On May 31, 2023, Judge David R. Duncan will retire after serving 17 years on the bench.  Judge Elisabetta Gasparini, Judge Beth Burris, Clerk of Court Jeff Davis, and Court staff take this opportunity to publicly thank Judge Duncan for his contributions to the Court and lasting impact throughout the District.
 
Judge Duncan was appointed United States Bankruptcy Judge for the District of South Carolina on May 26, 2006, and reappointed to a second term in 2020. He served as the District’s Chief Judge from 2013 to 2020.

Judge Duncan’s career has been dedicated to public service. Before taking the bench, he served the United States Department of Justice as the Regional Assistant United States Trustee in Region 4 from 1991 to 2006. Prior to that time, he was the standing chapter 12 trustee in this District, a chapter 7 and chapter 11 trustee, and was in private practice. He is a graduate of the University of South Carolina (J.D. 1980, B.A., 1977).

At the time of his appointment, Judge Duncan was certified as a Specialist in Bankruptcy and Debtor-Creditor Law, a member and Chairman of the Bankruptcy Local Rules Advisory Committee, and a member and Chairman of the South Carolina Supreme Court Bankruptcy Specialization Advisory Board. He recently served as the Bankruptcy Judge representative on the Fourth Circuit Judicial Council. Committed to passing on his wealth of bankruptcy knowledge to others, Judge Duncan taught bankruptcy courses as an adjunct professor at the University of South Carolina School of Law. 

Recently, Judge Duncan was honored with the J. Bratton Davis Professionalism Award by the South Carolina Bankruptcy Law Association. Judge Duncan has set the example of a humble, gifted, hard-working public servant committed to the administration of justice and the law. His positive influence and steadfast presence will be greatly missed.
The Judges, Clerk of Court, and our Court family congratulate Judge Duncan on his retirement and thank him for his 17 years of service as a judge.