United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina
United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina | |
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(M.D.N.C.) | |
Appeals to: | Fourth Circuit |
Established: | March 2, 1927 |
Judges assigned: | 4 |
Chief Judge: | William Lindsay Osteen Jr. |
http://www.ncmd.uscourts.gov/ |
The U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina (in case citations, M.D.N.C.) is a United States district court with jurisdiction over 24 counties in the center of North Carolina. It consists of five divisions with a headquarters in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Appeals from the Middle District of North Carolina are taken to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are appealed to the Federal Circuit).
Jurisdiction
The Durham division covers Chatham, Durham, Lee, Orange, and Person counties.
The Greensboro division includes: Alamance, Caswell, Guilford, Randolph, and Rockingham counties.
The Rockingham division hears cases for: Hoke, Montgomery, Moore, Richmond, and Scotland.
The Salisbury division includes: Cabarrus, Davidson, Davie, Rowan, and Stanly counties.
The Winston-Salem division covers: Forsyth, Stokes, Surry, and Yadkin counties.
History
The United States District Court for the District of North Carolina was established on June 4, 1790, by 1 Stat. 126.[1][2] On June 9, 1794 it was subdivided into three districts by 1 Stat. 395,[2] but on March 3, 1797, the three districts were abolished and the single District restored by 1 Stat. 517,[2] until April 29, 1802, when the state was again subdivided into three different districts by 2 Stat. 156.[1][2]
In both instances, these districts, unlike those with geographic designations that existed in other states, were titled by the names of the cities in which the courts sat. After the first division, they were styled the District of Edenton, the District of New Bern, and the District of Wilmington; after the second division, they were styled the District of Albemarle, the District of Cape Fear, and the District of Pamptico. However, in both instances, only one judge was authorized to serve all three districts, causing them to effectively operate as a single district.[2] The latter combination was occasionally referred to by the cumbersome title of the United States District Court for the Albemarle, Cape Fear & Pamptico Districts of North Carolina.
On June 4, 1872, North Carolina was re-divided into two Districts, Eastern and Western, by 17 Stat. 215.[2] The Middle District was created from portions of the Eastern and Western Districts on March 2, 1927, by 44 Stat. 1339.[2] Shortly thereafter, President Calvin Coolidge appointed Johnson Jay Hayes by recess appointment to be the first judge of the Middle District of North Carolina.
Current judges
# | Title | Judge | Duty station | Born | Term of service | Appointed by | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Active | Chief | Senior | ||||||
11 | Chief Judge | William Lindsay Osteen Jr. | Greensboro | 1960 | 2007–present | 2012–present | — | G.W. Bush |
12 | District Judge | Thomas D. Schroeder | Winston-Salem | 1959 | 2008–present | — | — | G.W. Bush |
13 | District Judge | Catherine Eagles | Greensboro | 1958 | 2010–present | — | — | Obama |
14 | District Judge | Loretta Copeland Biggs | Winston-Salem | 1954 | 2014–present | — | — | Obama |
8 | Senior District Judge | Norwood Carlton Tilley, Jr. | Greensboro | 1943 | 1988–2008 | 1999–2006 | 2008–present | Reagan |
10 | Senior District Judge | James A. Beaty, Jr. | Winston-Salem | 1949 | 1994–2014 | 2006–2012 | 2014–present | Clinton |
Former judges
# | Judge | State | Born–died | Active service | Chief Judge | Senior status | Appointed by | Reason for termination |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Hayes, Johnson JayJohnson Jay Hayes | NC | 1886–1970 | 1927–1957[3] | — | 1957–1970 | Coolidge, Coolidge | death |
2 | Stanley, Edwin MonroeEdwin Monroe Stanley | NC | 1909–1971 | 1957–1971[4] | 1961–1971 | — | Eisenhower, Eisenhower | death |
3 | Preyer, L. RichardsonL. Richardson Preyer | NC | 1919–2001 | 1961–1963[5] | — | — | Kennedy, Kennedy | resignation |
4 | Gordon, Eugene AndrewEugene Andrew Gordon | NC | 1917–2002 | 1964–1982 | 1971–1982 | 1982–2002 | Johnson, L.L. Johnson | death |
5 | Ward, Hiram HamiltonHiram Hamilton Ward | NC | 1923–2002 | 1972–1988 | 1982–1988 | 1988–2002 | Nixon, Nixon | death |
6 | Erwin, RichardRichard Erwin | NC | 1923–2006 | 1980–1992 | 1988–1992 | 1992–2006 | Carter, Carter | death |
7 | Bullock Jr., Frank WilliamFrank William Bullock Jr. | NC | 1938–present | 1982–2005 | 1992–1999 | 2005–2006 | Reagan, Reagan | retirement |
9 | Osteen, Sr., William LindsayWilliam Lindsay Osteen, Sr. | NC | 1930–2009 | 1991–2006 | — | 2006–2007 | Bush, G.H.W.G.H.W. Bush | retirement |
Succession of seats
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U.S. Attorneys for the Middle District
- Frank A. Linney (1927–1928)
- Edwin L. Gavin (1928–1932)
- John R. McCrary (1932–1934)
- Carlisle W. Higgins (1934–1947)
- Bryce R. Holt (1947–1954)
- Edwin M. Stanley (1954–1957)
- Robert L. Gavin (1957–1958)
- James E. Holshouser, Sr. (1958–1961)
- Lafayette Williams (1961)
- William H. Murdock (1961–1969)
- William Lindsay Osteen, Sr. (1969–1974)
- N. Carlton Tilley, Jr. (1974–1977)
- Benjamin H. White, Jr. (1977)
- Mickey Michaux (1977–1980)
- Kenneth W. McAllister (1981–1986)
- Robert H. Edmunds, Jr. (1986–1993)
- Benjamin H. White, Jr. (1993)
- Walter C. Holton, Jr. (1994–2001)
- Anna Mills Wagoner (2001–2010)
- Ripley Rand (2010–present)
See also
- Courts of North Carolina
- List of United States federal courthouses in North Carolina
- United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina
- United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina
- Salisbury District, historic legislative district
Notes
- 1 2 Asbury Dickens, A Synoptical Index to the Laws and Treaties of the United States of America (1852), p. 389.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 U.S. District Courts of North Carolina, Legislative history, Federal Judicial Center.
- ↑ Recess appointment; formally nominated on December 6, 1927, confirmed by the United States Senate on January 9, 1928, and received commission on January 9, 1928.
- ↑ Recess appointment; formally nominated on January 13, 1958, confirmed by the United States Senate on February 25, 1958, and received commission on February 27, 1958.
- ↑ Recess appointment; formally nominated on January 15, 1962, confirmed by the United States Senate on February 7, 1962, and received commission on February 17, 1962.