Charles Weston Houck


Charles Weston Houck was a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina.

Education and career

Born in Florence, South Carolina, Houck received a Bachelor of Laws from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1956, and was in the United States Army from 1957 to 1958. He was in private practice in Florence from 1958 to 1979, also serving as a South Carolina state representative from 1963 to 1966. He was Chairman of the Florence, South Carolina City-County Building Commission from 1968 to 1976.

Federal judicial service

On June 5, 1979, Houck was nominated by President Jimmy Carter to a new seat on the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina created by 92 Stat. 1629. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on September 25, 1979, and received his commission on September 26, 1979. He served as Chief Judge from 1993 to 2000, and assumed senior status on October 1, 2003, serving in that status until his death in Florence, South Carolina on July 19, 2017.

Notable case

Houck ruled in 1993 that The Citadel must admit women to the Corps of Cadets. Shannon Faulkner was the plaintiff in that case.