People · Judicial branch · District courts
Michael H. Watson
Judge, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio. Senior status since November 1, 2025.
Confirmed by voice voteConfirmed from the official record
- Appointed by
- George W. Bush
- Nominated
- April 6, 2004
- Senate Judiciary Committee hearing
- June 4, 2004
- Committee action
- Reported (favorably), July 8, 2004
- Senate vote
- Voice vote, no count printed
- Confirmed
- September 7, 2004
- Commissioned
- September 10, 2004
- Senior status
- Since November 1, 2025
- American Bar Association rating
- Qualified
Born 1956, as the Federal Judicial Center prints it.
Source: Federal Judicial Center, Biographical Directory of Article III Federal Judges · This judge’s entry. Our copy saved October 16, 2026, fingerprint 92b677f26553b479.
All judges of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio
Career, as the Federal Judicial Center prints it
- U.S. Air Force, 1975-1978
- Ohio Air National Guard, 1978-1984
- Bailiff and law clerk, Franklin County [Ohio] Court of Common Pleas, 1983-1988
- Private practice, Ohio, 1988-1991
- Chief legal counsel, Ohio Department of Commerce, 1991-1992
- Counsel, Gov. George Voinovich, Ohio, 1992-1995; deputy chief legal counsel, 1992-1994; chief legal counsel, 1994-1995
- Judge, Franklin County [Ohio] Court of Common Pleas, 1996-2003
- Judge, Court of Appeals of Ohio, Tenth Appellate District, 2003-2004
- Member, Judicial Conference of the United States, 2020-2021
Yearly financial disclosure reports
Not checked yet
Not started.