Floyd nominated for federal judgeship

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Floyd, 55, has been a circuit judge serving Greenville and Pickens counties for nearly 12 years and was Pickens County's first resident circuit judge since the death of Thomas Joab Mauldin in 1931.

Floyd said this is "an opportunity to do something different," saying he always wanted to be a federal judge.

"The federal system has some interesting issues. You see things in federala court that you don't see in state court, so it's just kind of a challenge."

Floyd previously has been county attorney for Pickens, commissioner on the South Carolina Forestry Commission and a three-term member of the state House of Representatives.

Floyd was nominated for a vacancy created by the recent promotion of U.S. District Judge Dennis Shedd of Columbia to the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond.

In announcing the nomination, U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham said, "The president could not have selected a more qualified candidate or a better person.

The two have known each other since Graham returned to Oconee County and started practicing law after military service in the U.S. Air Force, Floyd said.

"He is a dedicated public servant and is well respected among his peers. He has consistently received praise from the South Carolina Bar and those who have practiced before him," Graham said.

"Judge Floyd has an exceptional legal mind, impeccable character and a legacy of fair application of the law."

When Floyd was sworn in as circuit judge in 1992, he promised the people who packed a Pickens County Courthouse courtroom that he would put two signs in his office: one that reads "Patience," and a second telling him, "Remember that you were once a trial lawyer."

The signs still are in his office, and they will go with him if he moves to the federal bench. "I've always lived by those two mottoes," Floyd said. "That's good advice no matter where you are."

Graham said he expects the nomination to go smoothly because of Floyd's judicial record.