Loretta C. Biggs

Loretta C. Biggs is a United States district judge serving on the United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina. Appointed by President Barack Obama in 2014, she was the first African-American woman to serve as a federal district judge in North Carolina. Her judicial career follows a distinguished tenure in private practice and as a North Carolina state judge, where she developed a reputation for thoughtful jurisprudence on complex civil and constitutional matters.

Early life and education

Born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, she was raised in a community deeply influenced by the Civil Rights Movement. She pursued her undergraduate studies at North Carolina Central University, a historically Black institution within the University of North Carolina system, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree. She then attended the University of North Carolina School of Law, where she obtained her Juris Doctor and was admitted to the State Bar of California and the North Carolina State Bar.

Legal career

Following law school, she began her legal career in private practice in Los Angeles, handling a range of civil litigation matters. Upon returning to North Carolina, she joined the Winston-Salem firm of Allman Spry Davis Leggett & Crumpler, where her practice focused on commercial litigation, employment law, and professional malpractice defense. Her work often involved cases in both North Carolina state courts and the United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina, the same court on which she would later serve. She also served as a North Carolina Bar Association committee member and was active in local American Bar Association initiatives.

Federal judicial service

In June 2014, President Barack Obama nominated her to a seat on the United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina vacated by Judge James A. Beaty Jr., who assumed senior status. Her nomination received support from Senators Kay Hagan and Richard Burr of North Carolina. The United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary reported her nomination favorably, and she was confirmed by the full United States Senate by voice vote on December 16, 2014. She received her commission and took the judicial oath on December 22, 2014, making history as the first African-American woman to serve as an Article III judge in the state.

Notable cases and jurisprudence

She has presided over a significant docket of cases involving voting rights, civil rights, and complex commercial disputes. In 2018, she issued a pivotal ruling in North Carolina State Conference of the NAACP v. Cooper, blocking a North Carolina General Assembly law that would have restructured the North Carolina State Board of Elections in a manner she found likely violated the U.S. Constitution's Elections Clause. In another high-profile matter, she denied a motion to dismiss a lawsuit against Duke Energy concerning coal ash contamination, allowing claims under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act to proceed. Her rulings on procedural matters, such as personal jurisdiction in cases involving international corporations, are frequently cited.

Awards and recognition

Throughout her career, she has received numerous accolades for her professional achievements and community service. She has been honored by the North Carolina Association of Black Lawyers and the Forsyth County Bar Association. Her alma mater, the University of North Carolina School of Law, presented her with its Distinguished Alumna Award. She is also a frequent speaker at events hosted by the Federal Bar Association and various American Inns of Court chapters, where she mentors young lawyers and law students.

Category:1954 births Category:American district court judges Category:Judges of the United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina Category:North Carolina Central University alumni Category:University of North Carolina School of Law alumni Category:African-American judges Category:21st-century American judges Category:People from Winston-Salem, North Carolina