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William Lindsay Osteen Jr.

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William Lindsay Osteen Jr.
Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina
In office
November 1, 2012 – November 3, 2017
Preceded byJames A. Beaty, Jr.
Succeeded byThomas D. Schroeder
Judge of the United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina
Assumed office
September 19, 2007
Appointed byGeorge W. Bush
Preceded byWilliam Lindsay Osteen Sr.
Personal details
Born (1960-08-08) August 8, 1960 (age 64)
Greensboro, North Carolina, U.S.
EducationUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (BS, JD)

William Lindsay Osteen Jr. (born August 8, 1960) is a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina.

Education and career

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Osteen was born in Greensboro, North Carolina. He received a Bachelor of Science degree from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1983. He received a Juris Doctor from University of North Carolina School of Law in 1987. He was in private practice of law in Greensboro from 1987 to 2007.

Federal judicial service

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Osteen was nominated by President George W. Bush on January 9, 2007 to serve as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina. He was nominated to the seat vacated by his father, Judge William Lindsay Osteen Sr. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on September 10, 2007, and received his commission on September 19, 2007.[1] He served as chief judge from November 1, 2012 to November 3, 2017.

Notable ruling

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He struck down North Carolina's 'life of the mother only' 20-week abortion ban in March 2019. His judgement pushed the date of which abortions could be performed to the date of viability, which is later for many women.[2][3] However, Osteen reinstated the NC 20-week abortion ban, with exceptions for urgent medical emergencies, after the June 2022 U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade which erased the legal foundation for his 2019 ruling that had struck down the 1973 state law. Judge Osteen stated “Neither this court, nor the public, nor counsel, nor providers have the right to ignore the rule of law as determined by the Supreme Court."

Sources

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Legal offices
Preceded by Judge of the United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina
2007–present
Incumbent
Preceded by Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina
2012–2017
Succeeded by


References

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  1. ^ William Lindsay Osteen Jr. at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
  2. ^ "North Carolina 20-Week Abortion Limit Formally Struck Down". Chapelboro.com. 2019-05-28. Archived from the original on 2019-05-28. Retrieved 2019-05-28.
  3. ^ "Federal judge ends North Carolina ban on abortions after 20 weeks". Reuters. 2019-03-26. Archived from the original on 2019-05-28. Retrieved 2019-05-28.