David Bragdon

Middle District of North Carolina
	Fourth Circuit
Judgeships
	Posts: 4
	Judges: 3
	Vacancies: 1
Judges
	Chief: Catherine Eagles
	Active judges: David Bragdon, William Osteen, Thomas Schroeder; Senior judges:; Loretta Copeland Biggs, Catherine Eagles, Norwood Tilley

Nomination Tracker
Nominee Information
	Name: David Bragdon
	Court: United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina
Progress
	Confirmed 78 days after nomination.
	Nominated: September 15, 2025
	ABA Rating: Well qualified
	Questionnaire: Questionnaire
	Hearing: September 17, 2025
	Hearing Transcript: Hearing Transcript
	QFRs: (Hover over QFRs to read more)
	Reported: October 9, 2025
	Confirmed: December 2, 2025
	Vote: 53-45

David Bragdon is a judge on the United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina. He was nominated to the court by President Donald Trump (R) on September 15, 2025, and confirmed by the United States Senate on December 2, 2025, by a vote of 53-45.^[1] The president officially nominated Bragdon on September 15, 2025.^[2]^[2]^[3] To see a full list of judges appointed by Donald Trump, click here.

Prior to joining the court, Bragdon was an assistant United States attorney.^[1]

The United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina is one of 94 U.S. District Courts. They are the general trial courts of the United States federal courts. To learn more about the court, click here.

Judicial nominations and appointments

United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina (2025-present)

See also: Federal judges nominated by Donald Trump

On September 15, 2025, President Donald Trump (R) nominated Bragdon to the United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina. He was confirmed by a 53-45 vote of the U.S. Senate on December 2, 2025.^[2] Bragdon received commission on December 12, 2025.^[3] To read more about the federal nominations process, click here.

Confirmation vote

The U.S. Senate confirmed Bragdon by a vote of 53-45 on December 2, 2025.^[2] To see a full breakdown of the vote on the official U.S. Senate website, click here.

Bragdon confirmation vote (December 2, 2025)
Party	Yea	Nay	No vote
Democratic	0	43	2
Republican	53	0	0
Independent	0	2	0
Total	53^[4]	45	2

Senate Judiciary Committee hearing

The Senate Judiciary Committee held hearings on Bragdon's nomination on September 17, 2025. Bragdon was reported to the full Senate on October 9, 2025, after a 12-10 committee vote.^[5]

Nomination

On August 22, 2025, President Donald Trump (R) announced his intent to nominate David Bragdon to the United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina. The president officially nominated Bragdon on September 15, 2025.^[2] Click here for a list of other nominees who have been nominated by President Donald Trump.

Bragdon was nominated to replace Judge Loretta Copeland Biggs, who assumed senior status on December 31, 2024.^[6]

The American Bar Association (ABA) rated Bragdon well qualified.^[7] To read more about ABA ratings, click here.

Biography

Education

Bragdon was born in 1977 in Warren, Ohio. He earned a bachelor's degree in 1999 from Campbell University and a law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law in 2002.^[3]

Professional career

2025-present: Judge, United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina
2007-2025: Assistant U.S. attorney, Eastern District of North Carolina
- 2021-2025: appellate chief
2023: Adjunct professor, Campbell University School of Law
2017-2020: Assistance, and Training, U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Embassy in the Philippines (on detail)
2006-2007: Law clerk, Hon. Clarence Thomas, Supreme Court of the United States
2003-2006: Private practice, Birmingham, Alabama
2002-2003: Law clerk, Hon. Stephen F. Williams, U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit^[3]

About the court

The U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina is one of 94 United States district courts. It consists of five divisions with a headquarters in Greensboro, North Carolina. When decisions of the court are appealed, they are appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit based in downtown Richmond, Virginia at the Lewis F. Powell Federal Courthouse. The Middle District of North Carolina has original jurisdiction over cases filed within its jurisdiction. These cases can include civil and criminal matters that fall under federal law.

The geographic jurisdiction of the Middle District of North Carolina consists of all the following counties in the middle part of the state of North Carolina.

There are five court divisions, each covering the following counties:

The Durham Division, covering Chatham, Durham, Lee, Orange, and Person counties

The Greensboro Division, covering Alamance, Caswell, Guilford, Randolph, and Rockingham counties

The Rockingham Division, covering Hoke, Montgomery, Moore, Richmond, and Scotland counties

The Salisbury Division, covering Cabarrus, Davidson, Davie, Rowan, and Stanly counties

The Winston-Salem Division, covering Forsyth, Stokes, Surry, and Yadkin counties

To read opinions published by this court, click here.

The federal nomination process

Federal judges are nominated by the president of the United States and confirmed by the Senate. There are multiple steps to the process:

The president nominates an individual for a judicial seat.
The nominee fills out a questionnaire and is reviewed by the Senate Judiciary Committee.
The Senate Judiciary Committee holds a hearing with the nominee, questioning them about things like their judicial philosophy, past rulings or opinions, etc.

As part of this process, the committee sends a blue slip to senators from the home state in which the judicial nomination was received, allowing them to express their approval or disapproval of the nominee.

After the hearing, the Senate Judiciary Committee will vote to approve or return the nominee.

If approved, the nominee is voted on by the full Senate.
If the Committee votes to return the nominee to the president, the president has the opportunity to re-nominate the individual.

The Senate holds a vote on the candidate.

If the Senate confirms the nomination, the nominee receives a commission to serve a lifelong position as a federal judge.
If the Senate does not confirm the nomination, that nominee does not become a judge.