North Carolina Supreme Court
| North Carolina Supreme Court | |
|---|---|
| 180px
Seal of the Supreme Court of North Carolina
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| Established | 1818 |
| Country | North Carolina  , United States  |
| Location | Raleigh, North Carolina |
| Authorized by | North Carolina Constitution |
| Decisions are appealed to | Supreme Court of the United States |
| Judge term length | 8 years |
| Number of positions | 7 |
| Website | NCcourts.org |
| Chief Justice | |
| Currently | Mark Martin |
| Since | Sept. 2014 |
| Lead position ends | January 2023 |
The Supreme Court of the State of North Carolina is the state's highest appellate court. Until the creation of the North Carolina Court of Appeals in the 1960s, it was the state's only appellate court. The Supreme Court consists of six associate justices and one chief justice, although the number of justices has varied from time to time. The primary function of the Supreme Court is to decide questions of law that have arisen in the lower courts and before state administrative agencies.
Contents
History
The first North Carolina appellate court, created in 1799, was called the Court of Conference and consisted of several Superior Court (trial) judges sitting en banc twice each year to review appeals from their own courts. In 1805 it was named the Supreme Court, and a seal and motto were to be procured.[1]
From the time the North Carolina General Assembly created the Court as a distinct body in 1818 to 1868, the members of the Court were chosen by the General Assembly and served for life, or "during good behavior." The legislature appointed John Louis Taylor, Leonard Henderson, and John Hall as the first Supreme Court judges. The three judges were allowed to select their own Chief Justice, and they chose Taylor. The Court first met on January 1, 1819.
Since the adoption of the 1868 state constitution, each justice has been elected (separately, including a distinct Chief Justice position) by the people to an eight-year term. There are no term limits. Today, these races are non-partisan.
Susie Sharp became the court's first female justice in 1962 (and later, she became its first female chief justice). In 2011, the court had a female majority for the first time (that majority ended in 2014 with the retirement of Chief Justice Sarah Parker).[2]
The Supreme Court is housed in the Law and Justice Building, located across from the North Carolina State Capitol in Raleigh, North Carolina. The building was built in 1940 and underwent major renovations in 2005–2007.[3]
In 1975 a new seal was adopted. The old Latin phrase Suum cuique was amended to Suum cuique tribuere.[4]
Justices
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Current Justices
The Court's current (January 2015) members are:
| Name | Born | Joined | Term Ends[5] | Mandatory Retirement[6] | Law School Attended |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mark Martin, (Chief Justice) | 1963 | 1999 | 2022 | April 29, 2035 | University of North Carolina School of Law |
| Cheri Beasley | 1966 | 2013 | 2022 | February 14, 2038 | University of Tennessee College of Law |
| Robert H. Edmunds, Jr. | 1949 | 2001 | 2016 | April 17, 2021 | University of North Carolina School of Law |
| Sam J. Ervin, IV | 1955 | 2015 | 2022 | November 18, 2027 | Harvard School of Law |
| Robin E. Hudson | 1952 | 2007 | 2022 | February 20, 2024 | University of North Carolina School of Law |
| Barbara Jackson | 1961 | 2011 | 2018 | December 25, 2033 | University of North Carolina School of Law |
| Paul Martin Newby | 1955 | 2005 | 2020 | May 5, 2027 | University of North Carolina School of Law |
Chief Justices
Note that dates are for service as Chief Justice only. Many Chief Justices have also served as associate justices.
- John Louis Taylor (1818–1829)
- Leonard Henderson (1829–1833)
- Thomas Ruffin (1833–1852)
- Frederick Nash (1852–1858)
- Richmond Mumford Pearson (1858–1878)
- William Nathan Harrell Smith (1878–1889)
- Augustus Summerfield Merrimon (1889–1892)
- James E. Shepherd (1893–1895)
- William T. Faircloth (1895–1901)
- David M. Furches (1901–1903)
- Walter Clark (1903–1924)
- William A. Hoke (1924–1925)
- Walter P. Stacy (1925–1951)
- William A. Devin (1951–1954)
- M.V. Barnhill (1954–1956)
- J. Wallace Winborne (1956–1962)
- Emery B. Denny (1962–1966)
- R. Hunt Parker (1966–1969)
- William H. Bobbitt (1969–1974)
- Susie Sharp (1975–1979)
- Joseph Branch (1979–1986)
- Rhoda Billings (1986)
- James G. Exum (1986–1995)
- Burley Mitchell (1995–1999)
- Henry Frye (1999–2001)
- I. Beverly Lake, Jr. (2001–2006)
- Sarah Parker (2006–2014)
- Mark Martin (2014–present)
See also
Notes
- ↑ [1]
- ↑ News & Observer: Newest Madam Justice makes supremely female majority
- ↑ News & Observer: Renovated Law and Justice Building now open
- ↑ [2]
- ↑ 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 72 if they are still in office (see also http://judgepedia.org/Mandatory_Retirement).
External links
- North Carolina Supreme Court official page
- History of the NC Supreme Court
- History of the Supreme Court by Chief Justice Walter Clark (1919)
- NC Supreme Court Historical Society
- NC Manual of 1913 by Robert Digges Wimberly Connor
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