The United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina (in case citations, E.D.N.C.) is the United States district court that serves the eastern 44 counties in North Carolina. Appeals from the Eastern District of North Carolina are taken to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are appealed to the Federal Circuit).

Jurisdiction and offices

The District has three staffed offices and holds court in six cities: Elizabeth City, Fayetteville, Greenville, New Bern, Raleigh, 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, Carteret, Craven, Edgecombe, Greene, Halifax, Hyde, Jones, Lenoir, Martin, Pamlico, Nash and Pitt counties.

The southern division is based in Wilmington and serves the counties of: Bladen, Brunswick, Columbus, Duplin, New Hanover, Onslow, Pender, Robeson, and Sampson. Its cases are heard in Wilmington.

The northern and western divisions are based in Raleigh. The western covers: Cumberland, Franklin, Granville, Harnett, Johnston, Vance, Wake, Warren, Wayne, and Wilson counties. Its cases are heard in Fayetteville, Greenville, and New Bern. The northern division presides over cases from: Bertie, Camden, Chowan, Currituck, Dare, Gates, Hertford, Northampton, Pasquotank, Perquimans, Tyrrell and Washington 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 was established on June 4, 1790, by . On June 9, 1794, it was subdivided into three districts by ,

Current judges

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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 (1898–1902)
  • Harry Skinner (1902–1910)
  • Herbert F. Seawell (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 (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 (1973–76)
  • Carl L. Tilghman (1976–77)
  • George M. Anderson (1977–1980)
  • James L. Blackburn (1980–81)
  • Sam Currin (1981–1987)
  • J. Douglas McCullough (acting 1987-88)
  • Margaret Currin (1988–1993)
  • J. Douglas McCullough (acting, 1993)
  • Janice McKenzie Cole (1994–2001)
  • Frank Whitney (2002–2005)
  • George Holding (2005–2011)
  • Rudy Renfer (2009–2026)
  • Thomas Walker (2011–2016)
  • John Stuart Bruce (acting, 2016)
  • Robert Higdon Jr. (2017–2021)
  • Michael F. Easley Jr. (2021–2025)
  • Daniel P. Bubar (acting, 2025)
  • W. Ellis Boyle (2025–)

See also

  • Courts of North Carolina
  • List of current United States district judges
  • List of United States federal courthouses in North Carolina

References

  • Official website
  • News & Observer: Past political patrons for U.S. Attorneys