Lawyer Bio : Frank W. Bullock, Jr.

Frank W. Bullock, Jr.

Winston-Salem

United States District Judge (Ret.)
 
As a federal judge for nearly a quarter of a century, Judge Frank Bullock presided over hundreds of cases and earned the respect of attorneys across the nation.
 
Now, he is bringing those skills and experience back to private practice as a Member of Womble Carlyle’s Business Litigation Practice Group, concentrating on dispute resolution and case assessment.
 
Judge Bullock was appointed to the federal bench in 1982 by President Ronald Reagan, becoming one of the youngest federal judges in the country. He served 24 years as a United States District Court Judge in North Carolina, including seven years as Chief Judge. Among his many achievements in that role, Judge Bullock revamped the civil case management structure for his district, reducing the backlog and time-to-trial statistics to among the best in the country.
 
During his time on the bench, Judge Bullock had three significant civil rulings affirmed by the U.S. Supreme Court, including his decision in the landmark Brooke Group antitrust case. In addition to numerous antitrust and environmental cases, Judge Bullock presided over many cases of national significance, including class action lawsuits, product liability matters, aviation disasters, federal securities law litigation, employment discrimination, and patent and trademark disputes.
 
Judge Bullock frequently sat by designation on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, where he authored opinions in a wide variety of cases, including those dealing with civil rights, campaign finance and attorneys’ fees.
 
Judge Bullock has served on over 50 arbitrations and mediations, including service as a single arbitrator in an international patent case and a Fair Labor Standards Act class action.  Cases valued from $100,000 to over $500,000,000, and include antitrust, patent, unfair trade practices, air crash insurance, wage and hour issues, ERISA, employment discrimination, energy supply contracts and construction.  Experience includes all aspects of Thoroughbred horse racing.

Additional Biography Info

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Professional Activities

Standing Committee on the Rules of Practice and Procedure of the Judicial Conference of the United States, 1996-2003.

Former Chair, Continuing Legal Education Programs for Judges in the Fourth Circuit.

Participating arbitrator, Federal Arbitration, Inc., Menlo Park, CA; Member, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, London, U.K.; Judicial Panel & Panel of Distinguished Neutrals, International Institute for Conflict Prevention & Resolution, New York, NY.

Admitted to bar, 1963, North Carolina.

Education

Duke University; University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, B.S. in Business Administration, Kenan-Flagler Business School, 1961, LL.B., 1963.

Prior Legal Experience

District Judge, U.S. District Court, Middle District of North Carolina, 1982-2006 (Chief Judge, 1992-1999); Private law practice, Raleigh and Greensboro, NC, 1964-1968, 1973-1982; Judicial Department, State of North Carolina, 1968-1973; Law Clerk to U.S. District Judge, 1963-1964.

Additional Information

Significant Cases and Rulings
  • Smith v. McDonald, 562 F. Supp. 829 (M.D.N.C 1983), aff’d, 737 F.2d 427 (4th Cir. 1984) (holding qualified immunity protection for those criticizing public officials), aff’d 472 U.S. 479 (1985).
  • Terry v. Teamsters Union, 676 F. Supp. 659 (M.D.N.C. 1987) (permitting jury trial of union members’ claim against union), aff’d, 863 F.2d 334 (4th Cir. 1988), aff‘d, 494 U.S. 558 (1990).
  • Brooke Group Ltd. (Liggett Tobacco) v. Brown & Williamson Tobacco 748 F. Supp. 344 (M.D.N.C. 1990) (antitrust case involving pricing of cigarettes), aff’d, 964 F.2d 335 (4th Cir. 1992), aff’d, 509 U.S. 209 (1993).
  • Delaney v. Bartlett, 370 F. Supp. 2d 373 (M.D.N.C. 2004) (North Carolina statute requiring unaffiliated candidates to submit petition with signatures equal to 2% of registered voters in order to be placed on general election ballot violated their constitutional rights by requiring more signatures than required for candidates representing new political parties).
  • Alliance for Legal Action v. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, et al., 314 F. Supp. 2d 534 (M.D.N.C. 2004) (challenge to environmental permits issued pursuant to the Federal Water Pollution Control Act allowing construction of Federal Express cargo hub at Piedmont Triad International Airport).
  • United States v. Duke Energy Corp., 278 F. Supp. 2d 619 (M.D.N.C. 2003) (emissions test for coal-fired electrical generating plants in North and South Carolina), aff’d 411 F.3d 539 (4th Cir. 2005), vacated and remanded, 127 S.Ct. 1423 (2007).
  • Chris v. Tenet, 221 F.3d 648 (4th Cir. 2000) sitting by designation on the Court of Appeals (federal district court's jurisdiction to hear actions brought under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act not extend to independent actions to recover attorney’s fees and costs incurred in administrative proceedings).
  • R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. v. Philip Morris, Inc. 199 F. Supp. 2d 362 (M.D.N.C. 2002) (tobacco company’s retail marketing program not an unreasonable restraint of trade nor monopolistic), aff’d 67 Fed. Appx. 810 (4th Cir. 2003).
  • In re Cree, Inc. Securities Litigation, 333 F. Supp. 2d 461 (M.D.N.C 2004) (allegations of securities fraud insufficient under Private Securities Litigation Reform Act). See also 2005 WL 1847004 (M.D.N.C 2005) (allegations in amended complaint insufficient under PSLRA), aff’d 477 F.3d 162 (4th Cir. 2007).