Thad Heartfield
| Thad Heartfield | |
|---|---|
| Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas | |
|
Assumed office January 1, 2010 |
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| Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas | |
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In office 2003–2009 |
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| Preceded by | John H. Hannah, Jr. |
| Succeeded by | David Folsom |
| Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas | |
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In office March 17, 1995 – January 1, 2010 |
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| Appointed by | Bill Clinton |
| Preceded by | Robert Manley Parker |
| Succeeded by | James Rodney Gilstrap |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1940 (age 76–77) Port Arthur, Texas, U.S. |
| Alma mater |
St. Mary's University St. Mary's University School of Law |
Thad Heartfield (born 1940) is a Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas in Beaumont, Texas. He was nominated by President Bill Clinton on January 11, 1995, confirmed by the U.S. Senate on March 17, 1995 and received his commission on March 17, 1995. He served as chief judge from 2003 through 2008. He assumed senior status on January 1, 2010.
He graduated from St. Mary's University, Texas with a B.A. in 1962 and received a J.D. from the St. Mary's University School of Law in 1965.
In 2009, Judge Heartfield presided over Doe v. Silsbee Independent School District. The plaintiff ("H.S.") was a cheerleader who was ordered by her high school to cheer for a football and basketball player named Rakheem Bolton, who she had accused of raping her and who had pleaded guilty to assaulting her. H.S. refused and was kicked off the team. She sued, claiming a violation of her First Amendment right to free speech. Judge Heartfield granted the school district's motion to dismiss. Judge Heartfield's decision was affirmed by Judges Edith Brown Clement, Emilio M. Garza, and Priscilla Owen of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. H.S. was ordered to pay the school $45,000 in legal fees for filing a "frivolous" lawsuit.
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