[4][5] Simons was nominated by President Warren G. Harding on January 31, 1923, to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, to a new seat authorized by 42 Stat.

He was confirmed by the United States Senate on February 6, 1923, and received his commission the same day.

His service terminated on February 2, 1932, due to his elevation to the Sixth Circuit.

[4] Simons was nominated by President Herbert Hoover on January 8, 1932, to a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit vacated by Judge Arthur Carter Denison.

He served as Chief Judge and as a member of the Judicial Conference of the United States from 1952 to 1958.