Below are tables showing authorized positions for U.S. district judges, U.S. bankruptcy judges, and U.S. magistrate judges. While district and bankruptcy judgeships are authorized by congressional statute, magistrate judgeships are authorized by the Judicial Conference of the United States. For more detail regarding the authorization of these judgeships, see the Legislative History and Succession Chart(s) pages for each district court (see menu at right), Authorized Bankruptcy Judgeships, Authorized Magistrate Judgeships (by location), and Authorized Magistrate Judgeships (by fiscal year).
Authorized District Judgeships |
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|
|
Orleans
District |
Louisiana
District |
Eastern
District |
Middle District |
Western
District |
Total
Judgeships |
| March 26, 1804 2 Stat. 283 |
1
|
|
|
|
1
|
|
| April 8, 1812 2 Stat. 701 |
|
1
|
|
|
1
|
|
| March 3, 1823 3 Stat. 774 |
|
|
1
|
1
|
1
|
|
| February 13, 1845 5 Stat. 722 |
|
1
|
|
|
1
|
|
| March 3, 1849 9 Stat. 401 |
|
|
1
|
1
|
2
|
|
| July 27, 1866 14 Stat. 300 |
|
1
|
|
|
1
|
|
| March 3, 1881 21 Stat. 507 |
|
|
1
|
1
|
2
|
|
| March 18, 1938 52 Stat. 110 |
|
|
2
|
1
|
3
|
|
| May 31, 1938 52 Stat. 584 |
|
|
2
|
2
|
4
|
|
| May 19, 1961 75 Stat. 80 |
|
|
4
|
3
|
7
|
|
| March 18, 1966 80 Stat. 75 |
|
|
8
|
3
|
11
|
|
| June 2, 1970 84 Stat. 294 |
|
|
10
|
4
|
14
|
|
| December 18, 1971 85 Stat. 741 |
|
|
9
|
1 |
4
|
14
|
| October 20, 1978 92 Stat. 1629 |
|
|
13
|
2 |
5
|
20
|
| July 10, 1984 98 Stat. 333 |
|
|
13
|
2 |
6
|
21
|
| December 1, 1990 104 Stat. 5089 |
|
|
13
|
2 |
7
|
22
|
| October 6, 1997 111 Stat. 1173 |
|
|
12
|
3 |
7
|
22
|
Authorized Bankruptcy Judgeships |
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| Eastern District |
Middle District |
Western District |
Total Judgeships |
|
| July 10, 1984 98 Stat. 336 |
2 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| October 27, 1986 100 Stat. 3088 |
2 | 1 | 3 | 6 |
Authorized Magistrate Judgeships (by location) |
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| Eastern District | |||
| Location | Full-Time | Part-Time | |
| Baton Rouge* | 1 (1971–1972) 2 (1973) |
||
| New Orleans | 2 (1971) 3 (1972–1977) 5 (1978–1984) 6 (1985–present) |
||
| Total | 2 (1971) 3 (1972–1977) 5 (1978–1984) 6 (1985–present) |
1 (1971–1972) 2 (1973) 0 (1974–present) |
|
| *The magistrate judgeships in Baton Rouge were transferred to the new Middle District of Louisiana in 1972. | |||
| Middle District | |||
| Location | Full-Time | Part-Time | Combination |
| Baton Rouge* | 1 (1974–1987) 2 (1988–1997) 3 (1998–present) |
1 (1974–1980) 0 (1981–1982) 1 (1983–1987) 0 (1988–present) |
bankruptcy judge-magistrate 0 (1974–1980) 1 (1981–1982) 0 (1983–present) |
| *The two part-time magistrate judgeships in Baton Rouge were transferred from the Eastern District of Louisiana to the new Middle District of Louisiana in 1972, whereupon one of the positions was converted to full-time. | |||
| Western District | |||
| Location | Full-Time | Part-Time | Combination |
| Alexandria | 1 (2005–present) | 1 (1971–1987) | |
| Alexandria or Monroe | 1 (1988–2004) | ||
| Lafayette | 1 (1980–present) | ||
| Lafayette or Opelousas | 1 (1992–present) | 1 (1971–1979) 0 (1980–1987) 1 (1988–1991) |
|
| Lake Charles | 1 (1986–present) | 1 (1971–1985) | |
| Leesville | 1 (1971–1983) | ||
| Monroe | 1 (2005–present) | 1 (1971–2004) | |
| Shreveport | 1 (1975–present) | 1 (1971–1974) | clerk-magistrate 1 (1985–2009) |
| Total | 0 (1971–1974) 1 (1975–1979) 2 (1980–1985) 3 (1986–1987) 4 (1988–1991) 5 (1992–2004) 6 (2005–present) |
6 (1971–1974) 5 (1975–1979) 4 (1980–1983) 3 (1984–1985) 2 (1986–1991) 1 (1992–2004) 0 (2005–present) |
0 (1971–1984) 1 (1985–2009) 0 (2010–present) |
Authorized Magistrate Judgeships (by fiscal year) |
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| Eastern District | ||||||
| Fiscal Year(s) | Full-Time | Total | Part-Time | Total | ||
| 1971 | New Orleans (2) | 2 | Baton Rouge | 1 | ||
| 1972 | New Orleans (3) | 3 | Baton Rouge | 1 | ||
| 1973 | New Orleans (3) | 3 | Baton Rouge (2)* | 2 | ||
| 1974–1977 | New Orleans (3) | 3 | 0 | |||
| 1978–1984 | New Orleans (5) | 5 | 0 | |||
| 1985–present | New Orleans (6) | 6 | 0 | |||
| *The magistrate judgeships in Baton Rouge were transferred to the new Middle District of Louisiana in 1972. | ||||||
| Middle District | ||||||
| Fiscal Year(s) | Full-Time | Total | Part-Time | Total | Combination | Total |
| 1974–1980 | Baton Rouge* | 1 | Baton Rouge* | 1 | 0 | |
| 1981–1982 | Baton Rouge | 1 | 0 | Baton Rouge (bankruptcy judge-magistrate) | 1 | |
| 1983–1987 | Baton Rouge | 1 | Baton Rouge | 1 | 0 | |
| 1988–1997 | Baton Rouge (2) | 2 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1998–present | Baton Rouge (3) | 3 | 0 | 0 | ||
| *The two part-time magistrate judgeships in Baton Rouge were transferred from the Eastern District of Louisiana to the new Middle District of Louisiana in 1972, whereupon one of the positions was converted to full-time. | ||||||
| Western District | ||||||
| Fiscal Year(s) | Full-Time | Total | Part-Time | Total | Combination | Total |
| 1971–1974 | 0 | Alexandria, Lafayette or Opelousas, Lake Charles, Leesville, Monroe, Shreveport | 6 | 0 | ||
| 1975–1979 | Shreveport | 1 | Alexandria, Lafayette or Opelousas, Lake Charles, Leesville, Monroe | 5 | 0 | |
| 1980–1983 | Lafayette, Shreveport | 2 | Alexandria, Lake Charles, Leesville, Monroe | 4 | 0 | |
| 1984 | Lafayette, Shreveport | 2 | Alexandria, Lake Charles, Monroe | 3 | 0 | |
| 1985 | Lafayette, Shreveport | 2 | Alexandria, Lake Charles, Monroe | 3 | Shreveport (clerk-magistrate) | 1 |
| 1986–1987 | Lafayette, Lake Charles, Shreveport | 3 | Alexandria, Monroe | 2 | Shreveport (clerk-magistrate) | 1 |
| 1988–1991 | Alexandria or Monroe, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Shreveport | 4 | Lafayette or Opelousas, Monroe | 2 | Shreveport (clerk-magistrate) | 1 |
| 1992–2004 | Alexandria or Monroe, Lafayette, Lafayette or Opelousas, Lake Charles, Shreveport | 5 | Monroe | 1 | Shreveport (clerk-magistrate) | 1 |
| 2005–2009 | Alexandria, Lafayette, Lafayette or Opelousas, Lake Charles, Monroe, Shreveport | 6 | 0 | Shreveport (clerk-magistrate) | 1 | |
| 2010–present | Alexandria, Lafayette, Lafayette or Opelousas, Lake Charles, Monroe, Shreveport | 6 | 0 | 0 | ||