Richard E. Myers II
Richard E. Myers II | |
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Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina | |
Assumed office January 1, 2021 | |
Preceded by | Terrence Boyle |
Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina | |
Assumed office December 10, 2019 | |
Appointed by | Donald Trump |
Preceded by | Malcolm Jones Howard |
Personal details | |
Born | 1967 (age 55–56) Kingston, Jamaica |
Education | University of North Carolina, Wilmington (BA, MA) University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (JD) |
Richard Ernest Myers II (born 1967)[1] is the Chief United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina. He is a former law professor at the University of North Carolina School of Law.
Early life and education
Myers was born in Kingston, Jamaica, and moved to Wilmington, North Carolina, as a child.[2][3] His voter registration states that he belongs to "two or more races."[3] Myers earned his Bachelor of Arts, summa cum laude, and his Master of Arts from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. He worked as a reporter for the Star-News from 1991 to 1995, where he covered the murder of James R. Jordan Sr., the father of Michael Jordan.[3] In 1998, he received his Juris Doctor, magna cum laude, from the University of North Carolina School of Law, where he served as an Articles Editor on the North Carolina Law Review.[4] He graduated Order of the Coif.[1]
Legal and academic career
Upon graduation from law school, Myers served as a law clerk to Judge David Sentelle of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. He then worked in private practice at O'Melveny & Myers. He previously served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Central District of California and later the Eastern District of North Carolina. While a federal prosecutor, Myers prosecuted a wide variety of crimes including counterfeiting, narcotics, and firearms offenses.[4] Myers was the Henry Brandis Distinguished Professor of Law and Director of Trial Advocacy at the University of North Carolina School of Law, where his teaching and scholarship focused on criminal law.[4] He joined UNC as a faculty member in 2004, and left in 2019 upon becoming a judge.[3]
At UNC, Myers served as the advisor to the law school's Federalist Society chapter.[3]
Federal judicial service
On August 14, 2019, President Trump announced his intent to nominate Myers to serve as a United States district judge for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina. On September 9, 2019, his nomination was sent to the Senate. He has been nominated to the seat vacated by Malcolm Jones Howard, who took senior status on December 31, 2005.[5] Myers was nominated to a seat which had been vacant since December 31, 2005, making it the longest federal judicial vacancy at the time of Myers' nomination.[6] On September 11, 2019, a hearing on his nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee.[7] On October 31, 2019, his nomination was reported out of committee by a 16–6 vote.[8] On December 4, 2019, the United States Senate invoked cloture on his nomination by a 72–22 vote.[9] On December 5, 2019, his nomination was confirmed by a 68–21 vote.[10] He received his judicial commission on December 10, 2019.[11] He maintains chambers in Wilmington.[12] Myers became Chief Judge in January 2021.
Memberships
Myers has been a member of the Federalist Society since 2004. He has been a member of the National Rifle Association since 2010. He has been a member of the Christian Legal Society since 2004, of which he serves as a faculty advisor.[1]
Review of judicial rulings
In 2022, Chief Judge Richard Myers concluding that a Civil War amnesty law passed by Congress in 1872 essentially repealed the 14th Amendment's "disqualification clause," which prohibited officeholders from returning to elected positions if they supported an insurrection.[13] Myers agreed that the Amnesty Act of 1872 applied not only retroactively to Confederate officials, but also in perpetuity regarding future rebellions.
See also
References
- ^ a b c "United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary: Questionnaire for Judicial Nominees: Richard Myers" (PDF).
- ^ "Trump nominates law professor for judicial vacancy". Associated Press. August 15, 2019. Retrieved August 17, 2019.
- ^ a b c d e Murphy, Brian (August 14, 2019). "Trump picks UNC law professor for long-vacant judge post, ending push for Thomas Farr". The News & Observer. Retrieved August 17, 2019.
- ^ a b c "President Donald J. Trump Announces Judicial Nominees, United States Attorney Nominees, and United States Marshal Nominees". whitehouse.gov – via National Archives.
- ^ "Seventeen Nominations and Two Withdrawals Sent to the Senate". whitehouse.gov – via National Archives.
- ^ Ruger, Todd (August 14, 2019). "Trump names new nominee to oldest federal judicial vacancy". Roll Call. Retrieved August 17, 2019.
- ^ "Nominations | United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary". www.judiciary.senate.gov.
- ^ "Results of Executive Business Meeting – October 31, 2019, Senate Judiciary Committee" (PDF).
- ^ "On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture: Richard Ernest Myers II to be U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of North Carolina)". United States Senate. December 4, 2019. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
- ^ "On the Nomination (Confirmation: Richard Ernest Myers II, of North Carolina, to be U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of North Carolina)". United States Senate. December 5, 2019. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
- ^ Richard E. Myers II at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
- ^ Board, StarNews Editorial. "OUR VIEW: Ex-StarNews reporter returns to Wilmington – as a federal judge". Wilmington Star News.
- ^ Marshall Cohen. "Judge shuts down January 6-based challenge to Rep. Madison Cawthorn's candidacy". CNN. Retrieved March 5, 2022.
External links
- Richard E. Myers II at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
- Articles with short description
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- 1967 births
- Living people
- 20th-century American lawyers
- 21st-century American lawyers
- 21st-century American judges
- African-American lawyers
- African-American judges
- Assistant United States Attorneys
- Federalist Society members
- Judges of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina
- North Carolina lawyers
- People associated with O'Melveny & Myers
- People from Kingston, Jamaica
- United States district court judges appointed by Donald Trump
- University of North Carolina at Wilmington alumni
- University of North Carolina faculty
- University of North Carolina School of Law alumni