James Robert Martin Jr. (November 30, 1909 – November 14, 1984) was a

United States district judge The United States district courts are the trial courts of the U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each federal judicial district, which each cover one U.S. state or, in some cases, a portion of a state. Each district cou ...

of the

United States District Court for the Eastern District of South Carolina The following are former United States district courts, which ceased to exist because they were subdivided into smaller units. With the exception of California, each of these courts initially covered an entire U.S. state, and was subdivided as the ...

, the

United States District Court for the Western District of South Carolina The following are former United States district courts, which ceased to exist because they were subdivided into smaller units. With the exception of California, each of these courts initially covered an entire U.S. state, and was subdivided as the ...

and later the

United States District Court for the District of South Carolina The United States District Court for the District of South Carolina (in case citations, D.S.C.) is the federal district court whose jurisdiction is the state of South Carolina. Court is held in the cities of Aiken, Anderson, Beaufort, Charles ...

Education and career

Born in

Greenville Greenville is the name of several places: Canada * Laxgalts'ap, British Columbia, formerly named Greenville *Greenville, Nova Scotia, in Yarmouth County *Greenville Station, Nova Scotia, in Cumberland County *Lower Greenville, Nova Scotia, in Cum ...

South Carolina )'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = "Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = G ...

, Martin received a

Bachelor of Laws Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of ...

from

Washington and Lee University School of Law The Washington and Lee University School of Law (W&L Law) is the professional graduate law school of Washington and Lee University. It is a private American Bar Association-accredited law school located in Lexington in the Shenandoah Valley re ...

in 1931. He was in private practice in Greenville from 1931 to 1944. He was a member of the

South Carolina House of Representatives The South Carolina House of Representatives is the lower house of the South Carolina General Assembly. It consists of 124 representatives elected to two-year terms at the same time as U.S. congressional elections. Unlike many legislatures, seati ...

from

Greenville County Greenville County is located in the state of South Carolina, in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 525,534, making it the most populous county in the state. Its county seat is Greenville. The county is also home to ...

from 1943 to 1944. He was a judge of the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit of South Carolina from 1944 to 1961.

Federal judicial service

Martin was nominated by President

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination ...

on August 30, 1961, to the

and to the

, to a new joint seat created by 75 Stat. 80. He was confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and ...

on September 8, 1961, and received his commission on September 18, 1961. He served as Chief Judge of the Western District from 1962 to 1965. He was reassigned by

operation of law The phrase "by operation of law" is a legal term that indicates that a right or liability has been created for a party, irrespective of the intent of that party, because it is dictated by existing legal principles. For example, if a person dies wi ...

to the

on November 1, 1965, to a new seat authorized by 79 Stat. 951. He served as Chief Judge from 1965 to 1979. He assumed

senior status Senior status is a form of semi- retirement for United States federal judges. To qualify, a judge in the federal court system must be at least 65 years old, and the sum of the judge's age and years of service as a federal judge must be at leas ...

on November 30, 1979. Martin served in that capacity until his death on November 14, 1984.

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, James Robert Jr. 1909 births 1984 deaths Members of the South Carolina House of Representatives Judges of the United States District Court for the Western District of South Carolina Judges of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of South Carolina Judges of the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina United States district court judges appointed by John F. Kennedy 20th-century American judges 20th-century American lawyers Washington and Lee University School of Law alumni 20th-century American politicians