United States District Court for the District of Connecticut

United States District Court for the District of Connecticut
United States District Court for the District of Connecticut
(D. Conn.)
Location	Richard C. Lee U.S. Courthouse (New Haven) More locations Hartford; Bridgeport;
Appeals to	Second Circuit
Established	September 24, 1789
Judges	8
Chief Judge	Michael P. Shea
Officers of the court
U.S. Attorney	Vanessa R. Avery
U.S. Marshal	Lawrence Bobnick (acting)
	www.ctd.uscourts.gov

The United States District Court for the District of Connecticut (in case citations, D. Conn.) is the federal district court whose jurisdiction is the state of Connecticut. The court has offices in Bridgeport, Hartford, and New Haven. Appeals from the court are heard by the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. It was one of the original 13 courts established by the Judiciary Act of 1789, 1 Stat. 73, on September 24, 1789.^[1] The Court initially had a single judge, and remained so composed until March 3, 1927, when a second judge was added by 1927 44 Stat. 1348.^[1] Six additional judgeships were created between 1961 and 1990 to bring about the current total of eight judges.^[1] Court offices at Hartford and New Haven are located in the Abraham A. Ribicoff Federal Building and the Richard C. Lee United States Courthouse.

Cases decided by the District of Connecticut are appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are appealed to the Federal Circuit).

The United States Attorney's Office for the District of Connecticut represents the United States in civil and criminal litigation in the court. As of May 9, 2022^[update] the United States attorney is Vanessa R. Avery.^[2]

The United States marshal for the District of Connecticut is Lawrence Bobnick.

Current judges

As of December 31, 2023^[update]:

#	Title	Judge	Duty station	Born	Term of service			Appointed by
#	Title	Judge	Duty station	Born	Active	Chief	Senior	Appointed by
36	Chief Judge	Michael P. Shea	Hartford	1967	2012–present	2022–present	—	Obama
37	District Judge	Jeffrey A. Meyer	New Haven	1963	2014–present	—	—	Obama
38	District Judge	Victor Allen Bolden	New Haven	1965	2014–present	—	—	Obama
39	District Judge	Kari A. Dooley	Bridgeport	1963	2018–present	—	—	Trump
41	District Judge	Sarala Nagala	Hartford	1983	2021–present	—	—	Biden
42	District Judge	Omar A. Williams	Hartford	1977	2021–present	—	—	Biden
43	District Judge	Vernon D. Oliver	Hartford	1971	2023–present	—	—	Biden
44	District Judge	vacant	—	—	—	—	—	—
26	Senior Judge	Alfred V. Covello	inactive	1933	1992–2003	1998–2003	2003–present	G.H.W. Bush
27	Senior Judge	Robert Chatigny	Hartford	1951	1994–2016	2003–2009	2016–present	Clinton
29	Senior Judge	Alvin W. Thompson	Hartford	1953	1994–2018	2009–2013	2018–present	Clinton
30	Senior Judge	Janet Bond Arterton	inactive	1944	1995–2014	—	2014–present	Clinton
32	Senior Judge	Janet C. Hall	New Haven	1948	1997–2021	2013–2018	2021–present	Clinton
33	Senior Judge	Stefan R. Underhill	Bridgeport	1956	1999–2022	2018–2022	2022–present	Clinton
35	Senior Judge	Vanessa Lynne Bryant	inactive	1954	2007–2021	—	2021–present	G.W. Bush

Vacancies and pending nominations

Seat	Prior Judge's Duty Station	Seat last held by	Vacancy reason	Date of vacancy	Nominee	Date of nomination
2	New Haven	Sarah A. L. Merriam	Elevation	September 28, 2022	Sarah F. Russell	October 4, 2023

Former judges

#	Judge	State	Born–died	Active service	Chief Judge	Senior status	Appointed by	Reason for termination
1	Richard Law	CT	1733–1806	1789–1806	—	—	Washington	death
2	Pierpont Edwards	CT	1750–1826	1806–1826	—	—	Jefferson	death
3	William Bristol	CT	1779–1836	1826–1836	—	—	J.Q. Adams	death
4	Andrew T. Judson	CT	1784–1853	1836–1853	—	—	Jackson	death
5	Charles A. Ingersoll	CT	1798–1860	1853–1860	—	—	Pierce	death
6	William Davis Shipman	CT	1818–1898	1860–1873	—	—	Buchanan	resignation
7	Nathaniel Shipman	CT	1828–1906	1873–1892^{[Note 1]}	—	—	Grant	elevation to 2d Cir.
8	William Kneeland Townsend	CT	1849–1907	1892–1902	—	—	B. Harrison	elevation to 2d Cir.
9	James Perry Platt	CT	1851–1913	1902–1913	—	—	T. Roosevelt	death
10	Edwin Stark Thomas	CT	1872–1952	1913–1939	—	—	Wilson	resignation
11	Warren Booth Burrows	CT	1877–1952	1928–1930	—	—	Coolidge	resignation
12	Carroll C. Hincks	CT	1889–1964	1931–1953	1948–1953	—	Hoover	elevation to 2d Cir.
13	J. Joseph Smith	CT	1904–1980	1941–1960	1953–1960	—	F. Roosevelt	elevation to 2d Cir.
14	Robert P. Anderson	CT	1906–1978	1954–1964	1960–1964	—	Eisenhower	elevation to 2d Cir.
15	William H. Timbers	CT	1915–1994	1960–1971	1964–1971	—	Eisenhower	elevation to 2d Cir.
16	Mosher Joseph Blumenfeld	CT	1904–1988	1961–1977	1971–1974	1977–1988	Kennedy	death
17	T. Emmet Clarie	CT	1913–1997	1961–1983	1974–1983	1983–1997	Kennedy	death
18	Robert C. Zampano	CT	1928–2004	1964–1977	—	1977–1994	L. Johnson	retirement
19	Jon O. Newman	CT	1932–present	1971–1979	—	—	Nixon	elevation to 2d Cir.
20	T. F. Gilroy Daly	CT	1931–1996	1977–1996	1983–1988	—	Carter	death
21	Ellen Bree Burns	CT	1923–2019	1978–1992	1988–1992	1992–2019	Carter	death
22	Warren William Eginton	CT	1924–2019	1979–1992	—	1992–2019	Carter	death
23	José A. Cabranes	CT	1940–present	1979–1994	1992–1994	—	Carter	elevation to 2d Cir.
24	Peter Collins Dorsey	CT	1931–2012	1983–1998	1994–1998	1998–2012	Reagan	death
25	Alan Harris Nevas	CT	1928–present	1985–1997	—	1997–2009	Reagan	retirement
28	Dominic J. Squatrito	CT	1938–2021	1994–2004	—	2004–2021	Clinton	death
31	Christopher F. Droney	CT	1954–present	1997–2011	—	—	Clinton	elevation to 2d Cir.
34	Mark R. Kravitz	CT	1950–2012	2003–2012	—	—	G.W. Bush	death
40	Sarah A. L. Merriam	CT	1971–present	2021–2022	—	—	Biden	elevation to 2d Cir.

^ Recess appointment; formally nominated on December 2, 1873, confirmed by the United States Senate on December 8, 1873, and received commission the same day.

Chief judges

Chief Judge
Hincks	1948–1953
Smith	1953–1960
Anderson	1960–1964
Timbers	1964–1971
Blumenfeld	1971–1974
Clarie	1974–1983
Daly	1983–1988
Burns	1988–1992
Cabranes	1992–1994
Dorsey	1994–1998
Covello	1998–2003
Chatigny	2003–2009
Thompson	2009–2013
Hall	2013–2018
Underhill	2018–2022
Shea	2022–present

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

Seat 1
Seat established on September 24, 1789 by 1 Stat. 73
Law	1789–1806
Edwards	1806–1826
Bristol	1826–1836
Judson	1836–1853
Ingersoll	1853–1860
W. Shipman	1860–1873
N. Shipman	1873–1892
Townsend	1892–1902
Platt	1902–1913
Thomas	1913–1939
Smith	1941–1960
Timbers	1960–1971
Newman	1971–1979
Cabranes	1979–1994
Arterton	1995–2014
Bolden	2014–present

Seat 2
Seat established on March 3, 1927 by 44 Stat. 1348
Burrows	1928–1930
Hincks	1931–1953
Anderson	1954–1964
Zampano	1964–1977
Daly	1977–1996
Hall	1997–2021
Merriam	2021–2022
vacant	2022–present

Seat 3
Seat established on May 19, 1961 by 75 Stat. 80
Blumenfeld	1961–1977
Burns	1978–1992
Thompson	1994–2018
Williams	2021–present

Seat 4
Seat established on May 19, 1961 by 75 Stat. 80
Clarie	1961–1983
Dorsey	1983–1998
Underhill	1999–2022
Oliver	2023–present

Seat 5
Seat established on October 20, 1978 by 92 Stat. 1629
Eginton	1979–1992
Chatigny	1994–2016
Dooley	2018–present

Seat 6
Seat established on July 10, 1984 by 98 Stat. 333
Nevas	1985–1997
Droney	1997–2011
Shea	2012–present

Seat 7
Seat established on December 1, 1990 by 104 Stat. 5089
Covello	1992–2003
Kravitz	2003–2012
Meyer	2014–present

Seat 8
Seat established on December 1, 1990 by 104 Stat. 5089
Squatrito	1994–2004
Bryant	2007–2021
Nagala	2021–present

List of U.S. attorneys

U.S. Attorney	Term started	Term ended	Presidents served under
Pierpont Edwards^[3]	1789	1806	George Washington, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson
Hezekiah Huntington	1806	1829	Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, and John Quincy Adams
Nathan Smith	1829	1829	Andrew Jackson
Asa Child	1829	1834	Andrew Jackson
William S. Holabird	1834	1841	Andrew Jackson, Martin Van Buren, and William Henry Harrison
Charles Chapman	1841	1844	John Tyler
Jonathan Stoddard	1844	1849	John Tyler and James K. Polk
Thomas Clap Perkins	1849	1853	Zachary Taylor and Millard Fillmore
Elisha S. Abernethy	1853	1853	Franklin Pierce
William Davis Shipman	1853	1860	Franklin Pierce and James Buchanan
Tilton E. Doolittle	1860	1861	James Buchanan
Hiram Willey	1861	1869	Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Johnson, and Ulysses S. Grant
Calvin G. Child	1870	1880	Ulysses S. Grant and Rutherford B. Hayes
Daniel Chadwick	1880	1884	Rutherford B. Hayes, James Garfield, and Chester A. Arthur
Lewis E. Stanton	1884	1888	Chester A. Arthur and Grover Cleveland
George G. Sill	1888	1892	Grover Cleveland and Benjamin Harrison
George P. McLean	1892	1896	Benjamin Harrison and Grover Cleveland
Charles W. Comstock	1896	1900	Grover Cleveland and William McKinley
Francis H. Parker	1900	1908	William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt
John T. Robinson	1908	1912	Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft
Frederick A. Scott	1912	1915	William Howard Taft and Woodrow Wilson
Thomas J. Spellacy	1915	1918	Woodrow Wilson
John F. Crosby	1918	1919	Woodrow Wilson
Edward L. Smith	1919	1923	Woodrow Wilson and Warren Harding
Allan K. Smith	1923	1925	Calvin Coolidge
John Buckley	1925	1933	Calvin Coolidge and Herbert Hoover
Frank Bergin	1933	1934	Franklin D. Roosevelt
George H. Cohen	1934	1934	Franklin D. Roosevelt
Robert P. Butler	1934	1945	Franklin D. Roosevelt
Adrian W. Maher	1945	1953	Harry Truman
Simon S. Cohen	1953	1958	Dwight D. Eisenhower
Harry W. Hultgren Jr.	1958	1961	Dwight D. Eisenhower
Robert C. Zampano	1961	1964	John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson
F. Owen Eagan	1964	1964	Lyndon B. Johnson
Jon O. Newman	1964	1969	Lyndon B. Johnson
Stewart H. Jones	1969	1974	Richard Nixon
Harold J. Pickerstein	1974	1974	Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford
Peter Collins Dorsey	1974	1977	Gerald Ford
Richard Blumenthal	1977	1981	Jimmy Carter
Alan Harris Nevas	1981	1985	Ronald Reagan
Stanley A. Twardy Jr.	1985	1991	Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush
Richard N. Palmer	1991	1991	George H. W. Bush
Albert S. Dabrowski	1991	1993	George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton
Christopher F. Droney	1993	1997	Bill Clinton
John H. Durham	1997	1998	Bill Clinton
Stephen C. Robinson	1998	2001	Bill Clinton and George W. Bush
John A. Danaher III	2001	2002	George W. Bush
Kevin J. O’Connor	2002	2008	George W. Bush
Nora R. Dannehy	2008	2010	George W. Bush and Barack Obama
David B. Fein	2010	2013	Barack Obama
Deirdre M. Daly	2013	2017	Barack Obama and Donald Trump
John H. Durham	2017	2021	Donald Trump and Joe Biden
Vanessa R. Avery	2022	present	Joe Biden

Notes

^ ^a ^b ^c U.S. District Courts of Connecticut, Legislative history, Federal Judicial Center.
^ "Vanessa Roberts Avery Sworn in as United States Attorney" (Press release). New Haven, Connecticut: U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut. May 9, 2022. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
^ "About the Office". www.justice.gov. March 18, 2015.

External links

[3] Recess appointment; formally nominated on December 2, 1873, confirmed by the United States Senate on December 8, 1873, and received commission the same day.

[fjcct-1] U.S. District Courts of Connecticut, Legislative history, Federal Judicial Center.

[2] "Vanessa Roberts Avery Sworn in as United States Attorney" (Press release). New Haven, Connecticut: U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut. May 9, 2022. Retrieved May 18, 2022.

[4] "About the Office". www.justice.gov. March 18, 2015.

[1]

[2]

[Note 1]

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