The United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama (in case citations, N.D. Ala.) is a federal court in the Eleventh Circuit (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are appealed to the Federal Circuit). The District was established on March 10, 1824, with the division of the state into a Northern and Southern district. The circuit court itself was established on June 22, 1874. The United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Alabama represents the United States in civil and criminal litigation in the court. The current United States Attorney is Prim F. Escalona, who was appointed by United States Attorney General William Barr following the resignation of Jay Town on July 15, 2020. Organization of the court The United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama is one of three federal judicial districts in Alabama. Court for the District is held at Anniston, Birmingham, Decatur, Florence, Gadsden, Huntsville, and Tuscaloosa. Eastern Division comprises the following counties: Calhoun, Clay, Cleburne, and Talladega. Jasper Division comprises the following counties: Fayette, Lamar, Marion, Walker, and Winston. Middle Division comprises the following counties: Cherokee, DeKalb, Etowah, Marshall, and St. Clair. Northeastern Division comprises the following counties: Cullman, Jackson, Lawrence, Limestone, Madison, and Morgan. Northwestern Division comprises the following counties: Colbert, Franklin, and Lauderdale. Southern Division comprises the following counties: Blount, Jefferson, and Shelby. Western Division comprises the following counties: Bibb, Greene, Pickens, Sumter, and Tuscaloosa. Current judges : Vacancies and pending nominations Former judges Chief judges Succession of seats Court decisions Lucy v. Adams (1955) – A court ruling which affirmed the right of all citizens to be accepted at the University of Alabama. The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the ruling. Armstrong v. Birmingham Board of Education (1963) – The court dismissed the plaintiff's complaint. On appeal, the Fifth Circuit reversed and ordered the desegregation of Birmingham public schools. United States v. Wallace (1963) – The court exercised its ruling in Lucy v. Adams and ordered that colored students be permitted to enroll at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. The court order led to the infamous Stand in the Schoolhouse Door incident with Governor George C. Wallace. Jackson v. Birmingham Board of Education (2002) – A reversal of the decision rendered by the district and Eleventh Circuit. The U.S. Supreme Court held that retaliation against a person