All Things Judicial

In this episode, we feature excerpts from an interview with Russell M. Robinson II, the founding partner of the Robinson Bradshaw law firm. Robinson was born in Charlotte, NC, in 1932 and attended Princeton University for most of his undergraduate years. He then earned his Juris Doctor from the Duke University School of Law. Robinson is the author of Robinson on North Carolina Corporation Law , a...

In this episode, we welcome the Honorable Louis A. Bledsoe, III, the Chief Judge of the North Carolina Business Court. On the podcast, Bledsoe shares about his path to becoming an attorney and judge, the role of the Business Court and how it functions, and he reflects on the joys and challenges in today's legal community.  “My favorite part (of being a judge) has been, whether through the cas...

In this episode, we feature excerpts from a 2004 interview with late Judge Robinson O. Everett (1928-2009), former Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for Armed Forces. Everett graduated from Harvard University at age 19 and was admitted into the North Carolina Bar Association by age 22. Originally from Durham, North Carolina, Everett was part of Duke Law School's faculty for ov...

On this episode, we welcome Rufus Edmisten who served as the deputy chief counsel for the Senate Watergate Committee (1973-74). The Committee's final report, released on June 27, 1974, was partly responsible for the resignation of President Richard Nixon on August 9, 1974. On the podcast, Edmisten reflects on the high-profile nature of his work on the Committee, his relationship with Committe...

In this episode, we feature an excerpt of a 2004 interview with the late James D. Blount, Jr. (1927–2015), who worked as a prominent attorney in Rockingham and Wake counties. Blount's 50-year legal career included working as lead counsel in over 300 civil jury trials, and numerous stints serving as a volunteer in civic and community organizations. Originally from Wilson County, Blount served...

In this episode, we profile Safe Babies Court, a new specialty court that aims to reduce the time a child spends in foster care before reaching a safe and permanent home. Guests include Chief District Court Judge J. Corpening, District Court Judge Rebecca Eggers-Gryder, Safe Babies Court State Director Polly Handrahan, and Safe Babies Court State Coordinator Kristin Stout. The panel discusses the...

Today is "Meck Dec Day," a day that commemorates the signing of the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence on May 20, 1775. A date that is enshrined on the North Carolina state flag.  In this episode, we listen to a 2023 recording of Chief Justice Paul Newby explaining the significance of Meck Dec Day to an audience of law clerks and staff gathered in the Supreme Court of North Carolina...

In this episode, we feature an excerpt of an interview with the late Margaret Adams Harris (1916–2014) who worked as a prominent Guilford County attorney. Throughout her career, Harris was dedicated to public service. Most notably, she served on the Duke University board of trustees and worked to implement Title IX of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, and served as chair of the Greensboro City Board of E...

In this episode, we feature a panel of three experts on the North Carolina Judicial Branch: former Supreme Court of North Carolina Associate Justice and North Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts Director Franklin Freeman, former Wake County Chief District Court Judge Ned Mangum, and former Wake County District Attorney Colon Willoughby. The panel discussed the history of the court system,...

This episode of All Things Judicial features an excerpt of an interview with the late Francis I. Parker who served as a Mecklenburg County attorney for over 50 years. Parker was a founding member of the Parker Poe law firm, served in WWII and the Korean War, and held the position of associate justice of the Supreme Court of North Carolina . In the interview, Parker shares about his early years, hi...

In this episode, we focus on the Chief Justice's Task Force on ACEs-Informed Courts , which released its Final Report in November 2023. Podcast guests on this episode include Task Force members: Seth Banks, elected District Attorney for Avery , Madison , Mitchell , Watauga , and Yancey counties; Judge Angelica McIntyre, Chief District Court Judge for Robeson County; and Judge Mario Perez, Dis...

In this episode, we feature an excerpt of an interview with the late Roy W. Davis, Jr. who served as a Buncombe County attorney for almost 55 years. Davis held many prestigious positions in the legal community such as president and vice president of the North Carolina Bar Association, president of the 28th Judicial District Bar, and member of the North Carolina Board of Law Examiners. The intervie...

The latest episode of All Things Judicial features an interview with Chief Assistant District Attorney Jennifer L. Martin who has served as a Forsyth County prosecutor since 1999. On the podcast, Martin shared about her upbringing in Stokes County   and how the court led by U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren impacted her decision to become a lawyer. Later in the episode, she explored a c...

In this episode of All Things Judicial , we feature an interview with District Attorney Spencer Merriweather who has served as Mecklenburg County's chief prosecutor since 2017. On the podcast, Merriweather shared about his upbringing in Alabama where as a young boy he witnessed an impactful trial in which his mother served on the jury. Later in the episode, he explained that one of the most i...

In this episode of All Things Judicial , we features excerpts of an interview with former Chief Justice's Commission on Professionalism Executive Director Mel Wright who retired December 31, 2023. Wright became the Executive Director of the North Carolina Chief Justice’s Commission on Professionalism in November 1999, and served in that capacity until August 2017. He resumed this role from Ma...

In this episode of All Things Judicial , we  feature excerpts of an interview with former Forsyth County attorney William F. Womble (1916-2016) who was the very first recipient of the Chief Justice's Professionalism Award. He begin practicing law with Manly, Hendren & Womble immediately following graduation from Duke University School of Law in 1939. Just two years later, Womble was draft...

In this special episode of All Things Judicial , we celebrate North Carolina Constitution Day by featuring excerpts of a discussion between Chief Justice Paul Newby and former University of North Carolina School of Law Professor John Orth on the history of the North Carolina Constitution. North Carolina Constitution Day is December 18, the anniversary of the day the first North Carolina constituti...

In this episode, we feature excerpts of an interview with former Randolph County District Court Judge Lillian B. Jordan. She practiced family law for 17 years and served as a district court judge and emergency district court judge. In the interview, she discussed her early life and the monumental decision to go to law school, which was rare for women at that time. "One reason I wanted to go (...

In this episode,  we focus on Veterans Treatment Court (VTC) in District 11A which covers Harnett , Johnston , and Lee counties. Guests include Veterans Court Director Zane Campbell, District Attorney Suzanne Matthews (Prosecutorial District 12), and Harnett County Clerk of Superior Court Renee Whittenton. In the interview, guests discuss the court's process, the issues veterans face returnin...

The latest episode of All Things Judicial features excerpts of an interview with attorney G. Stevenson Crihfield from Guilford County . Crihfield practiced law for over 50 years in Guilford County and helped bring attention to mental health issues amongst attorneys. In the interview, he discussed his early life and career and shares a personal story about an attorney’s suicide that led him to focu...

Each Halloween season, All Things Judicial releases a special "Fright Court" episode, where the focus turns to ghostly legends associated with North Carolina's courthouses and legal community. IThis year, we focus on courthouse ghosts in New Hanover and Mitchell counties, and dive into the folklore of the 1866 murder of Laura Foster and subsequent trial and execution of her accused...

This episode features excerpts of an interview with attorney Claude R. Wheatly, Jr. from Beaufort County . Wheatly was licensed to practice law in 1941 but postponed his legal career to enlist in the U.S. Army after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor later that year. Post WWII, he returned to Beaufort County where he earned recognition and praise as a general practitioner for over 70 years. In the i...

In this episode, we focus on legal deserts and the lack of access to legal representation in some of North Carolina's rural communities. Our guest is the Chief Justice's Commission on Professionalism's (CJCP) Co-Executive Director Jimbo Perry. In addition, we hear from attorneys Sarah Beth Withers ( Beaufort ) and Reatter Neal ( Franklin ) who share about living and working as attor...

In this episode, we feature an interview with Raleigh attorney Robert L. McMillan, Jr. Focusing primarily on criminal defense, McMillan was licensed to practice law in 1949 and practiced almost continuously for more than 50 years–with the only interruption being called into military service for the Korean War. During the interview, McMillan shares about his early years in Wake and Scotland countie...