United States District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin

43°04′25″N 89°23′21″W / 43.0737°N 89.3891°W / 43.0737; -89.3891

United States District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin
(W.D. Wis.)
LocationRobert W. Kastenmeier U.S. Courthouse
(Madison)
More locations
Appeals toSeventh Circuit
EstablishedJune 30, 1870
Judges2
Chief JudgeJames D. Peterson
Officers of the court
U.S. AttorneyChadwick Elgersma (acting)
U.S. MarshalKim Gaffney
www.wiwd.uscourts.gov

The United States District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin (in case citations, W.D. Wis.) is a federal trial court of limited jurisdiction. The court is under the auspices of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, although patent claims and claims against the federal government under the Tucker Act are appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. The Western District was established on June 30, 1870.[1]

The district's headquarters, central courthouse, and the majority of its offices are located in Madison, Wisconsin, although the bankruptcy court may hear claims in Eau Claire. The district's chief judge is James D. Peterson. As of July 1, 2025 the acting United States attorney is Chadwick M. Elgersma.[2]

Organization of the court

The United States District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin is one of two federal judicial districts in Wisconsin.[3] Court for the Western District is held at Madison.

The district comprises the following counties: Adams, Ashland, Barron, Bayfield, Buffalo, Burnett, Chippewa, Clark, Columbia, Crawford, Dane, Douglas, Dunn, Eau Claire, Grant, Green, Iowa, Iron, Jackson, Jefferson, Juneau, La Crosse, Lafayette, Lincoln, Marathon, Monroe, Oneida, Pepin, Pierce, Polk, Portage, Price, Richland, Rock, Rusk, Sauk, St. Croix, Sawyer, Taylor, Trempealeau, Vernon, Vilas, Washburn and Wood.

Current judges

As of April 26, 2017:

# Title Judge Duty station Born Term of service Appointed by
Active Chief Senior
11 Chief Judge James D. Peterson Madison 1957 2014–present 2017–present — Obama
10 District Judge William M. Conley Madison 1956 2010–present 2010–2017 — Obama
8 Senior Judge Barbara Crabb inactive 1939 1979–2010 1980–1996
2001–2010 		2010–present Carter

Vacancies and pending nominations

Seat Prior judge's duty station Seat last held by Vacancy reason Date of vacancy Nominee Date of nomination
1 Madison James D. Peterson Senior status TBD[4] – –

Former judges

# Judge Born–died Active service Chief Judge Senior status Appointed by Reason for
termination
1 James Campbell Hopkins 1819–1877 1870–1877 — — Grant death
2 Romanzo Bunn 1829–1909 1877–1905 — — Hayes retirement
3 Arthur Loomis Sanborn 1850–1920 1905–1920 — — T. Roosevelt death
4 Claude Zeth Luse 1879–1932 1921–1932[Note 1] — — Harding death
5 Patrick Thomas Stone 1889–1963 1933–1963 — — F. Roosevelt death
6 David Rabinovitz 1908–1986 1964[Note 2] — — L. Johnson not confirmed
7 James Edward Doyle 1915–1987 1965–1980 1978–1980 1980–1987 L. Johnson death
9 John C. Shabaz 1931–2012 1981–2009 1996–2001 2009–2012 Reagan death
  1. ^ Recess appointment; formally nominated on April 14, 1921, confirmed by the United States Senate on April 27, 1921, and received commission the same day
  2. ^ Recess appointment; the United States Senate later rejected the appointment

Chief judges

Chief judges have administrative responsibilities with respect to their district court. Unlike the Supreme Court, where one justice is specifically nominated to be chief, the office of chief judge rotates among the district court judges. To be chief, a judge must have been in active service on the court for at least one year, be under the age of 65, and have not previously served as chief judge.

A vacancy is filled by the judge highest in seniority among the group of qualified judges. The chief judge serves for a term of seven years, or until age 70, whichever occurs first. The age restrictions are waived if no members of the court would otherwise be qualified for the position.

When the office was created in 1948, the chief judge was the longest-serving judge who had not elected to retire, on what has since 1958 been known as senior status, or declined to serve as chief judge. After August 6, 1959, judges could not become or remain chief after turning 70 years old. The current rules have been in operation since October 1, 1982.

Succession of seats

See also

References

  1. ^ U.S. District Courts of Wisconsin, Legislative history, Federal Judicial Center.
  2. ^ "Chadwick Elgersma Named Acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin". U.S. Department of Justice (Press release). July 1, 2025. Retrieved November 20, 2025.
  3. ^ "28 U.S. Code § 130 - Wisconsin". LII / Legal Information Institute.
  4. ^ "Future Judicial Vacancies | United States Courts". www.uscourts.gov.
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