Catherine Eagles

Catherine Diane Caldwell Eagles (born August 30, 1958) is the chief United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina and a former Superior Court judge in Guilford County, North Carolina. She is the first female judge to serve in the Middle District.

Early life and education Eagles was born Catherine Diane Caldwell in Memphis, Tennessee in 1958. She graduated from Rhodes College (then called Southwestern at Memphis) in 1979 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. She received her commission on December 22, 2010. She became chief judge in 2023. She took senior status on December 31, 2024, but maintained her position as chief judge.

Notable cases

In 2012, she presided over U.S. v. Johnny Reid Edwards, where former presidential candidate and senator John Edwards was charged with campaign finance violations.