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Thad Heartfield
Thad Heartfield was a federal judge on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. He joined the court in 1995 after being nominated by President Bill Clinton. Heartfield served as chief judge of the court from 2003 to 2009. Heartfield assumed senior status on January 1, 2010. His service ended on December 27, 2022, upon his death.[1]
Early life and education
A native of Port Arthur, Texas, Heartfield graduated from St. Mary`s University with his bachelor's degree in 1962 and his J.D. in 1965.[1]
Professional career
- 2010 - 2022: Senior judge
- 1995-2010: Judge
- 2003-2009: Chief judge
- 1983-1994: Director, Lower Neches Valley Authority
- 1973-1995: Private practice, Beaumont, Texas
- 1969-1973: City attorney, Beaumont, Texas
- 1966-1969: Private practice, Beaumont, Texas
- 1965-1966: Assistant district attorney, Jefferson County, Texas[1]
Judicial career
Eastern District of Texas
 |
| Nominee Information |
| Name: Thad Heartfield |
| Court: United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas |
| Progress |
| Confirmed 163 days after nomination. |
 Nominated: October 5, 1994
|
| ABA Rating: Substantial Majority Well Qualified, Minority Qualified
|
| Questionnaire: |
| Hearing: February 8, 1995
|
| QFRs: (Hover over QFRs to read more) |
| Reported: February 23, 1995
|
| Confirmed: March 17, 1995
|
| Vote: Voice vote
|
 Returned: November 14, 1994
|
Heartfield was first nominated by President Bill Clinton on October 5, 1994, to a seat on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas vacated by Judge Robert Parker. Under Rule XXXI, paragraph six of the standing rules of the Senate, Heartfield's nomination was returned to the president on November 14, 1994. President Clinton resubmitted Heartfield's nomination on January 11, 1995. The American Bar Association rated Heartfield Substantial Majority Well Qualified, Minority Qualified for the nomination. Hearings on Heartfield's nomination were held before the Senate Judiciary Committee on February 8, 1995, and his nomination was reported by U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) on February 23, 1995. Heartfield was confirmed on a voice vote of the U.S. Senate on March 17, 1995, and he received his commission the same day. Heartfield served as the chief judge of the court from 2003 to 2009. He elected to take senior status beginning on January 1, 2010. He was succeeded in this position by Judge James Gilstrap.[1][2][3][4]
See also
- United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas
- United States Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Federal Judicial Center, "Biography of Judge Thad Heartfield"
- ↑ United States Congress, "PN 1855 — Thad Heartfield — The Judiciary," accessed May 16, 2017
- ↑ United States Congress, "PN 156 — Thad Heartfield — The Judiciary," accessed May 16, 2017
- ↑ American Bar Association, "Ratings of Article III judicial nominees, 103rd Congress," accessed May 16, 2017
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas 2010-2022 |
Succeeded by - |
| Preceded by Robert Parker |
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas 1995-2010 |
Succeeded by - |
| |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 |
Adams • Ambrose • Barnes • Brinkema • Bucklew • Chasanow • Coffman • Daughtrey • Ferguson • Ginsburg • Hagen • Jackson • Lancaster • Leval • Lindsay • Messitte • Michael • Piersol • Saris • Schwartz • Seybert • Shanahan • Shaw • Stearns • Trager • Vazquez • Wilken • Wilson | ||
| 1994 |
Baer • Barkett • Batts • Beaty • Benavides • Bennett • Berrigan • Biery • Block • Borman • Breyer • Briones • Bryson • Bucklo • Burgess • Burrage • Cabranes • Calabresi • Carr • Casellas • Castillo • Chatigny • Chin • Cindrich • Coar • Collins • Cooper • Cote • Currie • Davis • Dominguez • Downes • Duval • Friedman • Furgeson • Garcia • Gertner • Gettleman • Gillmor • Gilmore • Gleeson • Haggerty • Hamilton • Hannah • Hawkins • Henry • Holmes • Hood • Hull • Hurley • Jack • Jones • Jones • Kaplan • Katz • Kern • Kessler • Koeltl • Lisi • Manning • McKee • McLaughlin • Melancon • Miles-LaGrange • Moore • Motz • Murphy • O'Malley • O'Meara • Oliver • Paez • B. Parker • F. Parker • R. Parker • Perry • Ponsor • Pooler • Porteous • Rendell • Riley • Robertson • Rogers • Ross • Russell • Sands • Sarokin • Scheindlin • Silver • Squatrito • Stewart • Sullivan • Tatel • Thompson • Timlin • Urbina • Vanaskie • Vance • Walls • Wells • Williams | ||
| 1995 |
Arterton • Atlas • Black • Blake • Briscoe • Tena Campbell • Todd Campbell • Chesney • Cole • Collier • Daniel • Davis • Dennis • Dlott • Donald • Duffy • Economus • Evans • Fallon • Folsom • Gaughan • Goodwin • Heartfield • Hunt • Illston • Jones • King • Kornmann • Lawson • Lenard • Lucero • Lynch • McKinley • Moody • Moore • Moskowitz • Murphy • Murtha • Nugent • O'Toole • Orlofsky • Pogue • Sessions • C. Smith • O. Smith • Stein • Thornburg • Tunheim • Wallach • Wardlaw • Webber • Whaley • Winmill • Wood | ||
| 1996 |
Broadwater • Clevert • Fenner • Gershon • Gottschall • Greenaway • Hinkle • Jones • Kahn • Laughrey • Lemmon • Marten • Miller • Molloy • Montgomery • Pregerson • Rakoff • Sargus • Tashima • Thomas • Zapata | ||
| 1997 |
Adelman • Bataillon • Breyer • Caputo • Casey • Chambers • Clay • Damrell • Droney • Friedman • Gajarsa • Garland • Gilman • Gold • Gwin • Hall • Hayden • Hull • Ishii • Jenkins • Kauffman • Kennedy • Kimball • Kollar-Kotelly • Lazzara • Marbley • Marcus • Middlebrooks • Miller • Moon • Pratt • Rendell • Sippel • Siragusa • Snyder • Thrash | ||
| 1998 |
Aiken • Barbier • Barzilay • Berman • Buttram • Carter • Collins • Dawson • Dimitrouleas • Fletcher • Fogel • Frank • Graber • Hellerstein • Herndon • James • Johnson • Kane • Kelly • G. King • R. King • Lasnik • Lee • Lemelle • Lindsay • Lipez • Manella • Matz • McCuskey • McKeown • McMahon • Mickle • Mollway • Mordue • Moreno • Morrow • Munley • Murphy • Pallmeyer • Pauley • Polster • Pooler • Rawlinson • Ridgway • R. Roberts • V. Roberts • Sack • Scott • Seitz • Seymour • Shea • Silverman • Sleet • Sotomayor • Steeh • Story • Straub • Tagle • Tarnow • Trauger • Traxler • Tyson • Wardlaw • Whelan • Young | ||
| 1999 |
Alsup • Barry • Brown • Buchwald • Cooper • Eaton • Ellison • Feess • Fisher • Gould • Guzman • Haynes • Hibbler • Hochberg • Hurd • Huvelle • Jordan • Katzmann • Kennelly • Linn • Lorenz • Lynn • Marrero • Murguia • Pannell • Pechman • Pepper • Phillips • Schreier • Stewart • Underhill • Ward • Williams • Wilson | ||
| 2000 |
Ambro • Antoon • Battani • Berzon • Bolton • Brady • Bye • Cavanaugh • Daniels • Darrah • Dawson • Dyk • Fuentes • Garaufis • Garcia-Gregory • Hamilton • Huck • Hunt • Lawson • Lefkow • Lynch • Martin • McLaughlin • Moody • Murguia • Paez • Pisano • Presnell • Rawlinson • Reagan • Schiller • Singal • Steele • Surrick • Swain • Tallman • Teilborg • Tucker • Whittemore | ||
Federal courts:
Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Eastern District of Texas, Western District of Texas, Northern District of Texas, Southern District of Texas • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Eastern District of Texas, Western District of Texas, Northern District of Texas, Southern District of Texas
State courts:
Texas Supreme Court • Texas Court of Appeals • Texas Court of Criminal Appeals • Texas District Courts • Texas County Courts • Texas County Courts at Law • Texas Statutory Probate Courts • Texas Justice of the Peace Courts
State resources:
Courts in Texas • Texas judicial elections • Judicial selection in Texas
