District of Michigan / Appointed 2012 / Senior status since 2022

Gershwin Allen Drain

Judge, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan

Appointed by President Barack Obama in 2012 and confirmed by the Senate 55–41, Gershwin Allen Drain is a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. He earned a law degree from University of Michigan Law School in 1972. Sources ↓

Born: 1949 · age 77
Appointed by: Barack Obama, 2012
Confirmed: 55–41
Education: Western Michigan 1970 · University of Michigan Law School 1972
Succeeded: Bernard A. Friedman
Succeeded by: Brandy Renée McMillion

Federal judicial service

Year	Court	Appointed by	Vote
2012	Eastern District of Michigan succeeded Bernard A. Friedman	Obama (D)	55–41

Party letters show the appointing president’s party, not the judge’s own.

Confirmation vote

Nomination Confirmed 55–41 on August 2, 2012 · 112th Congress, Roll Call 189. Each senator links to their judicial-voting record.

Voted to confirm · 55

50 D, 3 R, 2 I

Voted against · 41

1 D, 40 R

Did not vote · 4

4 R

Education

Western Michigan University	B.S.	1970
University of Michigan Law School	J.D.	1972
University of Nevada, Reno	M.J.S.	1991

Judicial Record

Caseload & case types

In our data, Drain was assigned 1,895 district-court cases (1999–2026). Median time from filing to termination: 218 days across 1,600 closed cases.

Other civil matters27%

Civil rights12%

Other federal statutes12%

Contract12%

Labor & ERISA8%

Personal-injury torts6%

Other23%

Case assignment is from CourtListener’s PACER-derived docket records: a partial sample, not a complete caseload, reflecting the judge last assigned each case. How we count.

On appeal

Of 135 of Drain’s decisions reviewed on the merits by the U.S. courts of appeals in our data, 108 were affirmed, 17 reversed or vacated, and 10 affirmed in part and reversed in part. This is a historical count of appellate outcomes for cases we could match, not a judgment of the judge, and not a complete record. How we count.

Questions & answers

Who appointed Gershwin Allen Drain?: President Barack Obama appointed Gershwin Allen Drain to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan in 2012.
Was Gershwin Allen Drain appointed by a Democrat or a Republican?: Gershwin Allen Drain was appointed by President Barack Obama, a Democrat. JudicialFinder records the appointing president's party, not a judge's own politics.
What was Gershwin Allen Drain's confirmation vote?: The Senate confirmed Gershwin Allen Drain 55–41 on August 2, 2012.
Which court is Gershwin Allen Drain on?: Gershwin Allen Drain is a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.

Sources

Each fact on this page traces to a primary public record.

How we source & reconcile data → Data & Sources

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14 years on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. Data as of 2026-08-10. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).