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David Norton (South Carolina judge)
1990 - Present
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David C. Norton is a federal judge on the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina. He joined the court in 1990 after being nominated by President George H.W. Bush. Norton served as the district court's chief judge from 2007 until 2012.
Early life and education
A native of Washington, D.C., Norton graduated from the University of the South with his bachelor's degree in 1968 and from the University of South Carolina School of Law with his J.D. in 1975.[1]
Military service
Norton served in the U.S. Navy from 1969 to 1972.[1]
Professional career
- 1990 - Present: Judge, United States District Court for the District of South Carolina
- 2007-2017: Chief judge
- 1981-1990: Private practice, Charleston, S.C.
- 1980-1985: City attorney, Isle of Palms, S.C.
- 1977-1980: Assistant deputy solicitor, South Carolina Ninth Judicial Circuit
- 1975-1977: Private practice, Charleston, S.C.[1]
Judicial career
District of South Carolina
 |
| Nominee Information |
| Name: David C. Norton |
| Court: United States District Court for the District of South Carolina |
| Progress |
| Confirmed 72 days after nomination. |
 Nominated: April 18, 1990
|
| ABA Rating: Unanimously Well Qualified
|
| Questionnaire: |
| Hearing: June 11, 1990
|
| QFRs: (Hover over QFRs to read more) |
| Reported: June 27, 1990
|
| Confirmed: June 29, 1990
|
| Vote: Unanimous consent
|
Norton was nominated by President George H.W. Bush on April 18, 1990, to a seat on the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina vacated by Solomon Blatt. The American Bar Association rated Norton Unanimously Well Qualified for the nomination. Hearings on Norton's nomination were held before the Senate Judiciary Committee on June 11, 1990, and his nomination was reported by then-U.S. Sen. Joseph Biden (D-Del.) on June 27, 1990. Norton was confirmed by the unanimous consent of the U.S. Senate on June 29, 1990, and he received his commission on July 12, 1990. From 2007 to 2012, Norton served as the district court's chief judge.[1][2][3]
Noteworthy cases
Walter Scott shooting
On December 7, 2017, Norton sentenced Michael Slager to 20 years in prison for the second-degree murder of Walter Scott.[4] Slager is a former North Charleston police office, whose shooting of Scott in April 2015 sparked national attention and a push by legislators to pass a bill requiring police to use body cameras.[5] Slager initially pulled over Scott, a 50-year-old black man, at 9:33 a.m. on April 4. A video filmed by an observer showed Scott running away from Slager, who then fired eight rounds from his gun before Scott fell to the ground. Slager reported the suspect to police dispatch at 9:38 a.m.[6] Slager was fired once the video of the incident was released. After a hearing before a grand jury, Slager was indicted on murder charges in June 2015.[7] The murder trial in state court resulted in a hung jury in 2016. In May 2017, Slager pleaded guilty to a federal charge of violating Scott's civil rights.[4]
See also
- United States District Court for the District of South Carolina
- United States Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Federal Judicial Center, "Biography of Judge David C. Norton," accessed July 6, 2017
- ↑ United States Congress, "PN 1180 — David C. Norton — The Judiciary," accessed July 6, 2017
- ↑ American Bar Association, "Ratings of Article III judicial nominees, 101st Congress," accessed July 6, 2017
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 The Post and Courier, "Former officer Michael Slager sentenced to 20 years in prison for shooting of Walter Scott," December 7, 2017
- ↑ AlJazeera America, "After Walter Scott shooting, South Carolina protesters make slow progress," May 19, 2015
- ↑ CNN, "South Carolina cop shoots unarmed man: A timeline," April 9, 2015
- ↑ CNN, "South Carolina ex-police officer indicted in Walter Scott killing," June 8, 2015
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
United States District Court for the District of South Carolina 1990-Present |
Succeeded by - |
| |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 |
Barksdale • Bonner • Buckwalter • Cyr • Fernandez • Garbis • Harmon • Lee • Lindberg • Lodge • Nelson • Nottingham • Plager • Rosen • Rymer • Smith • Spatt • Thomas • VanBebber • J. Walker • V. Walker • Wiener • Wright | ||
| 1990 |
Alito • Amon • Birch • Boudin • Cleland • Clevenger • Dubina • Hamilton • Henderson • Hood • Hornby • Jones • Kent • Levi • Loken • Lourie • Martin • McBryde • McClure • McKenna • McLaughlin • McNamee • Moreno • Mullen • Nelson • Nickerson • Niemeyer • Norton • Parker • Pickering • Rader • Rainey • Randolph • Shanstrom • Shedd • Shubb • Singleton • Skretny • Souter • Sparr • Stahl • Stamp • Suhrheinrich • Taylor • Vollmer • Ware • Wilson | ||
| 1991 |
Albritton • Andersen • Armstrong • Arnold • Bartle • Bassler • Batchelder • Beckwith • Belot • Benson • Blackburn • Bramlette • Brody • Brody • Burrell • Carnes • Caulfield • Cauthron • Clement • Collier • Conway • Cooper • Dalzell • DeMent • DeMoss • Doherty • Echols • Edmunds • Faber • Freeh • Gaitan • Garza • Graham • Haik • Hamilton • Hansen • Hendren • Herlong • Highsmith • Hogan • Huff • Hurley • Irenas • Johnson • Joyner • Kelly • Kleinfeld • Legg • Leonard • Lewis • Longstaff • Lungstrum • Luttig • Matia • McCalla • McDade • McKeague • McKelvie • Means • Merryday • Moore • Morgan • Nielsen • Nimmons • Osteen Sr. • Padova • Payne • Reinhard • Robinson • Robreno • Roll • Roth • Schlesinger • Scullin • Siler • Solis • Sotomayor • Sparks • Stohr • Thomas • Traxler • Trimble • Ungaro • Van Sickle • Wanger • Werlein • Whyte • Yohn | ||
| 1992 |
Baird • Barbadoro • Black • Boudin • Carnes • Covello • DiClerico • Gilbert • Gonzalez • Gorton • Hansen • Heyburn • Jackson • Jacobs • Keeley • Kendall • Kopf • Kyle • Lewis • McAuliffe • McLaughlin • Melloy • Preska • Quist • Randa • Rosenthal • Rovner • Schall • Sedwick • Simandle • Stahl • Vratil • Williams | ||
Federal courts:
Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: District of South Carolina • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: District of South Carolina
State courts:
South Carolina Supreme Court • South Carolina Court of Appeals • South Carolina Circuit Courts • South Carolina Masters-in-Equity • South Carolina Family Courts • South Carolina Magistrate Courts • South Carolina Municipal Courts • South Carolina Probate Courts
State resources:
Courts in South Carolina • South Carolina judicial elections • Judicial selection in South Carolina
