--- title: "David C. Norton | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/david-c-norton" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-09" --- # David C. Norton U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina ยท U.S. District Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina - State: South Carolina - Role: U.S. District Judge - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-07-25 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - Judge, District Court, D. South Carolina, 1990-present - He held the role of Chief Judge of the District of South Carolina from 2007 to 2012 - Also city attorney of Isle of Palms from 1980 to 1985 and a partner at the law firm Holmes & Thomson - Assistant deputy solicitor, Ninth Judicial Circuit, SC, 1977-1980 - Before his federal appointment, Norton worked in private practice in Charleston, South Carolina, and held the role of an assistant deputy solicitor for the Ninth Judicial Circuit from 1977 to 1980. ### Education - University of South Carolina School of Law in โ€” J.D. (1975) ### Additional information - Member, Judicial Conference of the United States, 2003-2007 - Nominated by President George H. W. Bush on April 18, 1990, to a seat vacated by Judge Solomon Blatt Jr. - received his commission on July 12, 1990. - Private practice, Charleston, SC, 1981-1990 - Private practice, Charleston, South Carolina, 1975-1977, 1981-1990 - City attorney, Isle of Palms, SC, 1980-1985 - City attorney, Isle of Palms, South Carolina, 1980-1985 - Private practice, Charleston, SC, 1975-1977 - U.S. Navy, 1969-1972 - David Charles Norton was born on July 25, 1946, in Washington, D.C. He obtained a Bachelor of Arts from Sewanee: The University of the South in 1968 - Date of birth: 1946-01-01 - Birth place: Washington, DC ## Before you appear - Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed. - Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance. - Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding. ## Courtroom Rules ### civil remote testimony Scope: courtwide In federal district-court civil proceedings, testimony is ordinarily taken in open court; remote contemporaneous testimony requires good cause in compelling circumstances and appropriate safeguards. Evidence excerpt: For good cause in compelling circumstances and with appropriate safeguards, the court may permit testimony in open court by contemporaneous transmission from a different location. [Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-civil-procedure) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### criminal recording and broadcasting Scope: courtwide Federal district courts may not permit courtroom photography or broadcasting during criminal judicial proceedings unless a statute or another federal rule provides an exception. Evidence excerpt: Except as otherwise provided by a statute or these rules, the court must not permit the taking of photographs in the courtroom during judicial proceedings or the broadcasting of judicial proceedings from the courtroom. [Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited](https://www.uscourts.gov/court-records/access-court-proceedings/remote-public-access-proceedings/history-cameras-broadcasting-and-remote-public-access-courts) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1385836) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1385836) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1385836) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/2431/david-c-norton/) - [Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-civil-procedure) - [Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited](https://www.uscourts.gov/court-records/access-court-proceedings/remote-public-access-proceedings/history-cameras-broadcasting-and-remote-public-access-courts) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/2431/david-c-norton/) - [Judge David C. Norton](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1385836) - [Wikidata: David C. Norton](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5232040) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/david-c-norton", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/david-c-norton", "name": "David C. Norton | KnowJudges", "description": "David C. Norton, U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina. Source-linked judicial identity, courtroom procedures, and presentation guidance.", "dateModified": "2026-10-09", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/david-c-norton#judge" } }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/david-c-norton#judge", "name": "David C. Norton", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/david-c-norton", "jobTitle": "U.S. District Judge", "worksFor": { "@type": "GovernmentOrganization", "name": "U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina" }, "sameAs": [ "https://www.fjc.gov/node/1385836", "https://www.courtlistener.com/person/2431/david-c-norton/" ], "birthDate": "1946", "birthPlace": "Washington, DC", "alumniOf": [ { "@type": "EducationalOrganization", "name": "Sewanee-The University of the South" }, { "@type": "EducationalOrganization", "name": "University of the South" }, { "@type": "EducationalOrganization", "name": "University of South Carolina School of Law" } ] }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "KnowJudges", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "South Carolina", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/state/south-carolina" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "David C. Norton", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/david-c-norton" } ] } ] } ``` ## Federal civil docket activity Dataset updated through 2026-06-30. | Period | Assigned cases | Terminated cases | Median disposition (months) | Median sample | | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | | 1y | 385 | 1 | Not available | 1 | | 2y | 745 | 117 | 3 | 117 | | 5y | 1639 | 885 | 6.9 | 885 | | 10y | 3141 | 2375 | 8.5 | 2375 | Source: https://www.courtlistener.com/recap/ ## Published courtroom rules ### Shared court rules - [Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, December 1, 2025](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-651872d6e45e0d82319ecccc) โ€” Civil actions in United States District Courts; Rule 81 exceptions apply. Section-specific exceptions, waivers, later amendments and case orders remain applicable. This is a source excerpt, not an exhaustive statement of the rule. [Official source](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-civil-procedure.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27. - [Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, December 1, 2025](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-8721a344fececced2257fe1d) โ€” Criminal proceedings in United States District Courts; this conservative mapping does not distribute appellate-specific provisions to appellate judges. Section-specific exceptions, waivers, later amendments and case orders remain applicable. This is a source excerpt, not an exhaustive statement of the rule. [Official source](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-criminal-procedure.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27.