Thad Heartfield

Nonpartisan

Prior offices:

United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas

Years in office: 2010 - 2022

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Years in office: 1995 - 2010

Predecessor:Robert Parker

Education

Bachelor's

St. Mary's University, 1962

Law

St. Mary's University School of Law, 1965

Personal

Birthplace

Port Arthur, TX

Thad Heartfield was afederal judge on theUnited States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. He joined the court in 1995 after being nominated by PresidentBill Clinton. Heartfield served aschief judge of the court from 2003 to 2009. Heartfield assumedsenior status on January 1, 2010. His service ended on December 27, 2022, upon his death.^[1]

Early life and education

A native ofPort Arthur, Texas, Heartfield graduated from St. Mary`s University with his bachelor's degree in 1962 and hisJ.D. in 1965.^[1]

Professional career

• 1995 - 2022:United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas

• 2010 - 2022: Senior judge
• 1995-2010: Judge

• 2003-2009: Chief judge

• 1983-1994: Director, Lower Neches Valley Authority
• 1973-1995: Private practice,Beaumont, Texas
• 1969-1973: City attorney, Beaumont, Texas
• 1966-1969: Private practice, Beaumont, Texas
• 1965-1966: Assistant district attorney,Jefferson County, Texas^[1]

Judicial career

Eastern District of Texas

Nomination Tracker
Nominee Information
Name: Thad Heartfield
Court:United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas
Progress
Confirmed 163 days after nomination.
ANominated: October 5, 1994
AABA Rating:Substantial Majority Well Qualified, Minority Qualified
Questionnaire:
AHearing: February 8, 1995
QFRs:(Hover over QFRs to read more)
AReported: February 23, 1995
AConfirmed: March 17, 1995
AVote: Voice vote
AReturned: November 14, 1994

Heartfield was first nominated by PresidentBill Clinton on October 5, 1994, to a seat on theUnited States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas vacated by JudgeRobert Parker. Under Rule XXXI, paragraph six of the standing rules of the Senate, Heartfield's nomination was returned to the president on November 14, 1994. President Clinton resubmitted Heartfield's nomination on January 11, 1995. TheAmerican Bar Association rated HeartfieldSubstantial Majority Well Qualified, Minority Qualified for the nomination. Hearings on Heartfield's nomination were held before theSenate Judiciary Committee on February 8, 1995, and his nomination was reported by U.S. Sen.Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) on February 23, 1995. Heartfield was confirmed on a voice vote of theU.S. Senate on March 17, 1995, and he received his commission the same day. Heartfield served as thechief judge of the court from 2003 to 2009. He elected to takesenior status beginning on January 1, 2010. He was succeeded in this position by JudgeJames Gilstrap.^[1][2][3][4]

See also

• United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas
• United States Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit

External links

• Judge Heartfield's biography from theFederal Judicial Center

Footnotes

v • e Federal judges who have served theUnited States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas
Active judges	Chief Judge: Amos Mazzant  •  Marcia Crone  •  James Gilstrap  •  Michael Truncale  •  Robert William Schroeder III  •  J. Campbell Barker  •  Jeremy Kernodle  •  Sean Jordan
Senior judges	Ron Clark  •  Richard Schell  •
Magistrate judges	John Love (Texas)  •  Zack Hawthorn  •  Roy Payne  •  Katie Nicole Mitchell  •  Kimberly Priest Johnson  •  Christine Stetson  •
Former Article III judges	John Charles Watrous  •  Amos Morrill  •  Joel Winch  •  Chauncey Brewer Sabin  •  Robert Parker  •  David Ezekiel Bryant  •  Gordon James Russell  •  William Lee Estes  •  Thad Heartfield  •  Leonard Davis  •  David Folsom  •  T. John Ward  •  William Justice  •  Randolph Bryant  •  Paul N. Brown (Texas)  •  Lamar Cecil  •  Howell Cobb  •  Joseph Fisher (Texas)  •  Sam Hall (Texas)  •  John H. Hannah (Texas)  •  Joseph Sheehy  •  William Steger  •
Former Chief judges	Robert Parker  •  Thad Heartfield  •  David Folsom  •  Richard Schell  •  William Justice  •  Joseph Fisher (Texas)  •  John H. Hannah (Texas)  •  Joseph Sheehy  •  James Gilstrap  •

v • e Federal judges nominated byBill Clinton
1993	Adams •Ambrose •Barnes •Brinkema •Bucklew •Chasanow •Coffman •Daughtrey •Ferguson •Ginsburg •Hagen •Jackson •Lancaster •Leval •Lindsay •Messitte •Michael •Piersol •Saris •Schwartz •Seybert •Shanahan •Shaw •Stearns •Trager •Vazquez •Wilken •Wilson
1994	Baer •Barkett •Batts •Beaty •Benavides •Bennett •Berrigan •Biery •Block •Borman •Breyer •Briones •Bryson •Bucklo •Burgess •Burrage •Cabranes •Calabresi •Carr •Casellas •Castillo •Chatigny •Chin •Cindrich •Coar •Collins •Cooper •Cote •Currie •Davis •Dominguez •Downes •Duval •Friedman •Furgeson •Garcia •Gertner •Gettleman •Gillmor •Gilmore •Gleeson •Haggerty •Hamilton •Hannah •Hawkins •Henry •Holmes •Hood •Hull •Hurley •Jack •Jones •Jones •Kaplan •Katz •Kern •Kessler •Koeltl •Lisi •Manning •McKee •McLaughlin •Melancon •Miles-LaGrange •Moore •Motz •Murphy •O'Malley •O'Meara •Oliver •Paez •B. Parker •F. Parker •R. Parker •Perry •Ponsor •Pooler •Porteous •Rendell • Riley •Robertson •Rogers •Ross •Russell •Sands •Sarokin •Scheindlin •Silver •Squatrito •Stewart •Sullivan •Tatel •Thompson •Timlin •Urbina •Vanaskie •Vance •Walls •Wells •Williams
1995	Arterton •Atlas •Black •Blake •Briscoe •Tena Campbell •Todd Campbell •Chesney •Cole •Collier •Daniel •Davis •Dennis •Dlott •Donald •Duffy •Economus •Evans •Fallon •Folsom •Gaughan •Goodwin •Heartfield •Hunt •Illston •Jones •King •Kornmann •Lawson •Lenard •Lucero •Lynch •McKinley •Moody •Moore •Moskowitz •Murphy •Murtha •Nugent •O'Toole •Orlofsky •Pogue •Sessions •C. Smith •O. Smith •Stein •Thornburg •Tunheim •Wallach •Wardlaw •Webber •Whaley •Winmill • Wood
1996	Broadwater •Clevert •Fenner •Gershon •Gottschall •Greenaway •Hinkle •Jones •Kahn •Laughrey •Lemmon •Marten •Miller •Molloy •Montgomery •Pregerson •Rakoff •Sargus •Tashima •Thomas •Zapata
1997	Adelman •Bataillon •Breyer •Caputo •Casey •Chambers •Clay •Damrell •Droney •Friedman •Gajarsa •Garland •Gilman •Gold •Gwin •Hall •Hayden •Hull •Ishii •Jenkins •Kauffman •Kennedy •Kimball •Kollar-Kotelly •Lazzara •Marbley •Marcus •Middlebrooks •Miller •Moon •Pratt •Rendell •Sippel •Siragusa •Snyder •Thrash
1998	Aiken •Barbier •Barzilay •Berman •Buttram •Carter •Collins •Dawson •Dimitrouleas •Fletcher •Fogel •Frank •Graber •Hellerstein •Herndon •James •Johnson •Kane •Kelly •G. King •R. King •Lasnik •Lee •Lemelle •Lindsay •Lipez •Manella •Matz •McCuskey •McKeown •McMahon •Mickle •Mollway •Mordue •Moreno •Morrow •Munley •Murphy •Pallmeyer •Pauley •Polster •Pooler •Rawlinson •Ridgway •R. Roberts •V. Roberts •Sack •Scott •Seitz •Seymour •Shea •Silverman •Sleet •Sotomayor •Steeh •Story •Straub •Tagle •Tarnow •Trauger •Traxler •Tyson •Wardlaw •Whelan •Young
1999	Alsup •Barry •Brown •Buchwald •Cooper •Eaton •Ellison •Feess •Fisher •Gould •Guzman •Haynes •Hibbler •Hochberg •Hurd •Huvelle •Jordan •Katzmann •Kennelly •Linn •Lorenz •Lynn •Marrero •Murguia •Pannell •Pechman •Pepper •Phillips •Schreier •Stewart •Underhill •Ward •Williams •Wilson
2000	Ambro •Antoon •Battani •Berzon •Bolton •Brady •Bye •Cavanaugh •Daniels •Darrah •Dawson •Dyk •Fuentes •Garaufis •Garcia-Gregory •Hamilton •Huck •Hunt •Lawson •Lefkow •Lynch •Martin •McLaughlin •Moody •Murguia •Paez •Pisano •Presnell •Rawlinson •Reagan •Schiller •Singal •Steele •Surrick •Swain •Tallman •Teilborg •Tucker •Whittemore