William Byrd Traxler, Jr.
| William Traxler | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit | |
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In office July 8, 2009 – July 8, 2016 |
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| Preceded by | Karen Williams |
| Succeeded by | Roger Gregory |
| Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit | |
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Assumed office October 1, 1998 |
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| Appointed by | Bill Clinton |
| Preceded by | Donald Russell |
| Judge of the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina | |
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In office March 2, 1992 – October 1, 1998 |
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| Appointed by | George H. W. Bush |
| Preceded by | Clyde Hamilton |
| Succeeded by | Margaret Seymour |
| Personal details | |
| Born | May 1948 (age 68–69) Greenville, South Carolina, U.S. |
| Education |
Davidson College (BA) University of South Carolina, Columbia (JD) |
William Byrd Traxler Jr. (born May 1948) is an American jurist who currently serves a Circuit Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.
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.
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.
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 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 a teacher for exercising free speech in criticizing her superintendent and school board. The school district appealed the case to the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals and became one of the most important First Amendment cases to come down from the 4th Circuit in over a decade.
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.
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