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Loretta Copeland Biggs

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Loretta Copeland Biggs
Image of Loretta Copeland Biggs

Nonpartisan

United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina (senior status)
Tenure

2024 - Present

Years in position

0

Prior offices
United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina
Predecessor: James Beaty

Education

Bachelor's

Spelman College, 1976

Law

Howard University School of Law, 1979

Personal
Birthplace
Atlanta, Ga.


Loretta Copeland Biggs is a federal judge on senior status with the United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina. On September 18, 2014, President Barack Obama nominated Biggs to the United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina.[1] Bigg's confirmation came on December 16, 2014, when the United States Senate approved the nomination on a voice vote.[2] She assumed senior status on December 31, 2024.[3][4]

Prior to joining the court, she was a partner at the law firm of Allman Spry Davis Leggett & Crumpler, P.A.[4][1]

Education

Biggs earned her B.A., cum laude, from Spelman College in 1976 and her J.D. from Howard University School of Law.[1]

Professional career

Judicial career

Middle District of North Carolina

Nomination Tracker
Fedbadgesmall.png
Nominee Information
Name: Loretta Copeland Biggs
Court: United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina
Progress
Confirmed 89 days after nomination.
ApprovedANominated: September 18, 2014
ApprovedAABA Rating: Unanimously Qualified
Questionnaire: Questionnaire
ApprovedAHearing: November 13, 2014
QFRs: QFRs (Hover over QFRs to read more)
ApprovedAReported: December 11, 2014 
ApprovedAConfirmed: December 16, 2014
ApprovedAVote: Voice vote


Loretta Copeland Biggs was nominated to the United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina on September 18, 2014, by President Barack Obama. The American Bar Association rated Biggs Unanimously Qualified for the nomination.[5]

The Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing for Biggs on November 13, 2014, and reported her to the full Senate on December 11, 2014.[6] The United States Senate confirmed Biggs on December 16, 2014, by a voice vote.[2]

Biggs assumed senior status on December 31, 2024.[3]

Awards and associations

The awards and associations are as they appeared on Biggs questionnaire to the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Awards

  • 2013-Present: Fellow, American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers
  • 2007: Top 50 Women Lawyers in the North Carolina Super Lawyers Magazine
  • 2006-Present: Listed in North Carolina Super Lawyers
  • 2006-Present: Listed in the Best Lawyers in America
  • 2006-Present: Rated AV Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell
  • 2000: Common Ground Community Award, Search For Common Ground
  • 1999: The Attorney General's Award for Outstanding Contributions to Public Safety
  • 1999: YMCA Public Leadership Award
  • 1999: Visionworks Humanitarian Award, Visionworks Youth Service
  • 1998: Nurturing Our Community Award, black Law Students Association of Wake Forest University School of Law
  • 1998: Outstanding Service Award, Black Law Student Association of Wake Forest University
  • 1998: Dream Catchers Award, Tarheel Triad Girl Scouts Council
  • 1997: Community Service Award, Family Services of Forsyth County
  • 1997: Salute to Excellence, National Women of Achievement
  • 1993, 1994: Strong, Smart and Bold Award, Salvation Army Girl's Club, Forsyth County
  • 1994: State Youth Services Award, Southeastern Network of Youth and Family Services
  • 1994: Woman of the Year Award, Winston-Salem Chronicle
  • 1993: Best Choice Center "Wall of Fame" Recipient
  • 1978: Deputy Articles Editor of the Law Journal, Howard University School of Law, Law Journal

Associations

  • 2013-Present: North Carolina Chapter secretary, Academy of matrimonial Lawyers
  • 2013-2014: Board member, United Way of Forsyth County
  • 2005-2009: Winston-Salem State University Board of Trustees
  • 2007-2009: Vice chair
  • 2005-2009: Trustee
  • 1999-2001: Chair, Forsyth County Juvenile Justice Council
  • 1999-2001: Trustee, Winston-Salem State University Board of Trustees
  • 1996-1998:Master, Joseph Branch Inn of Court, Wake Forest University School of Law
  • 1994-1997: Board Member, Salem College and Academy Board of Visitors
  • 1991-1998: Board member, Wake Forest University Law Board of Visitors
  • 1984-1986: Board member, Forsyth County Advisory Board, Wachovia Bank and Trust[7]

Noteworthy cases

Biggs invalidates North Carolina law allowing individual voters to challenge residency status of other voters (2018)

On August 8, 2018, Judge Loretta Copeland Biggs, of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina, blocked North Carolina's enforcement of part of a statute permitting one voter to challenge the residency status of another, finding that the state's enforcement of the law contravened the National Voter Registration Act.

Biggs wrote:[8]

“

IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that Defendants and their officers, agents, servants, employees, and attorneys, and those persons in active concert or participation with them, are HEREBY ENJOINED AND RESTRAINED from: (1) removing the registration of voters from the official list of eligible voters in elections for federal office through the challenge procedures set forth in N.C. Gen. Stat. §§ 163A-911 et seq., when those challenges are based on change of residency and the State has neither received written confirmation from the voter of a change of residency outside of the county, nor complied with the NVRA’s prior notice requirement and two-election cycle waiting period; (2) using the challenge procedure set forth in N.C. Gen. Stat. §§ 163A-911 et seq. to remove voters from the rolls without individualized inquiry as to the circumstances of each voter in the 90 days preceding a federal election in the absence of a request of the registrant, necessity under State law by reason of criminal conviction or mental incapacity, or the death of the registrant; and (3) holding hearings or taking any other action(s) to process challenges filed under those provisions in the circumstances identified above.[9]

”

The case was initiated by the NAACP and others, who alleged that the removals disproportionately targeted black voters. Leah Kang, an attorney for the plaintiffs, praised Biggs' ruling: "By purging dozens and sometimes hundreds of voters at a time based on returned postcards, the state was disenfranchising eligible voters and violating federal law. This ruling ensures an end to this illegal practice." Jay Delancy, North Carolina's director for the Voter Integrity Project, whose volunteers initiated the residency challenges in question, said, "We followed North Carolina law scrupulously in filing more than 6,000 individualized voter challenges in 2016 and the local election boards acted properly in sustaining those challenges."[10]

NAACP and Clear Air Carolina v. Moore and Berger

See also: NAACP and Clear Air Carolina v. Moore and Berger

On August 6, 2018, the North Carolina NAACP and Clean Air Carolina sued the General Assembly of North Carolina in the Wake County Superior Court. [11] The plaintiffs asked for four constitutional amendments—the Legislative Appointments to Elections Board and Commissions Amendment, Judicial Selection for Midterm Vacancies Amendment, Voter ID Amendment, and Income Tax Cap Amendment—to be removed from the ballot. The case was not decided before the election; voters approved the Voter ID Amendment and the Income Tax Cap Amendment, and voters rejected the Legislative Appointments to Commissions Amendment and the Judicial Selection for Midterm Vacancies Amendment.

The NAACP and Clean Air Carolina said that since some lawmakers were elected from districts that a federal court ruled were unconstitutional racial gerrymanders, the existing North Carolina State Legislature was a usurper legislature. Therefore, the plaintiffs argued that the constitutional amendments should be invalidated.[12]

On February 22, 2019, Judge Bryan Collins ruled in favor of the NAACP and Clean Air Carolina, striking down the Voter ID Amendment and the Income Tax Cap Amendment. Judge Collins said, "Thus, the unconstitutional racial gerrymander tainted the three-fifths majorities required by the state Constitution before an amendment proposal can be submitted to the people for a vote, breaking the requisite chain of popular sovereignty between North Carolina citizens and their representatives. … Accordingly, the constitutional amendments placed on the ballot on November 6, 2018 were approved by a General Assembly that did not represent the people of North Carolina."[13]

On December 31, 2019, U.S. District Judge Loretta C. Biggs ruled in favor of the NAACP and blocked the implementation of the voter ID requirement for the March 3 primary elections. In the conclusion of Biggs' opinion, she said, "[T]he Court concludes that Plaintiffs have demonstrated a clear likelihood of success on the merits of their discriminatory intent claims for at least the voter ID and ballot-challenge provisions of S.B. 824." Judge Biggs upheld the provision of S.B. 824 that increase the number of poll-observers from each party.[14]

See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 The White House, "President Obama Nominates Seven to Serve on the United States District Courts," September 18, 2014
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 The Library of Congress, "Congressional Record," December 16, 2014
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 United States Courts, "Future Judicial Vacancies," accessed March 4, 2024
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 The Federal Judicial Center, "Biggs, Loretta Copeland," accessed December 31, 2024
  5. ↑ American Bar Association, "Ratings of Article III Judicial Nominees: 113th Congress," accessed September 30, 2014
  6. ↑ The Library Congress, "Nomination:PN2079-113," accessed December 18, 2014
  7. ↑ Senate Judiciary Committee, "Questionnaire for the Judicial Nominee," accessed December 18, 2014
  8. ↑ Election Law Blog, "Memorandum opinion, order, and judgment," August 8, 2018
  9. ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  10. ↑ WRAL.com, "US judge voids part of North Carolina election law," August 8, 2018
  11. ↑ WRAL, "NAACP, environmentalists sue to keep constitutional amendments off the ballot," August 6, 2018
  12. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named naacp1
  13. ↑ Wake County Superior Court, "NAACP and Clear Air Carolina v. Moore and Berger," February 22, 2019
  14. ↑ News & Record, "Judge blocks state’s voter ID law, calling it racially biased," December 31, 2019

Political offices
Preceded by
James Beaty 		United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina
2014-2024		 Succeeded by
-


North Carolina courts

Federal courts:

Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Eastern District of North Carolina, Middle District of North Carolina, Western District of North Carolina • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Eastern District of North Carolina, Middle District of North Carolina, Western District of North Carolina

State courts:

Supreme Court of North Carolina • North Carolina Court of Appeals • North Carolina Superior Courts • North Carolina District Courts

State resources:

Courts in North Carolina • North Carolina judicial elections • Judicial selection in North Carolina

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