William Byrd Traxler Jr.

William Traxler
Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
Incumbent
Assumed office July 8, 2009
Preceded by	Karen Williams
Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
Incumbent
Assumed office October 1, 1998
Appointed by	Bill Clinton
Preceded by	Donald Russell
Judge of the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina
In office March 2, 1992 – October 1, 1998
Appointed by	George H. W. Bush
Preceded by	Clyde Hamilton
Succeeded by	Margaret Seymour
Personal details
Born	May 1948 (age 75) Greenville, South Carolina, U.S.
Alma mater	Davidson College University of South Carolina, Columbia

William Byrd Traxler Jr. (born May 1948) is an American jurist who currently serves as the Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.

Early life and education

Traxler was born in Greenville, South Carolina. He earned his bachelor's degree from Davidson College in 1970 and his JD from the University of South Carolina in 1973.

Professional career

WB Traxler Jr. worked in the office of U.S. Army Reserve Adjutant General, 1970-1978. He practiced private law in Greenville, South Carolina from 1973 until 1974 before working as a criminal prosecutor in the Office of the Solicitor for South Carolina's 13th Judicial Circuit from 1975 to 1981. From 1981 until 1985, he served as Solicitor for the 13th Judicial Circuit, where he was the circuit's chief criminal prosecutor. In 1985, Traxler was elected by the General Assembly of South Carolina to be a state circuit court judge, where he served until becoming a federal judge in 1992.

Federal judicial service

Traxler was nominated to the federal bench by President George H.W. Bush in 1991, to a seat on the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina vacated by Clyde H. Hamilton. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on February 27, 1992, and received his commission on March 2, 1992.

Traxler presided over a significant case presented before the bench by Richard Mark Gergel, the attorney representing the South Carolina Education Association and public school teacher Maggi Hall. Hall's First Amendment Rights were denied her by her Superintendent William Foil of Mullins SC: Hall vs. Marion School District 2, 1994. Judge Traxler ruled in favor of the defendant in this important case stating that Mullins District 2 acted illegally in firing Hall for exercising free speech in criticizing her superintendent and school board for reckless spending. The final word in Traxler's writing was AFFIRMED. The school district appealed the case to the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond VA and became one of the most important First Amendment cases to come down from the 4th Circuit in over a decade.

Hall published AFFIRMED: Teachers As Citizens in 2006, detailing her account of harassment by the public school superintendent Bill Foil, school principal Cindy LeGette, Mullins school teachers, the Mullins School Board, and the Marion County School Board. Visit www.FirstAmendmentRights.org to order a copy of this intriguing and significant story

On July 10, 1998, President Bill Clinton nominated Traxler to the Fourth Circuit to replace Judge Donald Stuart Russell, who had died on February 22, 1998. The Senate confirmed Traxler on voice vote on September 28, 1998.

On the retirement of Chief Judge Karen Williams in July 2009, Traxler became the Chief Judge of the circuit. While continuing to serve as Chief Judge, Traxler joined the Charleston School of Law as a distinguished visiting professor of law in 2009.

In February 2013, Chief Justice John Roberts named Traxler the chair of the executive committee of the Judicial Conference of the United States.

External links

• William Byrd Traxler Jr. at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.

Legal offices
Preceded by Clyde Hamilton	Judge of the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina 1992–1998	Succeeded by Margaret Seymour
Preceded by Donald Russell	Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit 1998–present	Incumbent
Preceded by Karen Williams	Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit 2009–present