Karen J. Williams

Karen J. Williams
Karen J. Williams
	Williams in 2008
Senior Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
	In office; July 8, 2009 – November 2, 2013
Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
	In office; July 1, 2007 – July 8, 2009
Preceded by	William Walter Wilkins
Succeeded by	William Byrd Traxler Jr.
Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
	In office; March 2, 1992 – July 8, 2009
Appointed by	George H. W. Bush
Preceded by	Robert F. Chapman
Succeeded by	Henry F. Floyd
Personal details
Born	August 4, 1951; Orangeburg, South Carolina
Died	November 2, 2013 (aged 62); Orangeburg, South Carolina
Education	Columbia College (BA); University of South Carolina School of Law (JD)

Karen Johnson Williams (August 4, 1951 – November 2, 2013) was a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, appointed in 1992 and served as its Chief Judge from 2007 until her retirement in 2009. Williams was mentioned as a potential nominee to the United States Supreme Court during the administration of George W. Bush.[1][2]

Education and career

Born in Orangeburg, South Carolina, Williams received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Columbia College in 1972 and a Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1980. She was in private practice in Orangeburg from 1980 to 1992.[3]

Federal judicial service

Williams's court portrait.

On January 27, 1992, Williams was nominated by President George H. W. Bush to a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit vacated by Judge Robert F. Chapman. She was confirmed by the United States Senate on February 27, 1992, and received her commission on March 2, 1992. She served as its chief judge from 2007 to 2009.[3]

Illness and retirement

Williams assumed senior status due to a certified disability on July 8, 2009 after being diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's disease.[3][4] She stated her desire to leave the bench while still able to perform her judicial duties, so that her future decisions would not be questioned because of her illness.[5] She died on November 2, 2013.[6]

References

John Monk, Early-onset Alzheimers forces Judge Karen Williams' retirement Archived 2009-10-12 at the Wayback Machine, The State (July 10, 2009).
Who, Marquis Who's (1 November 2001). Who's Who in the South and Southwest, 2001-2002. Marquis Who's Who, LLC. ISBN 9780837908328 – via Google Books.
"Williams, Karen J. - Federal Judicial Center". www.fjc.gov.
Josh White and Jerry Markon, Diagnosis of Early Alzheimer's Forces Chief Judge to Retire, The Washington Post (July 10, 2009).
Dionne Gleaton, Alzheimer's forces judge's retirement, The Times and Democrat (July 9, 2009).
"ORANGEBURG, SC: Former federal judge Karen Williams dies; was a native of Orangeburg | Local News | the State". Archived from the original on 2013-12-03. Retrieved 2013-11-30.

Sources

Karen J. Williams at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.

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[thestate_20090710-1] John Monk, Early-onset Alzheimers forces Judge Karen Williams' retirement Archived 2009-10-12 at the Wayback Machine, The State (July 10, 2009).

[2] Who, Marquis Who's (1 November 2001). Who's Who in the South and Southwest, 2001-2002. Marquis Who's Who, LLC. ISBN 9780837908328 – via Google Books.

[fjc.gov-3] "Williams, Karen J. - Federal Judicial Center". www.fjc.gov.

[4] Josh White and Jerry Markon, Diagnosis of Early Alzheimer's Forces Chief Judge to Retire, The Washington Post (July 10, 2009).

[td_20090710-5] Dionne Gleaton, Alzheimer's forces judge's retirement, The Times and Democrat (July 9, 2009).

[6] "ORANGEBURG, SC: Former federal judge Karen Williams dies; was a native of Orangeburg | Local News | the State". Archived from the original on 2013-12-03. Retrieved 2013-11-30.