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Joseph Dawson (South Carolina)
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2020 - Present
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Joseph Dawson is a judge on the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina. He was nominated by President Donald Trump (R) on October 23, 2020, and confirmed by a 56-39 vote of the U.S. Senate on December 16, 2020. 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.
Dawson was the county attorney for Charleston County in South Carolina from 2001 to 2020.
Judicial nominations and appointments
U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina (2020-present)
- See also: Federal judges nominated by Donald Trump
On October 23, 2020, President Donald Trump (R) nominated Dawson to a seat on the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina. He was confirmed by a 56-39 vote of the U.S. Senate on December 16, 2020.[1] He received commission on December 22, 2020.[2] To read more about the federal nominations process, click here.
 |
| Nominee Information |
| Name: Joseph Dawson |
| Court: United States District Court for the District of South Carolina |
| Progress |
| Confirmed 54 days after nomination. |
 Nominated: October 23, 2020
|
| ABA Rating: Substantial majority well qualified / Minority qualified
|
| Questionnaire: Questionnaire |
| Hearing: November 18, 2020
|
| QFRs: QFRs (Hover over QFRs to read more) |
| Reported: December 10, 2020
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| Confirmed: December 16, 2020
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| Vote: 56-39
|
Confirmation vote
The U.S. Senate confirmed Dawson by a vote of 56-39 on December 16, 2020.[1] To see a full breakdown of the vote on the official U.S. Senate website, click here.
| Dawson confirmation vote (December 16, 2020) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Yea | Nay | No vote | ||||||
 Democratic |
7 | 38 | 1 | ||||||
 Republican |
48 | 0 | 4 | ||||||
 Independent |
1 | 1 | 0 | ||||||
| Total | 56 | 39 | 5 | ||||||
Change in Senate rules
Dawson was confirmed to a U.S. District Court under a new precedent the Senate established.
On April 3, 2019, the U.S. Senate voted 51-48 in favor of a change to chamber precedent lowering the maximum time allowed for debate on executive nominees to posts below the Cabinet level and on nominees to district court judgeships from 30 hours after invoking cloture to two.[3]
The change was passed under a procedure, often referred to as the nuclear option, that requires 51 votes rather than 60.[4]
It was the third use of the nuclear option in Senate history. In 2013, it was used to eliminate the 60-vote threshold to confirm presidential nominees, except those to the Supreme Court. In 2017, it was used to eliminate the 60-vote threshold required to confirm Supreme Court nominees.[5] For more, see Filibuster and reconciliation in the United States Congress.
Senate Judiciary Committee hearing
Dawson had his hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on November 18, 2020.[1] The committee voted 13-9 to advance his nomination to the full Senate on December 10, 2020.[6]
Nomination
On October 1, 2020, President Donald Trump (R) announced his intent to nominate Dawson to a seat on the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina.[7] The president officially nominated Dawson on October 23, 2020.[1]
Dawson was nominated to replace Judge Terry Wooten, who assumed senior status on February 28, 2019.
Early life and education
Dawson was born in 1970 in Fort Jackson, South Carolina. He earned his B.A. from The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, in 1991, and his J.D. from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1997.[8]
Military service
Dawson was a judge advocate general in the U.S. Army Reserve in 2009. From 1999 to 2009, he was a judge advocate general for the South Carolina Army National Guard.[8]
Professional career
- 2020-present: Judge, U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina
- 2001-2020: Part-time solo practitioner, Joseph Dawson, III, Attorney at Law
- 1996-2020: Charleston County Attorney's Office
- 2001-2020: County attorney
- 2000-2001: Deputy county attorney
- 1997-2000: Assistant county attorney[8]
Awards and associations
Awards
- Amy Reserve Components Achievement Medal
- Army Service Ribbon
- South Carolina Palmetto Service Ribbon[8]
Associations
- American Bar Association
- International Municipal Lawyers Association
- South Carolina Association of Counties County Attorneys
- South Carolina Bar
- South Carolina Board of Law Examiners[8]
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
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.
See also
- United States District Court for the District of South Carolina
- United States Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit
External links
- Search Google News for this topic
- Biography from the Federal Judicial Center
- United States District Court for the District of South Carolina
- United States Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Congress.gov, "PN2294 — Joseph Dawson III — The Judiciary," accessed October 26, 2020
- ↑ Federal Judicial Center, "Dawson, Joseph III," accessed December 28, 2020
- ↑ The Hill, "GOP triggers 'nuclear option' to speed up Trump picks," April 3, 2019
- ↑ Axios, "Senate GOP invokes 'nuclear option' to speed up confirmations of Trump nominees," April 3, 2019
- ↑ NBC News, "McConnell to use 'nuclear option' to confirm lower-level nominees," April 2, 2019
- ↑ Senate Judiciary Committee, "Results of Executive Business Meeting," December 10, 2020
- ↑ WhiteHouse.gov, "President Donald J. Trump Announces Judicial Nominee," October 1, 2020
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 Senate Judiciary Committee, "Questionnaire for judicial nominees," accessed November 18, 2020
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
United States District Court for the District of South Carolina 2020-Present |
Succeeded by - |
| |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 |
Thomas Parker • Elizabeth Branch • Neil Gorsuch • Amul Thapar • David C. Nye • John K. Bush • Kevin Newsom • Timothy J. Kelly • Ralph Erickson • Scott Palk • Trevor McFadden • Joan Larsen • Amy Coney Barrett • Allison Eid • Stephanos Bibas • Donald Coggins Jr. • Dabney Friedrich • Greg Katsas • Steven Grasz • Don Willett • James Ho • William L. Campbell Jr. • David Stras • Tilman E. Self III • Karen Gren Scholer • Terry A. Doughty • Claria Horn Boom • John Broomes • Rebecca Grady Jennings • Kyle Duncan • Kurt Engelhardt • Michael B. Brennan • Joel Carson • Robert Wier • Fernando Rodriguez Jr. • Annemarie Carney Axon • | ||
| 2018 |
Andrew Oldham • Amy St. Eve • Michael Scudder • John Nalbandian • Mark Bennett • Andrew Oldham • Britt Grant • Colm Connolly • Maryellen Noreika • Jill Otake • Jeffrey Beaverstock • Emily Coody Marks • Holly Lou Teeter • Julius Richardson • Charles B. Goodwin • Barry Ashe • Stan Baker • A. Marvin Quattlebaum Jr. • Terry F. Moorer • Susan Baxter • William Jung • Alan Albright • Dominic Lanza • Eric Tostrud • Charles Williams • Nancy E. Brasel • James Sweeney • Kari A. Dooley • Marilyn J. Horan • Robert Summerhays • Brett Kavanaugh • David Porter • Liles Burke • Michael Juneau • Peter Phipps • Lance Walker • Richard Sullivan • Eli Richardson • Ryan Nelson • Chad F. Kenney, Sr. • Susan Brnovich • William M. Ray, II • Jeremy Kernodle • Thomas Kleeh • J.P. Hanlon • Mark Norris • Jonathan Kobes • Michael Brown • David Counts | ||
| 2019 |
Eric Miller • Chad Readler • Eric Murphy • Neomi Rao • Paul Matey • Allison Jones Rushing • Bridget S. Bade • Roy Altman • Patrick Wyrick • Holly Brady • David Morales • Andrew Brasher • J. Campbell Barker • Rodolfo Ruiz • Daniel Domenico • Michael Truncale • Michael Park • Joseph Bianco • Raúl Arias-Marxuach • Daniel Collins • Joshua Wolson • Wendy Vitter • Kenneth Kiyul Lee • Kenneth Bell • Stephen Clark • Howard Nielson • Rodney Smith • Jean-Paul Boulee • Sarah Daggett Morrison • Rossie Alston • Pamela A. Barker • Corey Maze • Greg Guidry • Matthew Kacsmaryk • Allen Winsor • Carl Nichols • James Cain, Jr. • Tom Barber • J. Nicholas Ranjan • Clifton L. Corker • Peter Phipps • Daniel Bress • Damon Leichty • Wendy W. Berger • Peter Welte • Michael Liburdi • William Shaw Stickman • Mark Pittman • Karin J. Immergut • Jason Pulliam • Brantley Starr • Brian Buescher • James Wesley Hendrix • Timothy Reif • Martha Pacold • Sean Jordan • Mary Rowland • John M. Younge • Jeff Brown • Ada Brown • Steven Grimberg • Stephanie A. Gallagher • Steven Seeger • Stephanie Haines • Mary McElroy • David J. Novak • Frank W. Volk • Charles Eskridge • Rachel Kovner • Justin Walker • T. Kent Wetherell • Danielle Hunsaker • Lee Rudofsky • Jennifer Philpott Wilson • William Nardini • Steven Menashi • Robert J. Luck • Eric Komitee • Douglas Cole • John Sinatra • Sarah Pitlyk • Barbara Lagoa • Richard Myers II • Sherri Lydon • Patrick Bumatay • R. Austin Huffaker • Miller Baker • Anuraag Singhal • Karen Marston • Jodi Dishman • Mary Kay Vyskocil • Matthew McFarland • John Gallagher • Bernard Jones • Kea Riggs • Robert J. Colville • Stephanie Dawkins Davis • Gary R. Brown • David Barlow • Lewis Liman | ||
| 2020 |
Lawrence VanDyke • Daniel Traynor • John Kness • Joshua Kindred • Philip Halpern • Silvia Carreno-Coll • Scott Rash • John Heil • Anna Manasco • John L. Badalamenti • Drew Tipton • Andrew Brasher • Cory Wilson • Scott Hardy • David Joseph • Matthew Schelp • John Cronan • Justin Walker • Brett H. Ludwig • Christy Wiegand • Thomas Cullen • Diane Gujarati • Stanley Blumenfeld • Mark Scarsi • John Holcomb • Stephen P. McGlynn • Todd Robinson • Hala Jarbou • David Dugan • Iain D. Johnston • Franklin U. Valderrama • John Hinderaker • Roderick Young • Michael Newman • Aileen Cannon • James Knepp • Kathryn Kimball Mizelle • Benjamin Beaton • Kristi Johnson • Toby Crouse • Philip Calabrese • Taylor McNeel • Thomas Kirsch • Stephen Vaden • Katherine Crytzer • Fernando Aenlle-Rocha • Charles Atchley • Joseph Dawson | ||
| 2025 |
Whitney Hermandorfer • Joshua Divine • Cristian M. Stevens • Zachary Bluestone • Emil Bove | ||
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
