Richard E. Myers II

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This article is about the federal judge. For other people with similar names, see Richard Myers (disambiguation).
Richard E. Myers II
Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina
Assumed office
January 1, 2021
Preceded byTerrence Boyle
Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina
Assumed office
December 10, 2019
Appointed byDonald Trump
Preceded byMalcolm Jones Howard
Personal details
Born
Richard Ernest Myers II

1967 (age 53–54)
Kingston, Jamaica
EducationUniversity of North Carolina at Wilmington (BA, MA)
University of North Carolina School of Law (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 vote of 72–22.[9] On December 5, 2019, the Senate confirmed his nomination by a vote of 68–21.[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]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c "United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary: Questionnaire for Judicial Nominees: Richard Myers" (PDF).
  2. ^ "Trump nominates law professor for judicial vacancy". Associated Press. August 15, 2019. Retrieved August 17, 2019.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ a b c "President Donald J. Trump Announces Judicial Nominees, United States Attorney Nominees, and United States Marshal Nominees". whitehouse.gov – via National Archives.
  5. ^ "Seventeen Nominations and Two Withdrawals Sent to the Senate". whitehouse.gov – via National Archives.
  6. ^ Ruger, Todd (August 14, 2019). "Trump names new nominee to oldest federal judicial vacancy". Roll Call. Retrieved August 17, 2019.
  7. ^ "Nominations | United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary". www.judiciary.senate.gov.
  8. ^ "Results of Executive Business Meeting – October 31, 2019, Senate Judiciary Committee" (PDF).
  9. ^ "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.
  10. ^ "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.
  11. ^ Richard E. Myers II at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
  12. ^ Board, StarNews Editorial. "OUR VIEW: Ex-StarNews reporter returns to Wilmington – as a federal judge". Wilmington Star News.

External links[]

Legal offices
Preceded by Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina
2019–present 		Incumbent
Preceded by Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina
2021–present
Retrieved from ""