History / Courts

U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina

46 judges have served since Feb 10, 1790. Now: Sheria Akins Clarke RJacquelyn Denise Austin DJoseph Dawson, III RSherri Allen Lydon RDonald Cecil Coggins, Jr. RBruce Howe Hendricks DMary Geiger Lewis DRichard Mark Gergel DDavid C. Norton R.

Judges
46
19 D · 19 R · 4 N( · 2 U · 2 JR
Longest tenure
36 years
David C. Norton
Current
4 months
Sheria Akins Clarke, since Jun 18, 2026
history/court/district-court-for-the-district-of-south-carolinaEvery holder, newest first
+46
180018201840186018801900192019401960198020002020William Drayton · 1790-02-10 – 1790-05-18Thomas Bee · 1790-06-14 – 1812-02-18John Drayton · 1812-05-07 – 1822-11-27 · Jeffersonian RepublicanThomas Lee · 1823-02-17 – 1839-10-24 · Jeffersonian RepublicanRobert Budd Gilchrist · 1840-02-17 – 1856-05-01 · DemocratAndrew Gordon Magrath · 1856-05-12 – 1860-11-07 · DemocratGeorge Seabrook Bryan · 1866-03-12 – 1886-09-01 · DemocratCharles Henry Simonton · 1887-01-13 – 1893-12-28 · DemocratWilliam Hiram Brawley · 1894-01-18 – 1911-06-14 · DemocratCharles Cecil Wyche · 1965-11-01 – 1966-09-17 · None (reassignment)Donald Stuart Russell · 1966-11-03 – 1971-05-01 · DemocratRobert Foster Chapman · 1971-05-27 – 1981-10-02 · RepublicanClyde H. Hamilton · 1981-12-01 – 1991-07-31 · RepublicanWilliam Byrd Traxler, Jr. · 1992-03-02 – 1998-10-21 · RepublicanMargaret B. Seymour · 1998-10-22 – 2013-01-16 · DemocratBruce Howe Hendricks · 2014-06-05 – present · DemocratHenry Augustus Middleton Smith · 1911-06-07 – 1912-01-01 · RepublicanJames Robert Martin, Jr. · 1965-11-01 – 1979-11-30 · None (reassignment)George Ross Anderson, Jr. · 1980-05-23 – 2009-01-29 · DemocratRichard Mark Gergel · 2010-08-09 – present · DemocratRobert Witherspoon Hemphill · 1965-11-01 – 1980-05-10 · None (reassignment)William Walter Wilkins · 1981-07-22 – 1986-07-10 · RepublicanJoseph Fletcher Anderson, Jr. · 1986-10-14 – 2014-11-16 · RepublicanDonald Cecil Coggins, Jr. · 2017-11-20 – present · RepublicanCharles Earl Simons, Jr. · 1965-11-01 – 1986-08-17 · None (reassignment)David C. Norton · 1990-07-12 – present · RepublicanSolomon Blatt, Jr. · 1971-05-28 – 1990-05-07 · RepublicanDennis W. Shedd · 1990-10-30 – 2002-12-10 · RepublicanHenry Franklin Floyd · 2003-09-24 – 2011-10-06 · RepublicanMary Geiger Lewis · 2012-06-20 – present · DemocratMatthew James Perry, Jr. · 1979-09-20 – 1995-10-01 · DemocratPatrick Michael Duffy · 1995-12-26 – 2009-12-27 · DemocratJulianna Michelle Childs · 2010-08-20 – 2022-08-02 · DemocratJacquelyn Denise Austin · 2024-01-29 – present · DemocratFalcon Black Hawkins, Jr. · 1979-09-26 – 1993-10-01 · DemocratCameron McGowan Currie · 1994-03-11 – 2013-10-03 · DemocratA. Marvin Quattlebaum, Jr. · 2018-03-06 – 2018-09-06 · RepublicanSherri Allen Lydon · 2019-12-10 – present · RepublicanC[harles] Weston Houck · 1979-09-26 – 2003-10-01 · DemocratRobert Bryan Harwell · 2004-06-30 – 2024-06-04 · RepublicanSheria Akins Clarke · 2026-06-18 – present · RepublicanKaren LeCraft Henderson · 1986-06-16 – 1990-07-11 · RepublicanHenry Michael Herlong, Jr. · 1991-05-14 – 2009-06-01 · RepublicanTimothy Martin Cain · 2011-09-26 – 2026-10-01 · DemocratTerry L. Wooten · 2001-11-26 – 2019-02-28 · RepublicanJoseph Dawson, III · 2020-12-22 – present · Republican
Sheria Akins Clarke R
Jun 18, 2026 – present · 4 months · appointed by Donald J. Trump · confirmed 52–38
Jacquelyn Denise Austin D
Jan 29, 2024 – present · 2.7 years · appointed by Joseph R. Biden · confirmed 80–17
Joseph Dawson, III R
Dec 22, 2020 – present · 5.8 years · appointed by Donald J. Trump · confirmed 56–39
Sherri Allen Lydon R
Dec 10, 2019 – present · 6.8 years · appointed by Donald J. Trump · confirmed 76–13
A. Marvin Quattlebaum, Jr. R
Mar 6, 2018 – Sep 6, 2018 · 6 months · appointed by Donald J. Trump · confirmed 69–28
Donald Cecil Coggins, Jr. R
Nov 20, 2017 – present · 8.9 years · appointed by Donald J. Trump · confirmed 96–0
Bruce Howe Hendricks D
Jun 5, 2014 – present · 12 years · appointed by Barack Obama · confirmed 95–0
Mary Geiger Lewis D
Jun 20, 2012 – present · 14 years · appointed by Barack Obama · confirmed 64–27
Timothy Martin Cain D
Sep 26, 2011 – Oct 1, 2026 · 15 years · appointed by Barack Obama · senior status Oct 1, 2026 · confirmed 99–0
Julianna Michelle Childs D
Aug 20, 2010 – Aug 2, 2022 · 12 years · appointed by Barack Obama
Richard Mark Gergel D
Aug 9, 2010 – present · 16 years · appointed by Barack Obama
Robert Bryan Harwell R
Jun 30, 2004 – Jun 4, 2024 · 20 years · appointed by George W. Bush · senior status Jun 4, 2024
Henry Franklin Floyd R
Sep 24, 2003 – Oct 6, 2011 · 8 years · appointed by George W. Bush · confirmed 89–0
Terry L. Wooten R
Nov 26, 2001 – Feb 28, 2019 · 17 years · appointed by George W. Bush · senior status Feb 28, 2019 · confirmed 98–0
Margaret B. Seymour D
Oct 22, 1998 – Jan 16, 2013 · 14 years · appointed by William J. Clinton · senior status Jan 16, 2013
Patrick Michael Duffy D
Dec 26, 1995 – Dec 27, 2009 · 14 years · appointed by William J. Clinton · senior status Dec 27, 2009
Cameron McGowan Currie D
Mar 11, 1994 – Oct 3, 2013 · 20 years · appointed by William J. Clinton · senior status Oct 3, 2013
William Byrd Traxler, Jr. R
Mar 2, 1992 – Oct 21, 1998 · 6.6 years · appointed by George H.W. Bush
Henry Michael Herlong, Jr. R
May 14, 1991 – Jun 1, 2009 · 18 years · appointed by George H.W. Bush · senior status Jun 1, 2009
Dennis W. Shedd R
Oct 30, 1990 – Dec 10, 2002 · 12 years · appointed by George H.W. Bush
David C. Norton R
Jul 12, 1990 – present · 36 years · appointed by George H.W. Bush
Joseph Fletcher Anderson, Jr. R
Oct 14, 1986 – Nov 16, 2014 · 28 years · appointed by Ronald Reagan · senior status Nov 16, 2014
Karen LeCraft Henderson R
Jun 16, 1986 – Jul 11, 1990 · 4.1 years · appointed by Ronald Reagan
Clyde H. Hamilton R
Dec 1, 1981 – Jul 31, 1991 · 9.7 years · appointed by Ronald Reagan
William Walter Wilkins R
Jul 22, 1981 – Jul 10, 1986 · 5 years · appointed by Ronald Reagan
George Ross Anderson, Jr. D
May 23, 1980 – Jan 29, 2009 · 29 years · appointed by Jimmy Carter · senior status Jan 29, 2009
Falcon Black Hawkins, Jr. D
Sep 26, 1979 – Oct 1, 1993 · 14 years · appointed by Jimmy Carter · senior status Oct 1, 1993
C[harles] Weston Houck D
Sep 26, 1979 – Oct 1, 2003 · 24 years · appointed by Jimmy Carter · senior status Oct 1, 2003
Matthew James Perry, Jr. D
Sep 20, 1979 – Oct 1, 1995 · 16 years · appointed by Jimmy Carter · senior status Oct 1, 1995
Solomon Blatt, Jr. R
May 28, 1971 – May 7, 1990 · 19 years · appointed by Richard M. Nixon · senior status May 7, 1990
Robert Foster Chapman R
May 27, 1971 – Oct 2, 1981 · 10 years · appointed by Richard M. Nixon
Donald Stuart Russell D
Nov 3, 1966 – May 1, 1971 · 4.5 years · appointed by Lyndon B. Johnson
Charles Cecil Wyche N(
Nov 1, 1965 – Sep 17, 1966 · 11 months · appointed by None (reassignment)
James Robert Martin, Jr. N(
Nov 1, 1965 – Nov 30, 1979 · 14 years · appointed by None (reassignment) · senior status Nov 30, 1979
Robert Witherspoon Hemphill N(
Nov 1, 1965 – May 10, 1980 · 15 years · appointed by None (reassignment) · senior status May 10, 1980
Charles Earl Simons, Jr. N(
Nov 1, 1965 – Aug 17, 1986 · 21 years · appointed by None (reassignment) · senior status Aug 17, 1986
Henry Augustus Middleton Smith R
Jun 7, 1911 – Jan 1, 1912 · 7 months · appointed by William H. Taft
William Hiram Brawley D
Jan 18, 1894 – Jun 14, 1911 · 17 years · appointed by Grover Cleveland
Charles Henry Simonton D
Jan 13, 1887 – Dec 28, 1893 · 7 years · appointed by Grover Cleveland
George Seabrook Bryan D
Mar 12, 1866 – Sep 1, 1886 · 20 years · appointed by Andrew Johnson
Andrew Gordon Magrath D
May 12, 1856 – Nov 7, 1860 · 4.5 years · appointed by Franklin Pierce
Robert Budd Gilchrist D
Feb 17, 1840 – May 1, 1856 · 16 years · appointed by Martin Van Buren
Thomas Lee JR
Feb 17, 1823 – Oct 24, 1839 · 17 years · appointed by James Monroe
John Drayton JR
May 7, 1812 – Nov 27, 1822 · 11 years · appointed by James Madison
Thomas Bee
Jun 14, 1790 – Feb 18, 1812 · 22 years · appointed by George Washington
William Drayton
Feb 10, 1790 – May 18, 1790 · 3 months · appointed by George Washington

Dates are from the Federal Judicial Center (commission to senior status or departure). Consecutive terms of one person are merged.