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Donald Coggins Jr.
2017 - Present
7
Donald C. Coggins Jr. is a judge on the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina. He was nominated to the court by President Donald Trump (R) on August 3, 2017, and confirmed by the U.S. Senate on November 16, 2017, by a vote of 96-0.[1] To see a full list of judges appointed by Donald Trump, click here.
The United States District Court for the District of South 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.
Coggins was previously nominated by President Barack Obama on February 25, 2016, to a seat on the same court. On January 3, 2017, Coggins' nomination was returned to President Obama at the sine die adjournment of the 114th Congress.[2][3][4]
Judicial nominations and appointments
United States District Court for the District of South Carolina
- See also: Federal judges nominated by Donald Trump
Coggins was nominated to the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina by President Donald Trump (R) on August 3, 2017. The U.S. Senate confirmed Coggins on November 16, 2017, by a vote of 96-1.[1] He received commission on November 20, 2017.[5] To read more about the federal nomination process, click here.
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| Nominee Information |
| Name: Donald C. Coggins Jr. |
| Court: United States District Court for the District of South Carolina |
| Progress |
| Confirmed 105 days after nomination. |
 Nominated: August 3, 2017
|
| ABA Rating: Unanimously Well Qualified
|
| Questionnaire: Questionnaire |
| Hearing: June 21, 2016
|
| QFRs: (Hover over QFRs to read more) |
| Reported: September 14, 2017
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| Confirmed: November 16, 2017
|
| Vote: 96-0
|
Confirmation vote
The U.S. Senate confirmed Coggins on November 16, 2017, on a vote of 96-0.[1] To see a full breakdown of the vote on the official U.S. Senate website, click here.
| Donald Coggins confirmation vote (November 16, 2017) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Yea | Nay | No vote | ||||||
 Democratic |
43 | 0 | 3 | ||||||
 Republican |
51 | 0 | 1 | ||||||
 Independent |
2 | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| Total | 96 | 0 | 4 | ||||||
Senate Judiciary Committee hearing
Coggins had his hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on September 14, 2017. The committee voted to advance Coggins' nomination to the full Senate that same day.[1]
Nomination
Coggins was nominated to replace Judge Joseph Anderson, who assumed senior status in 2014.
The American Bar Association unanimously rated Coggins well qualified for the position.[6] To read more about ABA ratings, click here.
District of South Carolina (2016)
- See also: Federal judges nominated by Barack Obama
On February 25, 2016, Coggins was nominated by President Barack Obama to serve on the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina. The American Bar Association rated Coggins Unanimously Well Qualified for the nomination. Hearings on Coggins' nomination before the Senate Judiciary Committee were held on June 21, 2016, and his nomination was reported by U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) on July 14, 2016. On January 3, 2017, Coggins' nomination was returned to President Obama at the sine die adjournment of the 114th Congress.[2][7][8][4]
Education
Coggins earned his bachelor's degree from Clemson University in 1981 and his J.D. from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1984.[2]
Professional career
- 2017-present: Judge, United States District Court for the District of South Carolina
- 2000-2017: Shareholder, Harrison, White, Smith & Coggins, P.C., Spartanburg, S.C.
- 2010-2013: Managing shareholder, Harrison, White, Smith & Coggins, P.C.
- 1993-2000: Partner, Smith and Coggins
- 1986-1993: Partner, Cummings, Smith and Coggins
- 1984-1986: Associate, Cummings and Smith[2]
About the court
| District of South Carolina |
|---|
| Fourth Circuit |
|
| Judgeships |
| Posts: 10 |
| Judges: 9 |
| Vacancies: 1 |
| Judges |
| Chief: Timothy M. Cain |
| Active judges: Jacquelyn Austin, Timothy M. Cain, Donald C. Coggins Jr., Joseph Dawson III, Richard Mark Gergel, Bruce Hendricks, Mary Geiger Lewis, Sherri Lydon, David Norton Senior judges: |
The United States District Court for the District of South Carolina is one of 94 United States district courts. 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 District of South Carolina has original jurisdiction over cases filed within its jurisdiction. These cases can include civil and criminal matters that fall under federal law.
There are eleven court divisions, each covering the following counties:
The Aiken Division, covering Aiken, Allendale and Barnwell counties
The Anderson Division, covering Anderson, Oconne and Pickens counties
The Beaufort Division, covering Beaufort, Hampton and Jasper counties
The Charleston Division, covering Berkeley, Charleston, Clarendon, Colleton, Dorchester and Georgetown counties
The Columbia Division, covering Kershaw, Lee, Lexington, Richland and Sumter counties
The Florence Division, covering Chesterfield, Darlington, Dillon, Florence, Horry, Marion, Marlboro and Williamsburg counties
The Greenville Division, covering Greenville and Laurens counties
The Greenwood Division, covering Abbeville, Edgefield, Greenwood, McCormick, Newberry and Saluda counties
The Orangeburg Division, covering Bamberg, Calhoun and Orangeburg counties
The Rock Hill Division, covering Chester, Fairfield, Lancaster and York counties
The Spartanburg Division, covering Cherokee, Spartanburg and Union counties
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.
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 United States Congress, "PN 875 — Donald C. Coggins Jr. — The Judiciary," accessed November 16, 2017
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 The White House, "Presidential Nominations Sent to the Senate," February 25, 2016
- ↑ U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, "Nominations," accessed June 16, 2016
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 United States Congress, "PN 1185 — Donald C. Coggins, Jr. — The Judiciary," accessed January 3, 2017
- ↑ Federal Judicial Review "Coggins, Donald Cecil Jr.," accessed April 23, 2020
- ↑ American Bar Association, "Ratings of Article III and Article IV judicial nominees," accessed April 22, 2020
- ↑ American Bar Association, "Ratings of Article III Judicial Nominees: 114th Congress," accessed April 19, 2016
- ↑ U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, "Postponed: Executive Business Meeting," July 14, 2016
