{ "id": "epq8tjbrd5", "slug": "myron-h-thompson", "title": "Myron H. Thompson", "updated": "2026-09-29", "topic_path": [ { "id": "society", "label": "Society and history", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/society" }, { "id": "society.law", "label": "Law and justice", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/society.law" }, { "id": "society.law.practice", "label": "Courts and legal practice", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/society.law.practice" }, { "id": "society.law.practice.people", "label": "Legal biographies", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/society.law.practice.people" }, { "id": "society.law.practice.people.people.judges.us", "label": "United States judges", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/society.law.practice.people.people.judges.us" }, { "id": "society.law.practice.people.people.judges.us.federal", "label": "US federal judges", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/society.law.practice.people.people.judges.us.federal" }, { "id": "society.law.practice.people.people.judges.us.federal.article3", "label": "Article III judges (district and appellate)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/society.law.practice.people.people.judges.us.federal.article3" }, { "id": "society.law.practice.people.people.judges.us.federal.article3.district-judges", "label": "United States district court judges", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/society.law.practice.people.people.judges.us.federal.article3.district-judges" }, { "id": "society.law.practice.people.people.judges.us.federal.article3.district-judges.alpha-t-to-wo", "label": "Surnames T to Wo", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/society.law.practice.people.people.judges.us.federal.article3.district-judges.alpha-t-to-wo" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.us.t2021.society.law.practice.people.people.judges.us.federal.article3.district-judges.alpha-t-to-wo", "label": "United States · 2021 and later: Surnames T to Wo", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.society.law.practice.people.people.judges.us.federal.article3.district-judges.alpha-t-to-wo", "path": [ { "id": "geo.us", "label": "United States", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021", "label": "United States · 2021 and later", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021.society", "label": "Society and history", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.society" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021.society.law", "label": "Law and justice", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.society.law" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021.society.law.practice", "label": "Courts and legal practice", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.society.law.practice" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021.society.law.practice.people", "label": "Legal biographies", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.society.law.practice.people" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021.society.law.practice.people.people.judges.us", "label": "United States judges", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.society.law.practice.people.people.judges.us" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021.society.law.practice.people.people.judges.us.federal", "label": "US federal judges", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.society.law.practice.people.people.judges.us.federal" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021.society.law.practice.people.people.judges.us.federal.article3.district-judges", "label": "United States district court judges", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.society.law.practice.people.people.judges.us.federal.article3.district-judges" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021.society.law.practice.people.people.judges.us.federal.article3.district-judges.alpha-t-to-wo", "label": "Surnames T to Wo", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.society.law.practice.people.people.judges.us.federal.article3.district-judges.alpha-t-to-wo" } ] } ], "excerpt": "Myron H. Thompson, born Myron Herbert Thompson, is an American jurist serving as a senior United States district judge for the Middle District of Alabama since 2013.", "snippet": "Myron H. Thompson, born Myron Herbert Thompson, is an American jurist serving as a senior United States district judge for the Middle District of Alabama since 2013.", "node": "society.law.practice.people.people.judges.us.federal.article3.district-judges.alpha-t-to-wo", "markdown": "# Myron H. Thompson\n\nMyron Herbert Thompson (born 1947) is an American jurist serving as a senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama since 2013.[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1388761) He was appointed to the court by President Jimmy Carter in 1980.[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1388761) He served as the court's chief judge from 1991 to 1998 before assuming senior status (semi-retired judge with reduced caseload) on August 22, 2013.[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1388761)\n\n| Fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Court | U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1388761) |\n| Appointed by | Jimmy Carter[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1388761) |\n| Confirmed | September 26, 1980 (voice vote)[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1388761) |\n| Senior status | August 22, 2013[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1388761) |\n| Born | 1947, Tuskegee Institute, Alabama[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1388761) |\n| Education | B.A., Yale University, 1969; J.D., Yale Law School, 1972[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1388761) |\n\n## Early life and education\n\nThompson was born in 1947 in Tuskegee Institute, Alabama.[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1388761) He graduated salutatorian of Tuskegee Institute High School in 1965.[2](https://www.jacksonfreepress.com/news/2014/aug/04/judge-myron-h-thompson/) As a child he contracted polio and was left completely paralyzed for a time, undergoing treatment for the disease during much of his youth.[3](https://www.fedbar.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Thompson_May2004_3pgs-pdf-3.pdf) His parents were involved in the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s; his stepfather, a minister, served for many years as a field secretary of the NAACP, and as a youth Thompson attended numerous NAACP mass meetings.[3](https://www.fedbar.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Thompson_May2004_3pgs-pdf-3.pdf)\n\nIn 1965 he left Alabama to attend Yale University, receiving a bachelor's degree in political science in 1969, and then earned his J.D. from [Yale Law School](https://www.edgepedia.org/yale-law-school) in 1972.[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1388761) • [2](https://www.jacksonfreepress.com/news/2014/aug/04/judge-myron-h-thompson/)\n\n## Legal career\n\nAfter returning to Alabama, Thompson served as an assistant attorney general for the State of Alabama from 1972 to 1974.[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1388761) He was the first African American to hold that position.[2](https://www.jacksonfreepress.com/news/2014/aug/04/judge-myron-h-thompson/)\n\nFrom 1974 to 1980, Thompson was in private practice in [Dothan, Alabama](https://www.edgepedia.org/dothan-alabama).[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1388761) His practice handled many cases involving civil and First Amendment rights.[2](https://www.jacksonfreepress.com/news/2014/aug/04/judge-myron-h-thompson/) During this period he also became involved in efforts to secure a federal judgeship for the civil rights lawyer Fred Gray, traveling to Washington, D.C., to work for Gray's appointment; when Gray agreed to withdraw from the process, Gray and others supported Thompson to replace him as the nominee.[3](https://www.fedbar.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Thompson_May2004_3pgs-pdf-3.pdf)\n\n## Federal judicial service\n\nPresident [Jimmy Carter](https://www.edgepedia.org/jimmy-carter) nominated Thompson to the United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama on September 17, 1980.[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1388761) The Senate confirmed him by voice vote on September 26, 1980, and he received his commission on September 29, 1980.[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1388761) His appointment made him the second African American to serve on a federal district court in Alabama.[2](https://www.jacksonfreepress.com/news/2014/aug/04/judge-myron-h-thompson/) • [3](https://www.fedbar.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Thompson_May2004_3pgs-pdf-3.pdf)\n\nThompson served as chief judge of the district court from 1991 to 1998.[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1388761) He was a member of the [Judicial Conference of the United States](https://www.edgepedia.org/judicial-conference-of-the-united-states) from 2007 to 2011.[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1388761) He assumed senior status on August 22, 2013.[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1388761)\n\n## Notable cases\n\nIn *Paradise v. Prescott*, Thompson ruled that, in light of the Alabama state troopers' history of racial discrimination, a portion of the positions at issue must be filled by [African Americans](https://www.edgepedia.org/african-americans); the United States Supreme Court affirmed the ruling.[3](https://www.fedbar.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Thompson_May2004_3pgs-pdf-3.pdf)\n\nIn the broader *Dillard* litigation, challenges to at-large election schemes in 183 cities, counties, and other local governments in Alabama changed the face of local government in the state.[3](https://www.fedbar.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Thompson_May2004_3pgs-pdf-3.pdf)\n\nIn *Austin v. Hopper*, Thompson ruled that the use of the \"hitching post\" restraint by Alabama prison officials was unconstitutional.[3](https://www.fedbar.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Thompson_May2004_3pgs-pdf-3.pdf)\n\nIn the class action *Wyatt v. King*, Thompson held that mentally ill patients involuntarily committed to state institutions were entitled to certain criteria for commitment.[3](https://www.fedbar.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Thompson_May2004_3pgs-pdf-3.pdf)\n\nIn 2002, Thompson decided the [Ten Commandments](https://www.edgepedia.org/ten-commandments) case involving the chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court, a case that was the subject of national attention.[3](https://www.fedbar.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Thompson_May2004_3pgs-pdf-3.pdf)\n\nIn August 2014, sitting as a senior judge, Thompson ruled that Alabama's Women's Health and Safety Act was unconstitutional because it would place an \"undue burden\" on women's access to abortions in the state. The act would have required doctors performing abortions to obtain admitting privileges at local hospitals. Thompson wrote: \"The evidence compellingly demonstrates that the requirement would have the striking result of closing three of Alabama's five abortion clinics, clinics which perform only early abortions, long before viability.\" The ruling allowed the three clinics to remain open.[2](https://www.jacksonfreepress.com/news/2014/aug/04/judge-myron-h-thompson/)\n\n## References\n\n1. [Biographical Directory of Article III Federal Judges: Myron Herbert Thompson](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1388761)\n2. [Judge Myron H. Thompson](https://www.jacksonfreepress.com/news/2014/aug/04/judge-myron-h-thompson/)\n3. [Profile: Myron H. Thompson](https://www.fedbar.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Thompson_May2004_3pgs-pdf-3.pdf)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Society and history › Law and justice › Courts and legal practice › Legal biographies › United States judges › US federal judges › Article III judges (district and appellate) › United States district court judges › Surnames T to Wo*\n\n*Initially written Sep 27, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 28, 2026; Sep 29, 2026 · Edited: Sep 28, 2026; Sep 29, 2026 · Last review: Sep 29, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/myron-h-thompson", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/myron-h-thompson.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"Myron H. Thompson\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/myron-h-thompson. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[Myron H. Thompson](https://www.edgepedia.org/myron-h-thompson)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/myron-h-thompson](https://www.edgepedia.org/myron-h-thompson). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"Myron H. Thompson\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/myron-h-thompson. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "Myron H. Thompson, born Myron Herbert Thompson, is an American jurist serving as a senior United States district judge for the Middle District of Alabama since 2013." }