Reports of federal District Court Judge Malcolm Howard's retirement — semi- or or otherwise — are slightly exaggerated.

News reports earlier this month suggested Howard, a Greenville resident, would move into partial retirement with the appointment of a Raleigh attorney to the federal Eastern District Court.

HOWARD

Howard took senior status on the court in January of this year, giving him more flexibility in determining his schedule, he said. But the Deep Run native said he will maintain a full caseload between his work at the district court and on a federal intelligence court.

"I don't have any intention of slowing down," said Howard, 67, adding that he plans to keep his seat on the bench until he dies.

Federal law allows senior status for judges who reach 65 with 15 years on the bench, marks Howard hit more than a year ago. A growing workload on the Federal Intelligence Surveillance Act Court, spurred Howard's decision to take senior status.

Howard joined the FISA court in May 2005. His work with the secretive court, which meets in Washington, D.C., and reviews wiretapping requests related to terrorism, has grown to take up more than a fifth of his time. It's work that meshes with a long-time interest in military affairs for Howard, a West Point graduate who spent 10 years on active duty in the Army. Howard is the only North Carolinian on the 11-member FISA court.

"I was fortunate to serve in the military a long time and have maintained interest in national security for most of my life," Howard said.

President Ronald Reagan appointed Howard to the Eastern District Court in 1987, and the U.S. Senate approved him in 1988. A similar process awaits Thomas Farr, who represented the state Republican Party in redistricting cases earlier this decade. President George W. Bush appointed Farr to an active seat on the court earlier this month.

There are three senior judges and three active judges on the North Carolina Eastern District bench.

Jimmy Ryals can be contacted at jryals@coxnc.com and 329-9568.