Kenneth Davis Bell Sr. (born 1958) is a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina.
Kenneth D. Bell | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina | |
| Assumed office June 12, 2019 | |
| Appointed by | Donald Trump |
| Preceded by | Richard Lesley Voorhees |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Kenneth Duard Bell[1] 1958 (age 67–68)[2] |
| Party | Republican |
| Education | Wake Forest University (BA, JD) |
Early life
editBell earned his Bachelor of Arts from Wake Forest University and his Juris Doctor from the Wake Forest University School of Law.[3][4] In 1990, he unsuccessfully ran for North Carolina's 5th congressional district as a Republican.[5]
Legal career
editIn the Western District of North Carolina, Bell served as an Assistant United States Attorney for eight years and then as First Assistant U.S. Attorney for ten years. In 2003, he received the Department of Justice's John Marshall Award for prosecuting the first conviction of material support to a terrorist organization, which was by a Hezbollah cell. He later was a partner at Hunton & Williams and Mayer Brown. From 2003 to 2019 he was a partner at McGuireWoods.[4]
Federal judicial service
editOn April 10, 2018, President Donald Trump announced his intent to nominate Bell to serve as a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina. On April 12, 2018, his nomination was sent to the Senate. He was nominated to the seat vacated by Judge Richard Lesley Voorhees, who assumed senior status on August 31, 2017.[6] On August 22, 2018, a hearing on his nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee.[7] On October 11, 2018, his nomination was reported out of committee by an 11–10 vote.[8]
On January 3, 2019, his nomination was returned to the President under Rule XXXI, Paragraph 6 of the United States Senate. On January 23, 2019, President Trump announced his intent to renominate Bell for a federal judgeship.[9] His nomination was sent to the Senate later that day.[10] On February 7, 2019, his nomination was reported out of committee by a 12–10 vote.[11] On May 21, 2019, the Senate invoked cloture on his nomination by a 56–42 vote.[12] On May 22, 2019, his nomination was confirmed by a 55–43 vote.[13] He received his judicial commission on June 12, 2019.[14]
One of the most notable cases he has presided over as a district judge has been the 23XI Racing v. NASCAR.[15]
References
edit- ↑ United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary: Questionnaire for Judicial Nominees: Kenneth Davis Bell
- ↑ Lightning Out of Lebanon: Hezbollah Terrorists on American Soil
- ↑ "President Donald J. Trump Announces Twelfth Wave of Judicial Nominees, Twelfth Wave of United States Attorneys, and Sixth Wave of United States Marshals". whitehouse.gov. April 10, 2018. Retrieved April 10, 2018 – via National Archives.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain. - 1 2 "Kenneth D. Bell bio". McGuireWoods. Archived from the original on July 26, 2018. Retrieved April 10, 2018.
- ↑ Zerwick, Phoebe (1990-11-08). "Neal Appears to Have Firm Hold on Seat". Winston-Salem Journal. pp. 1, 8. Retrieved 2025-12-11.
- ↑ "Twenty-Nine Nominations Sent to the Senate Today", The White House, April 12, 2018
- ↑ United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary: Nominations for August 22, 2018
- ↑ "Results of Executive Business Meeting – October 11, 2018" (PDF). Senate Judiciary Committee.
- ↑ "President Donald J. Trump Announces Intent to Nominate Judicial Nominees", White House, January 23, 2019
- ↑ "Nominations Sent to the Senate", White House, January 23, 2019
- ↑ "Results of Executive Business Meeting – February 7, 2019" (PDF). Senate Judiciary Committee.
- ↑ "On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture: Kenneth D. Bell to be U.S. District Judge for the Western District of North Carolina)". United States Senate. May 21, 2019. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
- ↑ "On the Nomination (Confirmation Kenneth D. Bell, of North Carolina, to be U.S. District Judge for the Western District of North Carolina)". United States Senate. May 22, 2019.
- ↑ Kenneth D. Bell at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
- ↑ Bianchi, Jordan (September 3, 2025). "Judge denies injunction in lawsuit by 23XI Racing, Front Row Motorsports against NASCAR". The New York Times. Retrieved September 18, 2025.
External links
edit- Kenneth D. Bell at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.