The North Carolina Court of Appeals (in case citation, N.C. Ct. App.) is the only intermediate appellate court in the state of North Carolina. It is composed of fifteen members who sit in rotating panels of three.[1] The Court of Appeals was created by the North Carolina General Assembly in 1967 after voters approved a constitutional amendment in 1965 which "authorized the creation of an intermediate court of appeals to relieve pressure on the North Carolina Supreme Court."[2]
| North Carolina Court of Appeals | |
|---|---|
 Seal of the North Carolina Court of Appeals | |
 Court of Appeals Building | |
| Established | 1967 |
| Location | Raleigh, North Carolina |
| Composition method | Partisan election |
| Authorised by | Constitution of North Carolina |
| Appeals to | North Carolina Supreme Court |
| Judge term length | 8 years (mandatory retirement at the age of 76) |
| Number of positions | 15 |
| Website | https://www.nccourts.gov/courts/court-of-appeals |
| Chief Judge | |
| Currently | Chris Dillon |
Judges serve eight-year terms and are elected in statewide elections. The General Assembly made Court of Appeals elections non-partisan starting with the 2004 elections, but later made them partisan again after the 2016 elections.[3]
Function
editThe Court of Appeals, along with the Supreme Court, constitute the Appellate Division within North Carolina's unified court system, the General Court of Justice.[4]
Judges of the court are elected in statewide races to serve eight-year terms.[5]
Current judges
edit| Seniority | Name | Born | Joined | Term ends[a] | Mandatory retirement[b] | Law school | Party affiliation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chris Dillon, Chief Judge | 1965 (age 58–59) | January 1, 2013 | 2028 | April 20, 2041 | North Carolina | Republican |
| 2 | Donna Stroud | June 28, 1964 | 2007 | 2030 | June 28, 2040 | Campbell | Republican |
| 3 | John M. Tyson | July 14, 1953 | 2001–09, 2015 | 2030 | July 14, 2029 | Campbell | Republican
|
| 4 | Valerie Zachary | 1962 (age 61–62) | 2015 | 2024 | 2040 | Harvard | Republican
|
| 5 | Hunter Murphy | 1981 (age 42–43) | January 1, 2017 | 2024 | Jan 24, 2059 | University of the Pacific | Republican
|
| 6 | John S. Arrowood | November 4, 1956 | 2007–08, 2017 | 2026 | 2032 | North Carolina | Democratic
|
| 7 | Allegra Collins | January 13, 1972 | January 1, 2019 | 2026 | Jan. 30, 2048 | Campbell | Democratic
|
| 8 | Toby Hampson | December 20, 1975 | January 1, 2019 | 2026 | Dec. 20, 2051 | Campbell | Democratic
|
| 9 | Jeff Carpenter | January 1, 2021 | 2028 | Campbell | Republican
| ||
| 10 | April C. Wood | January 1, 2021 | 2028 | Regent | Republican
| ||
| 11 | Fred Gore | January 1, 2021 | 2028 | Appalachian | Republican
| ||
| 12 | Jefferson Griffin | October 7, 1980 | January 1, 2021 | 2028 | 2056 | NC Central | Republican
|
| 13 | Julee Tate Flood | January 1, 2023 | 2030 | New Hampshire | Republican
| ||
| 14 | Michael J. Stading | January 1, 2023 | 2030 | Campbell | Republican
| ||
| 15 | Carolyn Thompson | September 11, 2023 | 2024 | NC Central | Democratic |
Notes:
- ^ Term ends Dec. 31 of the year listed.
- ^ North Carolina judges must retire on the last day of the month in which they turn age 76 if they are still in office (see also https://ballotpedia.org/Mandatory_retirement).
Former judges
editA partial list of former judges is listed below:[6]
- Allison Riggs
- Lucy Inman
- Darren Jackson
- Christopher Brook
- Wanda Bryant
- Linda McGee
- Reuben Young
- Mark A. Davis
- Ann Marie Calabria
- Rick Elmore
- Douglas McCullough
- Linda Stephens
- Wendy Enochs
- Martha A. Geer
- Sanford L. Steelman Jr.
- Lisa Bell
- Sam Ervin, IV
- Robert C. Hunter
- Robert N. Hunter Jr.
- John C. Martin
- Cressie Thigpen
- Cheri Beasley
- Barbara Jackson
- James A. Wynn Jr.
- Eric L. Levinson
- Hugh Brown Campbell Jr.
- Robin E. Hudson
- Patricia Timmons-Goodson
- Loretta Copeland Biggs
- Robert H. Edmunds Jr.
- Mark Martin
- Sarah Parker
- Alan Z. Thornburg
- Robert F. Orr
- John Webb
- Jack L. Cozort
- John B. Lewis Jr.
- Ralph A. Walker
- Sidney S. Eagles Jr.
- Joe John
- S. Gerald Arnold
- Donald L. Smith
- Allyson Kay Duncan
- Burley Mitchell
- Clifton E. Johnson
- Willis Whichard
- Charles Becton
- Richard Erwin
- Robert M. Martin
- Fred Hedrick
- James M. Baley Jr.
- Walter E. Brock
- David M. Britt
- James C. Farthing
- Naomi E. Morris
- Raymond B. Mallard
- Hugh B. Campbell
- Francis M. Parker
- Earl W. Vaughn
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "GS_7A-16". www.ncleg.net. Retrieved 2016-01-07.
- ^ "Court of Appeals Celebrates 40th Anniversary". NC Bar Association site.
- ^ "NC Policy Watch: McCrory signs Senate Bill 4". pulse.ncpoliciywatch.org.
- ^ Orth & Newby 2013, p. 130.
- ^ "About the Court of Appeals". North Carolina Judicial Branch. North Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts. Retrieved May 26, 2024.
- ^ "North Carolina Supreme Court Historical Society". NCSCHS.NET. Retrieved December 15, 2019., Older Link for N.C. Supreme Court Historical Society Archived 2016-07-27 at the Wayback Machine
Works cited
edit- Orth, John V.; Newby, Paul M. (2013). The North Carolina State Constitution (second ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199300655.