BREAKING: Trump appoints new nominee to long-vacant federal judgeship in NC

Richard Myers II – Photo: UNC Law School

President Donald Trump nominated Professor Richard Myers II of UNC Law School today for the long-vacant federal judgeship in North Carolina’s Eastern District. The seat has been vacant for almost a decade and a half. Most recently, Trump’s nomination of veteran conservative lawyer Thomas Farr failed late last year in the face of intense opposition from civil rights and workers’ rights advocates. Myers is a registered Republican who lives in Chapel Hill.

This is from Trump’s announcement, which included nine other nominations:

Richard E. Myers II of North Carolina, to serve as Judge on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina.

Richard Myers is the Henry Brandis Distinguished Professor of Law and Director of Trial Advocacy at the University of North Carolina School of Law, where his teaching and scholarship focuses on criminal law. Previously, Professor Myers served as an Assistant United States Attorney in both the Eastern District of North Carolina and Central District of California United States Attorneys’ Offices. While a Federal prosecutor, Professor Myers prosecuted a wide variety of crimes including counterfeiting, narcotics, and firearms offenses. Before going into public service, Professor Myers was in private practice at O’Melveny & Myers LLP. Upon graduation from law school, Professor Myers served as a law clerk to Judge David Sentelle on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. He earned his B.A., summa cum laude, and his M.A. from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and his J.D., magna cum laude, from the University of North Carolina School of Law, where he served as an Articles Editor on the North Carolina Law Review.

Policy Watch will have more details on (and reactions to) the Myers nomination as they become available.