United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina

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United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina
(W.D.N.C.)
Appeals to Fourth Circuit
Established June 4, 1872
Judges assigned 5
Chief judge Robert James Conrad, Jr.
Official site

The United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina (in case citations, W.D.N.C.) is a Federal district court which covers only part of North Carolina.

Appeals from the Western 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).

Contents

[edit] Jurisdiction

The court's jurisdiction comprises the following counties: Alexander, Anson, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Cherokee, Clay, Cleveland, Gaston, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Iredell, Jackson, Lincoln, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mecklenburg, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Swain, Transylvania, Union, and Yancey. It has jurisdiction over the cities of Asheville, Charlotte, and Hickory.

The United States Attorney's Office for the Western District of North Carolina represents the United States in civil and criminal litigation in the court.

[edit] 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]

[edit] Judges

  • As of August 31, 2009, a vacancy exists in this District due to the retirement of Judge Lacy H. Thornburg.[3] No replacement nomination is pending at this time.
Judge Appointed by Began active
service		 Ended active
service		 Ended senior
status		 End reason
James Edmund Boyd William McKinley 01900-07-11 July 11, 1900[4] 01935-08-21 August 21, 1935 – death
Robert James Conrad Jr. George W. Bush 02005-06-02 June 2, 2005 Incumbent – –
James Braxton Craven, Jr. John F. Kennedy 01961-08-10 August 10, 1961 01966-07-05 July 5, 1966 – reappointment
Robert P. Dick Ulysses S. Grant 01872-06-07 June 7, 1872 01898-07-06 July 6, 1898 – retirement
Hamilton G. Ewart William McKinley 01898-07-13 July 13, 1898[5] 01899-03-04 March 4, 1899 – –
Hamilton G. Ewart William McKinley 01899-04-13 April 13, 1899[6] 01900-06-07 June 7, 1900 – –
David Ezekiel Henderson Harry S. Truman 01948-09-01 September 1, 1948[6] 01949-02-14 February 14, 1949 – resignation
Woodrow W. Jones Lyndon B. Johnson 01967-06-28 June 28, 1967 01985-02-01 February 1, 1985 02002-11-25 November 25, 2002 death
Harold Brent McKnight George W. Bush 02003-08-01 August 1, 2003 02004-11-27 November 27, 2004 – death
James Bryan McMillan Lyndon B. Johnson 01968-06-07 June 7, 1968 01989-09-01 September 1, 1989 01995-03-04 March 4, 1995 death
Graham Calder Mullen George H. W. Bush 01990-09-11 September 11, 1990 02005-12-01 December 1, 2005 Incumbent –
Robert Daniel Potter Ronald Reagan 01981-10-29 October 29, 1981 01994-05-01 May 1, 1994 02009-07-02 July 2, 2009 death
Martin Karl Reidinger George W. Bush 02007-09-12 September 12, 2007 Incumbent – –
David B. Sentelle Ronald Reagan 01985-10-17 October 17, 1985 01987-10-19 October 19, 1987 – reappointment
Lacy Thornburg Bill Clinton 01995-03-17 March 17, 1995 02009-08-31 August 31, 2009 – retirement
Richard Lesley Voorhees Ronald Reagan 01988-10-17 October 17, 1988 Incumbent – –
Wilson Warlick Harry S. Truman 01949-02-02 February 2, 1949 01968-06-24 June 24, 1968 01978-01-30 January 30, 1978 death
Edwin Y. Webb Woodrow Wilson 01919-11-05 November 5, 1919 01948-03-01 March 1, 1948 01955-02-07 February 7, 1955 death
Frank DeArmon Whitney George W. Bush 02006-07-05 July 5, 2006 Incumbent – –

[edit] U.S. Attorneys for the Western District

The Western and Eastern districts were created in 1872. D. H. Starbuck, who was serving as U.S. Attorney for the entire state, continued in office by serving as Attorney for the Western District.

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ a b Asbury Dickens, A Synoptical Index to the Laws and Treaties of the United States of America (1852), p. 389.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g U.S. District Courts of North Carolina, Legislative history, Federal Judicial Center.
  3. ^ http://projects.newsobserver.com/under_the_dome/thornburg_will_retire
  4. ^ Recess appointment; formally nominated on December 15, 1900, confirmed by the United States Senate on January 9, 1901, and received commission on January 9, 1901.
  5. ^ Recess appointment; the United States Senate later rejected the appointment.
  6. ^ a b Recess appointment; the United States Senate later rejected the appointment.

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_District_Court_for_the_Western_District_of_North_Carolina"