J. Curtis Joyner facts for kids

James Curtis Joyner (born April 18, 1948) is a person who used to be a very important judge. He served as a federal judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

J. Curtis Joyner's Early Life and Career

James Curtis Joyner was born in Newberry, South Carolina. He went to Central State University in Ohio and earned a college degree in 1971. Later, he studied law at Howard University School of Law and became a lawyer in 1974.

After law school, he worked for the U.S. government for a short time. Then, he started his own law practice in West Chester, Pennsylvania. He also worked as a prosecutor, helping the government bring cases against people. He was an assistant district attorney in Chester County from 1975 to 1980. He then became a chief deputy district attorney and later the first assistant district attorney.

From 1987 to 1992, he served as a judge on the Court of Common Pleas in Chester County. This is a type of local court where many different kinds of cases are heard.

Becoming a Federal Judge

On November 5, 1991, President George H. W. Bush chose James Curtis Joyner to become a new federal judge. This was for a new judge position in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. The United States Senate approved his nomination on April 8, 1992. He officially became a judge on April 13, 1992.

Judge Joyner served as the Chief Judge of the court from 2011 to 2013. The Chief Judge is like the leader of all the judges in that court. On May 1, 2013, he took "senior status". This means he continued to work as a judge but with a reduced workload. He fully retired from his active duties on September 15, 2021.

See also

• List of African-American federal judges
• List of African-American jurists