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Thomas Schroeder

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Thomas Schroeder
Image of Thomas Schroeder
United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina
Tenure

2008 - Present

Years in position

17

Education

Bachelor's

Kansas University, 1981

Law

Notre Dame Law, 1984

Personal
Birthplace
Atlanta, Ga.


Thomas Schroeder is a federal judge for the United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina. He joined the court in 2008 after being nominated by former President George W. Bush. Schroeder served as chief judge from 2017 to 2023.[1]

Early life and education

Born in Atlanta, Georgia, Schroeder graduated from Kansas University with his B.S. in 1981, and later received his J.D. from Notre Dame Law School in 1984.[1]

Professional career

Judicial career

Middle District of North Carolina

On the recommendation of North Carolina U.S. Senator Elizabeth Dole, Schroeder was nominated to the United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina by former President George W. Bush on January 9, 2007, to a seat vacated by Frank Bullock. Schroeder was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on December 14, 2007, on a Senate vote and received commission on January 8, 2008.[2] Schroeder served as chief judge from 2017 to 2023.[1]

Noteworthy cases

North Carolina voter ID law case (2014-2016)

In 2014, Schroeder declined to interfere with the implementation of a new election law in North Carolina, finding it inappropriate for a federal judge to enjoin a law passed by elected representatives of the state. The League of Women Voters, the NAACP and other groups challenged the law in federal court, claiming it would suppress minority turnout at the polls. The groups asked for a trial to determine if the law violated the Voting Rights Act of 1965 or other federal law. The state's motion to dismiss was denied by Schroeder, and on January 25, 2016, a trial began to determine the validity of North Carolina's voter identification law. [3][4][5]

The law was designed to require voters to show a government-issued ID, prohibit same-day voter registrations, scale back the early-voting period and end a high school civics program encouraging students to register to vote as they near their 18th birthday. Additionally, under the law, college IDs, even if issued by a state-run university, would be considered insufficient as government identification. Supporters of the law claimed that the law would prevent voter fraud and keep elections fair. The law's challengers, which include the U.S. Department of Justice and the NAACP, alleged that "racial minorities are more likely than whites to lack acceptable ID; that there [was] no significant voter fraud of the kind that could be stopped by the ID requirement; and that the state ha[dn't] done enough to educate voters about law." The state's voter ID law, which was passed by the state legislature in 2013, took effect on January 1, 2016.[3][4][5]

See also

External links

Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by
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United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina
2008-Present
Succeeded by
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