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Robert Harwell

Nonpartisan

United States District Court for the District of South Carolina

Tenure

2024 - Present

Years in position

1

Prior offices:

United States District Court for the District of South Carolina

Years in office: 2004 - 2024

Predecessor:Charles Weston Houck (Nonpartisan)

Education

Bachelor's

Clemson University, 1980

Law

University of South Carolina School of Law, 1982

Personal

Birthplace

Florence, SC

Robert Bryan Harwell is afederal judge onsenior status with theUnited States District Court for the District of South Carolina. He joined the court in 2004 after being nominated by PresidentGeorge W. Bush. Harwell became chief judge of the court in 2019. Harwell assumed senior status on June 4, 2024.^[1][2]

Early life and education

A native ofFlorence, South Carolina, Harwell graduated from Clemson University with his bachelor's degree in 1980 and from the University of South Carolina School of Law with hisJ.D. in 1982.^[1]

Military service

Harwell served in the South Carolina Army National Guard from 1987 to 1992.^[1]

Professional career

• 2004 - 2024: Judge,United States District Court for the District of South Carolina
  • 2019 - 2024: Chief judge
  • 2024-present:Senior judge
• 1984-2004: Private practice,Florence, S.C.
• 1983-1984: Law clerk, Hon.Ross Anderson Jr.,United States District Court for the District of South Carolina
• 1983: Law clerk, Hon. G. Rodney Peeples,South Carolina Second Judicial Circuit^[1]

Judicial career

District of South Carolina

Nomination Tracker
Nominee Information
Name: Robert Bryan Harwell
Court:United States District Court for the District of South Carolina
Progress
Confirmed 156 days after nomination.
ANominated: January 20, 2004
AABA Rating:Unanimously Qualified
Questionnaire:
AHearing: April 8, 2004
Hearing Transcript:Hearing Transcript
QFRs:(Hover over QFRs to read more)
AReported: April 29, 2004
AConfirmed: June 24, 2004
AVote: Voice vote

Harwell was nominated by PresidentGeorge W. Bush onJanuary 20, 2004, to a seat on theUnited States District Court for the District of South Carolina vacated byWeston Houck. TheAmerican Bar Association rated HarwellUnanimously Qualified for the nomination. Hearings on Harwell's nomination were held before theSenate Judiciary Committee on April 8, 2004, and his nomination was reported by U.S. Sen.Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) on April 29, 2004. Harwell was confirmed on a voice vote of theU.S. Senate on June 24, 2004, and he received his commission on June 30, 2004. Harwell becamechief judge of the court in 2019. He succeededTerry Wooten.^[1][3][4] Harwell assumed senior status on June 4, 2024.^[1]

See also

• United States District Court for the District of South Carolina
• United States Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit

External links

Suggest a link

• Judge Harwell's biography from theFederal Judicial Center

Footnotes

v • e Federal judges who have served theUnited States District Court for the District of South Carolina
Active judges	Chief Judge: Timothy M. Cain  •  David Norton (South Carolina judge)  •  Bruce Hendricks  •  Richard Mark Gergel  •  Mary Geiger Lewis  •  Jacquelyn Austin  •  Donald Coggins Jr.  •  Sherri Lydon  •  Joseph Dawson (South Carolina)
Senior judges	Joseph Anderson  •  Henry Herlong  •  Cameron Currie  •  Terry Wooten  •  Robert Harwell  •
Magistrate judges	Robert Buchanan  •  Paige Jones Gossett  •  Thomas Rogers  •  Shiva Hodges  •  Kevin McDonald (South Carolina)  •  Kaymani West  •  Mary Gordon Baker  •  Molly Cherry  •
Former Article III judges	Thomas Bee  •  William Drayton  •  John Drayton  •  Thomas Lee  •  Robert Budd Gilchrist  •  Andrew Gordon Magrath  •  George Seabrook Bryan  •  William Hiram Brawley  •  Clyde Hamilton  •  William Traxler  •  Dennis Shedd  •  Charles Henry Simonton  •  Henry Augustus Middleton Smith  •  Joseph Travis Johnson  •  George Anderson  •  Patrick Duffy  •  Margaret Seymour  •  Henry Floyd  •  Henry Hitt Watkins  •  Ernest Ford Cochran  •  Robert Chapman  •  John Lyles Glenn  •  Francis Kerschner Myers  •  Charles Wyche  •  Falcon Hawkins  •  Robert Hemphill  •  Donald S. Russell  •  Charles Simons  •  Charles Weston Houck  •  Matthew Perry  •  George Timmerman  •  Julius Waring  •  William Walter Wilkins  •  Ashton Williams  •  J. Michelle Childs  •  James Robert Martin, Jr.  •  A. Marvin Quattlebaum Jr.  •
Former Chief judges	David Norton (South Carolina judge)  •  Joseph Anderson  •  Margaret Seymour  •  Terry Wooten  •  Robert Harwell  •  Falcon Hawkins  •  Robert Hemphill  •  Charles Simons  •  Solomon Blatt  •  Charles Weston Houck  •  James Robert Martin, Jr.  •

v • e Federal judges nominated byGeorge W. Bush
2001	Armijo •Bates •Beistline •Blackburn •Bowdre •Bunning •Bury •Caldwell •Camp •Cassell •Cebull •Clement •Clifton •Crane •Eagan •Engelhardt •Friot •Gibbons •Granade •Gregory •Gritzner •Haddon •Hartz •Heaton •Hicks •Howard •Johnson •Jorgenson •Krieger •Land •Leon •Mahan •Martinez •Martone •McConnell •Melloy •Mills •O'Brien •Parker •Payne •Prost •Reeves •Riley •Robinson •Rogers •Royal •Shedd •B. Smith •L. Smith •Walton •Wooten •Zainey
2002	Africk •Anderson •Autrey •Baylson •Cercone •Chesler •Clark •Collyer •Conner •Conti •Corrigan •Davis •Davis •Dorr •England •Ericksen •Fuller •Gardner •Godbey •Griesbach •Hanen •Hovland •Hudson •Jones •Jordan •Kinkeade •Klausner •Kugler •Leighton •Linares •Moses •Marra •Martinez •Martini •Mays •McVerry •Phillips •Raggi •Reade •Rose •Rufe •Savage •Schwab •Smith •St. Eve •Walter •White •Wolfson
2003	Adams •Altonaga •Bea •Benitez •Bennett •Boyle •Brack •Breen •Browning •Burns •Bybee •Callahan •Campbell •Cardone •Carney •Castel •Chertoff •Cohn •Colloton •Conrad •Coogler •Cook •Cooke •Crone •Der-Yeghiayan •Drell •Duffey •Duncan •Erickson •Feuerstein •Figa •Filip •Fischer •Fisher •Flanagan •Floyd •Frost •Gibson •Greer •Gruender •Guirola •Hall •Hardiman •Hayes •Herrera •Hicks •Holmes •Holwell •Hopkins •Houston •Irizarry •Jones •Junell •Karas •Kravitz •Martinez •McKnight •Minaldi •Montalvo •Mosman •Otero •Pickering •Prado •Pratter •Proctor •Quarles •Robart •Roberts •Robinson •Rodgers •Rodriguez •Sabraw •Sanchez •Saylor •Selna •Sharpe •Simon •Springmann •Stanceu •Steele •Stengel •Suko •Sutton •Sykes •Titus •Townes •Tymkovich •Van Antwerpen •Varlan •Wake •Wesley •White •Woodcock • Yeakel
2004	Alvarez •Benton •Boyko •Covington •Diamond •Harwell •Kelley •Schiavelli •Schneider •Starrett •Watson
2005	Alito •Barrett •Batten •Bianco •Brown •Burgess •Conrad •Cox •Crotty •Delgado-Colon •Dever •DuBose •Griffin •Griffith •Johnston •Kendall •Larson •Ludington •Mattice •McKeague •Neilson •Owen •Pryor •Roberts •Sandoval •Schiltz •Seabright •Smoak •Van Tatenhove •Vitaliano •Watkins •Zouhary
2006	Besosa •Bumb •Chagares •Cogan •Gelpi •Golden •Gordon •Gorsuch •Guilford •Hillman •Holmes •Ikuta •D. Jordan •K. Jordan •Kavanaugh •Miller •Moore •Shepherd •Sheridan •Smith •Whitney •Wigenton
2007	Anderson •Aycock •Bailey •Bryant •Davis •DeGiusti •Dow •Elrod •Fairbank •Fischer •Frizzell •Gutierrez •Hall •Hardiman •Haynes •Howard •Jarvey •Jones •Jonker •Kapala •Kays •Laplante •Limbaugh •Lioi •Livingston •Maloney •Mauskopf •Mendez •Miller •Neff •O'Connor •O'Grady •O'Neill •Osteen •Ozerden •Reidinger •Sammartino •Schroeder •Settle •Smith •Snow •Southwick •Suddaby •Sullivan •Thapar •Tinder •Van Bokkelen •Wood •Wright •Wu
2008	Agee •Anello •Arguello •Brimmer •Gardephe •Goldberg •Jones •Kethledge •Lawrence •Matsumoto •Melgren •Murphy •Scriven •Seibel •Slomsky •Trenga •Waddoups •White