Thad Heartfield
| Thad Heartfield | |
| Current Court Information: | |
| United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas | |
| Title: | Senior Judge |
| Position: | Seat #4 |
| Service: | |
| Appointed by: | Bill Clinton |
| Active: | 3/17/1995 - 1/1/2010 |
| Chief: | 2003 - 2009 |
| Senior: | 1/1/2010 - Present |
| Preceded by: | Robert Parker |
| Succeeded by: | James Gilstrap |
| Personal History | |
| Born: | 1940 |
| Home State: | Port Arthur, TX |
| Undergraduate: | St. Mary`s University, B.A., 1962 |
| Law School: | St. Mary`s University School of Law, J.D., 1965 |
Contents |
Thad Heartfield is an Article III federal judge for 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 recently relinquished his role as the Chief Judge of the Court whereby he served as the Court's lead judicial administrative officer.[1] Heartfield assumed senior status on January 1, 2010
Early life and education
A native Texan, Hearfield graduated from St. Mary`s University in San Antonio with his Bachelor's Degree in 1962 and his juris doctor degree in 1965.[1]
Professional career
After law school, Heartfield started out as an Assistant District Attorney for Jefferson County from 1965 to 1966. In 1966, Heartfield entered into private practice in the State of Texas from 1966 to 1969. In 1969, Heartfield became the full-time City attorney for the City of Beaumont from 1969 to 1973. Heartfield re-entered as a Texas private practice attorney from 1973 to 1995. Also, from 1983 to 1994, Heartfield became the Director of the Lower Neches Valley Authority an organization that provides for the present and long term freshwater needs of municipal, agricultural and industrial customers, protects water quality in the Neches River and Coastal Basin regions of Texas which their main goal is to insure affordability of the water supply, and enhances economic development in the Authority's jurisdiction[2].[1]
Judicial career
Eastern District of Texas
Heartfield was nominated by President Bill Clinton on January 11, 1995 to a seat vacated by Robert Parker as Parker was nominated and confirmed to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. Heartfield was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on March 17, 1995 on a senate vote and received commission on March 17, 1995. Heartfield served as the Chief Judge from 2003 to 2009.[1]
Chief Judge
Thad Heartfield recently relinquished his role as Chief Judge after five years as the Chief Judge of the court effective December 31, 2008. federal judge David Folsom who serves Texarkana takes over as the new chief judge effective January 1, 2009. Judge Heartfield's status as an active district judge will remain the same. Heartfield was noted for his leadership as he led the court through many significant changes as chief judge.
These changes included including the vigorous implementation of electronic filing for all Federal cases, the addition of several new judicial officers. The judicial officers Heartffield added included a magistrate judgeship in Marshall and a second magistrate judgeship in the Sherman Division. Also, Heartfield was able to secure Federal Funding for the opening of a new courthouse in Plano, the increasing growth and success of annual Bench/Bar meetings and the adept handling of emergencies in Beaumont created by Hurricanes Rita and Ike. Heartfield also successfully lobbied to the Congress to secure approval of an additional Sherman district judgeship on two occasions. The change in Chief Judges must approved by the U.S. Judicial Conference at its next meeeting in March of 2009[3].
See also
External links
- Judge Folsom's Webpage at the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas
- The Robing Room- Rate Judge Heartfield
- Judge Heartfield's Biography from the Federal Judicial Center
References
| Federal judicial offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by: Robert Parker |
Eastern District of Texas 1995–2010 Seat #4 |
Succeeded by: James Gilstrap |
| |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Active judges |
Chief Judge: Leonard Davis • Ron Clark • Marcia Crone • Richard Schell • Michael Schneider • James Gilstrap | ||
| Senior judges |
Thad Heartfield • | ||
| Magistrate judges | Amos Mazzant • Don Bush • Caroline Craven • Keith Giblin • Judith Guthrie • John Love • Zack Hawthorn • Roy Payne • | ||
| Former Article III judges |
John Charles Watrous • Amos Morrill • Joel Winch • Chauncey Brewer Sabin • Robert Parker • David Ezekiel Bryant • Gordon James Russell • William Lee Estes • David Folsom • T. John Ward • William Justice • Randolph Bryant • Paul Brown • Lamar Cecil • Howell Cobb • Joseph Fisher • Sam Hall • John H. Hannah • Joseph Sheehy • William Steger • | ||
| Former Chief judges |
Robert Parker • Thad Heartfield • David Folsom • Richard Schell • William Justice • Joseph Fisher • John H. Hannah • Joseph Sheehy • | ||
