Timothy Martin Cain
Appointed by President Barack Obama in 2011 and confirmed by the Senate 99–0, Timothy Martin Cain is a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina. He earned a law degree from University of South Carolina School of Law in 1986. Sources ↓
- Born
- 1961 · age 65
- Appointed by
- Barack Obama, 2011
- Confirmed
- 99–0
- Chief judge
- District of South Carolina, 2024 to present
- Education
- University of South Carolina 1983 · University of South Carolina Law 1986
- Succeeded
- Patrick Michael Duffy
Federal judicial service
| Year | Court | Appointed by | Vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | District of South Carolina succeeded Patrick Michael Duffy chief judge 2024 to present | Obama (D) | 99–0 |
Party letters show the appointing president’s party, not the judge’s own.
Confirmation vote
Nomination Confirmed 99–0 on September 20, 2011 · 112th Congress, Roll Call 140. Each senator links to their judicial-voting record.
Voted to confirm · 99
50 D, 47 R, 2 I
- Daniel Akaka(D-HI)
- Lamar Alexander(R-TN)
- Kelly Ayotte(R-NH)
- John Barrasso(R-WY)
- Max Baucus(D-MT)
- Mark Begich(D-AK)
- Michael Bennet(D-CO)
- Richard Blumenthal(D-CT)
- Roy Blunt(R-MO)
- John Boozman(R-AR)
- Barbara Boxer(D-CA)
- Sherrod Brown(D-OH)
- Scott Brown(R-MA)
- Richard Burr(R-NC)
- Maria Cantwell(D-WA)
- Benjamin Cardin(D-MD)
- Thomas Carper(D-DE)
- Bob Casey(D-PA)
- Saxby Chambliss(R-GA)
- Dan Coats(R-IN)
- Tom Coburn(R-OK)
- Thad Cochran(R-MS)
- Susan Collins(R-ME)
- Kent Conrad(D-ND)
- Christopher Coons(D-DE)
- Bob Corker(R-TN)
- John Cornyn(R-TX)
- Mike Crapo(R-ID)
- James DeMint(R-SC)
- Richard Durbin(D-IL)
- Michael Enzi(R-WY)
- Dianne Feinstein(D-CA)
- Al Franken(D-MN)
- Kirsten Gillibrand(D-NY)
- Lindsey Graham(R-SC)
- Chuck Grassley(R-IA)
- Kay Hagan(D-NC)
- Tom Harkin(D-IA)
- Orrin Hatch(R-UT)
- Dean Heller(R-NV)
- John Hoeven(R-ND)
- Kay Hutchison(R-TX)
- Jim Inhofe(R-OK)
- Daniel Inouye(D-HI)
- Johnny Isakson(R-GA)
- Mike Johanns(R-NE)
- Tim Johnson(D-SD)
- Ron Johnson(R-WI)
- John Kerry(D-MA)
- Mark Kirk(R-IL)
- Amy Klobuchar(D-MN)
- Herb Kohl(D-WI)
- Jon Kyl(R-AZ)
- Mary Landrieu(D-LA)
- Frank Lautenberg(D-NJ)
- Patrick Leahy(D-VT)
- Mike Lee(R-UT)
- Carl Levin(D-MI)
- Joe Lieberman(I-CT)
- Richard Lugar(R-IN)
- Joe Manchin(D-WV)
- John McCain(R-AZ)
- Claire McCaskill(D-MO)
- Mitch McConnell(R-KY)
- Robert Menendez(D-NJ)
- Jeff Merkley(D-OR)
- Barbara Mikulski(D-MD)
- Jerry Moran(R-KS)
- Lisa Murkowski(R-AK)
- Patty Murray(D-WA)
- Bill Nelson(D-FL)
- Ben Nelson(D-NE)
- Rand Paul(R-KY)
- Rob Portman(R-OH)
- Mark Pryor(D-AR)
- Jack Reed(D-RI)
- Harry Reid(D-NV)
- James Risch(R-ID)
- Pat Roberts(R-KS)
- Jay Rockefeller(D-WV)
- Marco Rubio(R-FL)
- Bernard Sanders(I-VT)
- Charles Schumer(D-NY)
- Jeff Sessions(R-AL)
- Jeanne Shaheen(D-NH)
- Richard Shelby(R-AL)
- Olympia Snowe(R-ME)
- Debbie Stabenow(D-MI)
- Jon Tester(D-MT)
- John Thune(R-SD)
- Pat Toomey(R-PA)
- Mark Udall(D-CO)
- Tom Udall(D-NM)
- David Vitter(R-LA)
- Mark Warner(D-VA)
- James Webb(D-VA)
- Sheldon Whitehouse(D-RI)
- Roger Wicker(R-MS)
- Ron Wyden(D-OR)
Did not vote · 1
1 D
- Jeff Bingaman(D-NM)
Education
Before the bench
Professional career before and outside the federal bench, as recorded by the Federal Judicial Center.
| Private practice, Walhalla, South Carolina | 1986-1988 |
| Assistant public defender, Oconee Defender Corporation, Seneca, South Carolina | 1987 |
| Assistant solicitor, Tenth Judicial Circuit, South Carolina | 1988-1989 |
| Private practice, Seneca, South Carolina | 1990-2000 |
| County attorney, Oconee County, South Carolina | 1992-2000 |
| Judge, South Carolina Family Court, Tenth Judicial Circuit | 2000-2011 |
Judicial Record
Caseload & case types
In our data, Cain was assigned 3,005 district-court cases (2008–2026). Median time from filing to termination: 213 days across 2,616 closed cases.
Case assignment is from CourtListener’s PACER-derived docket records: a partial sample, not a complete caseload, reflecting the judge last assigned each case. How we count.
On appeal
Of 258 of Cain’s decisions reviewed on the merits by the U.S. courts of appeals in our data, 241 were affirmed, 14 reversed or vacated, and 3 affirmed in part and reversed in part. This is a historical count of appellate outcomes for cases we could match, not a judgment of the judge, and not a complete record. How we count.
Questions & answers
- Who appointed Timothy Martin Cain?
- President Barack Obama appointed Timothy Martin Cain to the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina in 2011.
- Was Timothy Martin Cain appointed by a Democrat or a Republican?
- Timothy Martin Cain was appointed by President Barack Obama, a Democrat. JudicialFinder records the appointing president's party, not a judge's own politics.
- What was Timothy Martin Cain's confirmation vote?
- The Senate confirmed Timothy Martin Cain 99–0 on September 20, 2011.
- Which court is Timothy Martin Cain on?
- Timothy Martin Cain is a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina.
Sources
Each fact on this page traces to a primary public record.
- FJC Biographical Directory
- Wikidata
- Portrait: https://www.ca9.uscourts.gov/media/view_video.php?pk_vid=0000018778 (Public domain), via Wikimedia Commons
- Confirmation roll-call (Senate.gov, 2011)
How we source & reconcile data → Data & Sources
See something wrong? Report an error. Fixes are logged in the corrections log.
15 years on the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina. Data as of 2026-09-28. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).