Richard Gergel
| Richard Gergel | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Judge of the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina | |
|
Assumed office August 9, 2010 | |
| Appointed by | Barack Obama |
| Preceded by | Henry Herlong |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
August 14, 1954 Columbia, South Carolina, U.S. |
| Spouse(s) | Belinda Gergel |
| Alma mater | Duke University |
Richard Mark Gergel (born August 14, 1954) is a South Carolina lawyer and federal judge on the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina.
Early life and education
Born in Columbia, South Carolina, Gergel earned a B.A. from Duke University in 1975 and a law degree from Duke University School of Law in 1979.[1][2]
Professional career
From 1979 until 1980, Gergel served as a law clerk for a law firm in Columbia, South Carolina, and he was a partner with the firm from 1981 until 1982. Beginning in 1983, and continuing until his nomination to the district court, he was the president and partner with his own law firm (most recently known as Gergel, Nickles and Solomon) in Columbia. He has specialized in personal injury law.
Gergel was the attorney representing the South Carolina Education Association and public school teacher Maggi Hall when her First Amendment Rights were denied her by her Superintendent William Foil of Mullins SC. The case went to the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond VA and was considered one of the most important First Amendment cases to come down from the 4th Circuit in over a decade.
The case, Hall vs. Marion School District 2, 1994, upheld the lower court's decision that Mullins District 2 acted illegally in firing Hall for exercising free speech in criticizing her superintendent and school board for reckless spending. Hall wrote her journey with the First Amendment, "AFFIRMED: Teachers as Citizens." AFFIRMED was the final word the Fourth Circuit judges delivered in this case.
Federal judicial service
On December 22, 2009, President Obama nominated Gergel to serve on the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina, to fill the seat vacated by Judge Henry Michael Herlong, Jr., who assumed senior status on June 1, 2009.[1][3][4] In his questionnaire to the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Gergel wrote that South Carolina Democratic Congressmen John M. Spratt, Jr. and Jim Clyburn both previously had recommended Gergel to Obama as a district court nominee, and that South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham also supported the nomination. Gergel had a hearing before the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary on April 16, 2010. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on August 5, 2010,[5] and received commission on August 9, 2010.
References
- 1 2 President Obama Nominates Judge J. Michelle Childs, Richard Mark Gergel to District Court Bench for the District of South Carolina, whitehouse.gov (December 22, 2009).
- ↑ Richard Mark Gergel Biography - Gergel Nickles & Solomon Attorneys At Law
- ↑ Henry Michael Herlong, Jr. at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
- ↑ Presidential Nominations Sent to the Senate, 12/22/09, whitehouse.gov (December 22, 2009).
- ↑ John Monk, Columbians confirmed as federal judges, The State (August 7, 2010).
External links
- Richard Gergel at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
| Legal offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Henry Herlong |
Judge of the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina 2010–present |
Incumbent |