United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina
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The United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina (in
case citation Case citation is a system used by legal professionals to identify past court case decisions, either in series of books called reporters or law reports, or in a neutral style that identifies a decision regardless of where it is reported. Case ci ...
s, E.D.N.C.) is the
United States district court The United States district courts are the trial courts of the United States federal judiciary, U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each United States federal judicial district, federal judicial district, which each cover o ...
that serves the eastern 44 counties in
North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...
. Appeals from the Eastern District of North Carolina are taken to the
United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit (in case citations, 4th Cir.) is a federal court located in Richmond, Virginia, with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts: * District of Maryla ...
(except for
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claims and claims against the U.S. government under the
Tucker Act The Tucker Act (March 3, 1887, ch. 359, , ) is a federal statute of the United States by which the United States government has waived its sovereign immunity with respect to certain lawsuits. The Tucker Act may be divided into the "Big" Tucker A ...
, which are appealed to the
Federal Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (in case citations, Fed. Cir. or C.A.F.C.) is a United States court of appeals that has special appellate jurisdiction over certain types of specialized cases in the U.S. federal court ...
).


Jurisdiction and offices

The District has three staffed offices and holds court in six cities:
Elizabeth City Elizabeth City is a city in Pasquotank County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 18,629. Elizabeth City is the county seat and largest city of Pasquotank County. It is the cultural, economic and educ ...
, Fayetteville, Greenville,
New Bern New Bern, formerly called Newbern, is a city in Craven County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 29,524, which had risen to an estimated 29,994 as of 2019. It is the county seat of Craven County and t ...
,
Raleigh Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the seat of Wake County in the United States. It is the second-most populous city in North Carolina, after Charlotte. Raleigh is the tenth-most populous city in the Southeas ...
, and Wilmington. Its main office is in Raleigh. It is broken down into four divisions. The eastern division is headquartered in Greenville and handles cases from
Beaufort Beaufort may refer to: People and titles * Beaufort (surname) * House of Beaufort, English nobility * Duke of Beaufort (England), a title in the peerage of England * Duke of Beaufort (France), a title in the French nobility Places Polar regions ...
, Carteret, Craven, Edgecombe,
Greene Greene may refer to: Places United States *Greene, Indiana, an unincorporated community *Greene, Iowa, a city *Greene, Maine, a town ** Greene (CDP), Maine, in the town of Greene *Greene (town), New York ** Greene (village), New York, in the town ...
, Halifax, Hyde,
Jones Jones may refer to: People *Jones (surname), a common Welsh and English surname *List of people with surname Jones * Jones (singer), a British singer-songwriter Arts and entertainment * Jones (''Animal Farm''), a human character in George Orwell ...
,
Lenoir Lenoir may refer to: Locations: * Lenoir, North Carolina, United States * Lenoir County, North Carolina, United States * Lenoir City, Tennessee In Universities: * Lenoir-Rhyne University * Lenoir Dining Hall, a dining hall at the University of N ...
,
Martin Martin may refer to: Places * Martin City (disambiguation) * Martin County (disambiguation) * Martin Township (disambiguation) Antarctica * Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land * Port Martin, Adelie Land * Point Martin, South Orkney Islands Austral ...
,
Pamlico The Pamlico (also ''Pampticough'', ''Pomouik'', ''Pomeiok'') were American Indians of North Carolina. They spoke an Algonquian language also known as ''Pamlico'' or ''Carolina Algonquian''. Geography The Pamlico Indians lived on the Pa ...
, and Pitt counties. The southern division is based in Wilmington and serves the counties of: Bladen, Brunswick,
Columbus Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to: * Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer * Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio Columbus may also refer to: Places ...
, Duplin, New Hanover, Onslow, Pender, Robeson, and
Sampson Sampson may refer to: Military * , several Royal Navy ships * , several US Navy ships * Sampson-class destroyer, a World War I US Navy class * Sampson Air Force Base, near Seneca Lake, New York, closed in 1956 * SAMPSON, a multi-function radar ...
. Its cases are heard in Wilmington. The northern and western divisions are based in Raleigh. The western covers:
Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is a historic county in the far North West England. It covers part of the Lake District as well as the north Pennines and Solway Firth coast. Cumberland had an administrative function from the 12th century until 1974. From 19 ...
,
Franklin Franklin may refer to: People * Franklin (given name) * Franklin (surname) * Franklin (class), a member of a historical English social class Places Australia * Franklin, Tasmania, a township * Division of Franklin, federal electoral d ...
, Granville, Harnett, Johnston, Nash, Vance,
Wake Wake or The Wake may refer to: Culture *Wake (ceremony), a ritual which takes place during some funeral ceremonies *Wakes week, an English holiday tradition * Parish Wake, another name of the Welsh ', the fairs held on the local parish's patron s ...
,
Warren A warren is a network of wild rodent or lagomorph, typically rabbit burrows. Domestic warrens are artificial, enclosed establishment of animal husbandry dedicated to the raising of rabbits for meat and fur. The term evolved from the medieval Angl ...
, Wayne, and
Wilson Wilson may refer to: People * Wilson (name) ** List of people with given name Wilson ** List of people with surname Wilson * Wilson (footballer, 1927–1998), Brazilian manager and defender * Wilson (footballer, born 1984), full name Wilson Ro ...
counties. Its cases are heard in Fayetteville, Greenville, and
New Bern New Bern, formerly called Newbern, is a city in Craven County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 29,524, which had risen to an estimated 29,994 as of 2019. It is the county seat of Craven County and t ...
. The northern division presides over cases from: Bertie, Camden, Chowan, Currituck,
Dare Dare may refer to: Places * Dare, East Timor, a city * Darè, Italy, a commune * Dare County, North Carolina, United States * Dare, Virginia, United States, an unincorporated community Name * Dare (name), a list of people and fictional c ...
,
Gates Gates is the plural of gate, a point of entry to a space which is enclosed by walls. It may also refer to: People * Gates (surname), various people with the last name * Gates Brown (1939-2013), American Major League Baseball player * Gates McFadde ...
,
Hertford Hertford ( ) is the county town of Hertfordshire, England, and is also a civil parish in the East Hertfordshire district of the county. The parish had a population of 26,783 at the 2011 census. The town grew around a ford on the River Lea, ne ...
,
Northampton Northampton () is a market town and civil parish in the East Midlands of England, on the River Nene, north-west of London and south-east of Birmingham. The county town of Northamptonshire, Northampton is one of the largest towns in England; ...
, Pasquotank,
Perquimans Perquimans County ()
, from the North Carolina Collection's website at the
Tyrrell and
Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...
counties. Its cases are heard in Elizabeth City. Pleadings are accepted for all divisions in any of the offices in Raleigh, Greenville, New Bern, or Wilmington.


History

The
United States District Court for the District of North Carolina The following are former United States district courts, which ceased to exist because they were subdivided into smaller units. With the exception of California, each of these courts initially covered an entire U.S. state, and was subdivided as the ...
was established on June 4, 1790, by .Asbury Dickens, ''A Synoptical Index to the Laws and Treaties of the United States of America'' (1852), p. 389.U.S. District Courts of North Carolina, Legislative history
''
Federal Judicial Center The Federal Judicial Center is the education and research agency of the United States federal courts. It was established by in 1967, at the recommendation of the Judicial Conference of the United States. According to , the main areas of respo ...
''.
On June 9, 1794, it was subdivided into three districts by , but on March 3, 1797, the three districts were abolished and the single District restored by , until April 29, 1802, when the state was again subdivided into three different districts by . 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. 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 Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...
, by . The presiding judge of the District of North Carolina,
George Washington Brooks George Washington Brooks (March 16, 1821 – January 6, 1882) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Albemarle, Cape Fear and Pamptico Districts of North Carolina and the United States District Court for t ...
, was then reassigned to preside over only the Eastern District. The Middle District was created from portions of the Eastern and Western Districts on March 2, 1927, by . On July 6, 2021, under , Hoke, Moore, Scotland, and Richmond counties were transferred into the Eastern District from the Western District to end the previous situation where Fort Bragg was covered by two different districts.


Current judges

:


Former judges


Chief judges


Succession of seats


U.S. Attorneys for the Eastern District

* Richard C. Badger (1872–1878) * J. W. Albertson (1878–1882) * W. S. O. Robinson (1882–1885) * Fabius H. Busbee (1885–1889) * Charles A. Cooke (1889–1893) * Charles B. Aycock (1893–1898) *
Claude M. Bernard Claude may refer to: __NOTOC__ People and fictional characters * Claude (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Claude (surname), a list of people * Claude Lorrain (c. 1600–1682), French landscape painter, draughtsman and etcher ...
(1898–1902) * Harry Skinner (1902–1910) *
Herbert F. Seawell Herbert Floyd Seawell (August 8, 1869 – February 15, 1949)"H. F. Seawell Dies at Home", ''The Raleigh News and Observer'' (February 16, 1949), p. 10. was a North Carolina lawyer and politician who served as the United States Attorney for the Eas ...
(1910–1913) * Francis D. Winston (1913–1916) * James O. Carr (1916–19) * Thomas D. Warren (1919–20) * E. F. Aydlett (1920–21) * Irvin B. Tucker (1921–30) * Walter H. Fisher (1930–34) * James O. Carr (1934–45) * Charles F. Rouse (1945–46) *
John H. Manning John Hall Manning (September 27, 1889 – July 21, 1963) was a lawyer, government official and officer in both North Carolina National Guard and United States Army during World War II. He served as Adjutant General of North Carolina between Octo ...
(1946–51) * Charles P. Green (1951–53) * Julian T. Gaskill (1953–61) * Robert H. Cowen (1961–69) * Warren H. Coolidge (1969–73) *
Thomas P. McNamara Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the A ...
(1973–76) *
Carl L. Tilghman Carl may refer to: *Carl, Georgia, city in USA *Carl, West Virginia, an unincorporated community *Carl (name), includes info about the name, variations of the name, and a list of people with the name *Carl², a TV series * "Carl", List of Aqua Teen ...
(1976–77) * George M. Anderson (1977–1980) * James L. Blackburn (1980–81) *
Sam Currin Sam, SAM or variants may refer to: Places * Sam, Benin * Sam, Boulkiemdé, Burkina Faso * Sam, Bourzanga, Burkina Faso * Sam, Kongoussi, Burkina Faso * Sam, Iran * Sam, Teton County, Idaho, United States, a populated place People and fictio ...
(1981–1987) * J. Douglas McCullough (acting 1987-88) *
Margaret Currin Margaret is a female first name, derived via French () and Latin () from grc, μαργαρίτης () meaning "pearl". The Greek is borrowed from Persian. Margaret has been an English name since the 11th century, and remained popular througho ...
(1988–1993; wife of Sam Currin) * J. Douglas McCullough (acting 1993) * Janice McKenzie Cole (1994–2001) * Frank Whitney (2002–2005) *
George Holding George Edward Bell Holding (born April 17, 1968) is an American politician, lawyer, and former federal prosecutor who is a former United States Representative for North Carolina's 2nd congressional district from 2017 to 2021. He previously repre ...
(2005–2011) * Thomas Walker (2011–2016) * John Stuart Bruce (acting 2016) *
Robert Higdon Jr. Robert J. Higdon Jr. is an American attorney who served as the United States Attorney for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina from 2017 to 2021. Prior to assuming his current role, he was a partner at the ...
(2017–2021) *
Michael F. Easley Jr. Michael Francis Easley Jr. (born 1985) is an American lawyer who is the United States attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina. He is the son of former North Carolina Governor Mike Easley and former North Carolina First Lady Mary P. ...
(2021–present)


See also

*
Courts of North Carolina Courts of North Carolina include: ;State courts of North Carolina *North Carolina Supreme Court **North Carolina Court of Appeals ***North Carolina Superior Court (46 districts) ***North Carolina District Courts (45 districts) Federal courts locat ...
*
List of current United States district judges The following is a list of all current judges of the United States district and territorial courts. The list includes both "active" and "senior" judges, both of whom hear and decide cases. There are 89 districts in the 50 states, with a total ...
*
List of United States federal courthouses in North Carolina Following is a list of current and former courthouses of the United States federal court system located in North Carolina. Each entry indicates the name of the building along with an image, if available, its location and the jurisdiction it covers, ...


References


External links


Official website

News & Observer: Past political patrons for U.S. Attorneys
{{DEFAULTSORT:United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina North Carolina, Eastern District North Carolina law Pasquotank County, North Carolina Fayetteville, North Carolina Greenville, North Carolina Craven County, North Carolina Wilmington, North Carolina Organizations based in Raleigh, North Carolina New Bern, North Carolina 1872 establishments in North Carolina Courthouses in North Carolina Courts and tribunals established in 1872