LIST OF U.S. BUSINESS COURT JUDGES – SEPTEMBER 2022
This is a list of U.S. judges currently serving on business courts, as of September 21, 2022.
This list of over 200 U.S. business court judges was compiled using online resources, and may not be complete, as it has not been confirmed with the courts.
This list does not include judges assigned to complex litigation programs that have subject matter jurisdictions not solely or primarily focused on business and commercial disputes, such as the various California Superior Court complex civil programs (e.g., in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Sacramento) or Connecticut’s Complex Litigation Docket. A list of complex docket judges follows this list.
ARIZONA
Commercial Court, Superior Court of Maricopa County (Phoenix)
Honorable Sara Agne
Honorable Dewain Fox
Honorable Scott McCoy
Honorable Timothy Thomason
DELAWARE
Court of Chancery
Chancellor Kathaleen St. J. McCormick
Vice Chancellor Nathan A. Cook
Vice Chancellor Paul A. Fioravanti Jr.
Vice Chancellor Sam Glasscock III
Vice Chancellor J. Travis Laster
Vice Chancellor Lori W. Will
Vice Chancellor Morgan T. Zurn
Superior Court Complex Commercial Litigation Division
Judge William C. Carpenter Jr.
Judge Eric M. Davis
Judge Mary M. Johnston
Judge Abigail M. LeGrow
Judge Paul R. Wallace
FLORIDA
Ft. Lauderdale, 17th Circuit Court Complex Litigation Division (Commercial and Tort)
Hon. Judge Patti Englander Henning
Miami, 11th Circuit Complex Business Litigation Division
Hon. Alan Fine
Hon. Michael A. Hanzman
Hon. Jennifer D. Bailey
Orlando, 9th Circuit Business Court
Hon. John E. Jordan
Tampa, 13th Judicial Circuit Business Court
Hon. Darren D. Farfante
GEORGIA
Metro Atlanta Business Court (Fulton and Gwinnett)
Judge Kelly Lee Ellerbe
Judge John J. Goger
Judge Eric A. Richardson
Judge Wesley B. Taylor
State-wide Business Court
Judge William Hamrick
ILLINOIS
Circuit Court of Cook County (Chicago) Commercial Calendar Section
Judge John J. Curry, Jr.
Judge Thomas More Donnelly
Judge Jerry A. Esrig
Judge Daniel J. Kubasiak
Judge Michael F. Otto
Judge Mary Colleen Roberts
Judge Patrick J. Sherlock
Judge James E. Snyder
INDIANA COMMERCIAL COURTS
Hon. Craig Bobay, Allen County
Hon. Stephen Bowers, Elkhart County
Hon. Cristal C. Brisco, St. Joseph County
Hon. Jon Brown, Hamilton County
Hon. Mark Dudley, Madison County
Hon. Maria Granger, Floyd County
Hon. Thomas Massey, Vanderburgh County
Hon. Lakshmi Reddy, Vigo County
Hon. John Sedia, Lake County
Hon. Heather Welch, Marion County (Indianapolis)
IOWA BUSINESS SPECIALTY COURT
Des Moines (Fifth Judicial Circuit)
Judge Sarah E. Crane
Judge Lawrence P. McLellan
Judge David Nelmark
Seventh Judicial Circuit
Judge Jeffrey D. Bert, Bettendorf
Judge John D. Telleen, LeClaire
KENTUCKY
Louisville, Jefferson County Circuit Court Business Court Docket
Judge Angela McCormick Bisig
Judge Charles L. Cunningham
MAINE, BUSINESS AND CONSUMER DOCKET
Hon. Thomas E. Humphrey (Chief Justice, Superior Court)
MARYLAND, BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY CASE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM
Baltimore City (Eighth Circuit)
Judge Audrey J.S. Carrión
Judge Yvette M. Bryant
Judge Lawrence P. Fletcher-Hill
Judge Jeffrey Geller
Judge Anthony Vittoria
1st Circuit (Dorchester, Summit, Wicomico, Worcester)
Judge Kathleen L. Beckstead
2nd Circuit (Caroline, Cecil, Kent, Queen Anne’s, Talbot)
Judge Keith A. Baynes
3rd Circuit (Baltimore County, Hartford)
Judge Michael J. Finifter
Judge H. Patrick Stringer
Judge Keith R. Truffer
4th Circuit (Allegheny, Garrett, Washington)
Judge Andrew F. Wilkinson
5th Circuit (Anne Arundel, Carroll, Howard)
Judge Alison Asti
Judge Richard S. Bernhardt
Judge Glenn L. Klavans
Judge William C. Mulford II
Judge Robert Thompson
Judge Cathleen M. Vitale
6th Circuit (Frederick, Montgomery)
Judge Anne Korbel Albright
Judge Ronald B. Rubin
Judge Harry C. Storm
7th Circuit (Calvert, Charles, Prince George’s, St. Mary’s)
Judge John Paul Davey
Judge William A. Snoddy
Judge Michael J. Stamm
MASSACHUSETTS, BUSINESS LITIGATION SESSION
Judges Peter Krupp (January-June) and Hélène Kazanjian (July-December) sit in BLS1.
Judges Kenneth Salinger (January–June) and Michael Ricciuti (July–December) sit in BLS2.
Judge Kenneth Salinger serves as the BLS Administrative Justice.
MICHIGAN BUSINESS COURTS
Berrian County
Judge Donna B. Howard
Calhoun County (37th Circuit)
Judge Brian K. Kirkham
Detroit, Wayne County (3rd Circuit)
Judge Edward Ewell, Jr.
Judge David A. Groner
Judge Kenneth S. Hoopes
Judge Muriel D. Hughes
Judge Brian Sullivan
Genesee County (7th Circuit)
Hon. F. Kay Behm
Hon. Brian S. Pickell
Grand Rapids, Kent County (17th Circuit)
Judge Terence J. Ackert
Judge Mark A. Trusock
Ingham County (30th Circuit)
Hon. Joyce Draganchuk
Jackson County (4th Circuit)
Hon. Richard N. LaFlamme
Kalamazoo County (9th Circuit)
Hon. Alexander C. Lipsey
Livingston County (44th Circuit)
Hon. Michael P. Hatty
Macomb County (16th Circuit)
Judge John C. Foster
Monroe County (38th Circuit)
Hon. Daniel White
Muskegon County (14th Circuit)
Hon. Timothy G. Hicks
Oakland County (6th Circuit)
Judge Victoria Valentine
Judge Michael Warren
Ottawa County (20th Circuit)
Hon. Jon Van Allsburg
Saginaw County (10th Circuit)
Hon. M. Randall Jurrens
St. Clair County (31st Circuit)
Hon. Daniel J. Kelly
Washtenaw County (22nd Circuit)
Hon. Archie Cameron Brown
NEVADA BUSINESS COURTS
Las Vegas, Clark County, Eighth Judicial District
Hon. Nancy L. Allf
Hon. Mark R. Denton
Hon. Susan H. Johnson
Hon. Joanna S. Kishner
Hon. Timothy C. Williams
Reno, Washoe County, Second Judicial District
Hon. Barry L. Breslow
Hon. Lynne Simons
NEW HAMPSHIRE BUSINESS AND COMMERCIAL DISPUTE DOCKET
Judge David A. Anderson
NEW JERSEY COMPLEX BUSINESS LITIGATION PROGRAM
Atlantic/Cape May
Hon. Sarah Beth Johnson, J.S.C.
Bergen
Hon. Robert C. Wilson, J.S.C
Burlington
Hon. Aimee R. Belgard, P.J.Cv.
Camden
Hon. Steven J. Polansky, P.J.Cv.
Cumberland/Gloucester/Salem
Hon. James R. Swift, J.S.C.
Essex
Hon. Keith E. Lynott, J.S.C.
Hudson
Hon. Anthony V. D’Elia, J.S.C.
Mercer
Hon. Douglas H. Hurd, P.J.Cv.
Middlesex
Hon. Gary K. Wolinetz, J.S.C.
Monmouth
Hon. Mara Zazzali-Hogan, J.S.C.
Morris/Sussex
Hon. Frank J. DeAngelis, J.S.C.
Ocean
Hon. Craig L. Wellerson, P.J.Cv.
Passaic
Hon. Darren J. DelSardo, J.S.C.
Somerset/Hunterdon/Warren
Hon. Kevin M. Shanahan, A.J.S.C.
Union
Hon. Robert J. Mega, J.S.C. (primary)
Hon. Lisa M. Walsh, A.J.S.C. (back-up)
NEW YORK COMMERCIAL DIVISION
Albany
Hon. Richard Platkin
Bronx
Hon. Fidel E. Gomez
Brooklyn, Kings County
Hon. Lawrence Knipel
Buffalo (8th Judicial District)
Hon. Emilio Colaiacovo
Hon. Timothy J. Walker
Nassau
Hon. Timothy S. Driscoll
Hon. Jerome Murphy
New York (Manhattan)
Hon. Andrew Borrock
Hon. Margaret Chan
Hon. Joel M. Cohen
Hon. Melissa A. Crane
Hon. Andrea Masley
Hon. Barry Ostrager
Hon. Robert R. Reed
Hon. Jennifer G. Schecter
Onandaga (Syracuse)
Hon. Deborah H. Karalunas
Hon. Donald A. Greenwood
Queens
Hon. Marguerite A. Grays
Hon. Leonard Levote
Hon. Joseph Risi
Rochester (7th Judicial District)
Hon. J. Scott Odorisi
Suffolk
Hon. Jerry Garguilo
Hon. Elizabeth Hazlitt Emerson
Hon. James Hudson
Westchester
Hon. Linda S. Jamieson
Hon. Gretchen Walsh
NORTH CAROLINA BUSINESS COURT
Hon. Louis A. Bledsoe III
Hon. Adam M. Conrad
Hon. Mark A. Davis
Hon. Julianna Theall Earp
Hon. Michael L. Robinson
OHIO, COMMERCIAL DOCKET
Cleveland
Judge Nancy A. Fuerst
Judge Cassandra Collier-Williams
Judge Peter L. Corrigan
Judge Michael J. Russo
Toledo
Judge Michael R. Goulding
PENNSYLVANIA
Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas Commerce Case Management Program
Hon. Nina Wright Padilla
Hon. Ramy I. Djerassi
Hon. Leon W. Tucker
Pittsburgh, Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas Commerce and Complex Litigation Center
Hon. Christine A. Ward
Hon. Philip Ignelzi
RHODE ISLAND BUSINESS CALENDAR
Hon. Richard A. Licht
Hon. Brian P. Stern
Hon. Sarah Taft-Carter
SOUTH CAROLINA BUSINESS COURT
Hon. Roger M. Young, Sr.
Hon. R. Lawton McIntosh
Hon. J. Mark Hayes II
Hon. Clifton Newman
Hon. William H. Seals, Jr.
Hon. Maite Murphy
Hon. R. Markley Dennis, Jr.
Hon. J. Derham Cole
Hon. Diane Schafer Goodstein
Hon. Alison R. Lee
Hon. Carmen T. Mullen
TENNESSEE
Nashville, Davidson County Business Court Docket
Chancellor Anne C. Martin
WEST VIRGINIA BUSINESS COURT DIVISION
Honorable Christopher C. Wilkes
Honorable Maryclaire Akers, Thirteenth Judicial Circuit
Honorable H. Charles Carl, III, Twenty-Second Judicial Circuit
Honorable Jennifer P. Dent, Eleventh Judicial Circuit
Honorable Paul T. Farrell, Sixth Judicial Circuit
Honorable Michael D. Lorensen Twenty-Third Judicial Circuit
Honorable Shawn D. Nines, Nineteenth Judicial Circuit
WISCONSIN COMMERCIAL DOCKET PILOT PROJECT
District 2
Hon. Jon E. Fredrickson
Hon. Eugene A. Gasiorkiewicz
Hon. David Reddy
Hon. David P. Wilk
District 8
Hon. Tammy Jo Hock
Hon. Michael T. Judge
Hon. Mark J. McGinnis
Hon. James Morrison
District 10
Hon. Scott Nordstrand
Hon. Michael Schumacher
Hon. Michael Waterman
Dane County
Hon. Val L. Bailey-Rihn
Hon. Julie Genovese
Hon. Frank Remington
Waukesha County
Hon. Michael Aprahamian
Hon. Michael Bohren
Hon. William Domina
WYOMING CHANCERY COURT
Hon. John Fenn
Hon. Richard L. Lavery
Hon. Steven K. Sharp
CURRENT LIST OF COMPLEX LITIGATION PROGRAM JUDGES (September 2022)
As the presence of complex litigation programs is somewhat harder to track, there is no promise this list is complete.
As used here, the difference between complex litigation programs and business or commercial courts has to do with the parameters of the each docket’s jurisdiction. Business and commercial dockets are defined primarily by case type (commercial/business) subject matter jurisdiction; though there may also be some complexity requirements and/or minimum amount in controversy requirements, placing further controls on jurisdiction. For example, Manhattan’s Commercial Division has a $500,000 minimum amount in controversy, limiting inclusion.
By contrast, complex litigation program jurisdiction is defined primarily by the complexity of litigation processes and procedures. Thus, the civil law subject matter or case type (tort, contract, business, commercial) should not matter, so long as the case meets the definition of a complex case procedurally.
For example, California Rule 3.400(b) considers the following factors in determining whether a civil action falls within the scope of a “complex case” that might be assigned to a county Superior Court with a complex case program:
In deciding whether an action is a complex case under [Rule 3.400](a), the court must consider, among other things, whether the action is likely to involve:
(1) Numerous pretrial motions raising difficult or novel legal issues that will be time-consuming to resolve;
(2) Management of a large number of witnesses or a substantial amount of documentary evidence;
(3) Management of a large number of separately represented parties;
(4) Coordination with related actions pending in one or more courts in other counties, states, or countries, or in a federal court; or
(5) Substantial post judgment judicial supervision.
The following list does not include limited complex litigation programs, e.g., class-action only programs or mass tort only programs. Rather, the courts listed below include complex litigation programs that appear to accept any civil subject matter, so long as the case falls within the meaning of a complex case. Other than in Phoenix, which has a parallel Commercial Court program, these complex litigation programs should include complex business and commercial disputes within their docket, if those cases meet the complexity definition.
In light of a complex litigation program judge potentially hearing multiple complex business and commercial disputes, complex litigation program judges have, to some extent, complex business litigation expertise. For example, Judge Gail Andler, a now retired Complex Civil program judge from Orange County, California, has served as President of the American College of Business Court Judges.
(When one thinks of the prototypical business court, the Delaware Court of Chancery may come to mind. That court’s actual jurisdictional limits, however, are chiefly based on its equity jurisdiction, and not by a subject matter jurisdiction limited to business disputes. Still, because so many important business disputes are handled in the Chancery Court, it is recognized as having the highest level of judicial expertise in handling business cases, and is considered a seminal business court. In the same way, theoretically, a complex litigation program judge might develop an expertise in complex business and commercial cases, if that program has enough of those cases on its docket.)
ARIZONA
Complex Litigation Program, Superior Court of Maricopa County (Phoenix)
Judge Dewain Fox (also Commercial Court Judge)
Judge Scott McCoy (also Commercial Court Judge)
Judge Danielle Viola
CALIFORNIA
Alameda, Complex Civil
Judge Evelio Grillo
Judge Jo-Lynne Lee
Judge Brad Seligman
Contra Costa, Complex Litigation
Judge Edward G. Weil
Los Angeles, Complex Civil Litigation Program
Judge Elihu Berle
Judge David Cunningham
Judge Kenneth Freeman
Judge William F. Highberger
Judge Carolyn Kuhl
Judge Maren E. Nelson
Judge Yvette M. Palazuelos
Judge Stuart N. Rice
Orange County, Complex Civil
Hon. William D. Claster
Hon. Glenda Sanders
Hon. Randall J. Sherman
Hon. Peter Wilson
Riverside, Complex Civil Litigation
Judge Craig Riemer
Sacramento, Complex Civil Cases
Hon. Lauri A. Damrell
Hon. Jill H. Talley
San Bernadino, Complex Litigation Program
Judge David Cohn
Judge Janet Frangie
San Francisco, Complex Civil Litigation
Judge Andrew Y.S, Cheng
Judge Ethan P. Schulman
Santa Clara, Complex Civil Litigation
Hon. Sunil R. Kulkarni
CONNECTICUT SUPERIOR COURT COMPLEX LITIGATION DOCKET
Hartford
Hon. John B. Farley
Hon. Cesar A. Noble
Stamford
Hon. Sheila A. Ozalis
Waterbury
Hon. Barbara N. Bellis
OREGON COMPLEX LITIGATION COURT
Lane County
Hon. Charles D. Carlson
Hon. Lauren S. Holland
Multnomah County
Hon. Stephen K. Bushong
Hon. Eric L. Dahlin
Hon. Jerry B. Hodson
Hon. David F. Rees
Posted by Lee Applebaum
