# North Carolina Court of Appeals

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. 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."
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.

## History

The creation of a Court of Appeals in North Carolina was first authorized by a constitutional amendment in 1965, but did not occur until a statute was made effective on January 1, 1967.

## Function

The Court of Appeals, along with the Supreme Court, constitute the Appellate Division within North Carolina's unified court system, the General Court of Justice. Its structure is determined by statute.
The court comprises 15 members, with one designated as a chief judge by the chief justice of the Supreme Court of North Carolina. Judges of the court are elected in statewide races to serve eight-year terms. Judges of the court convene in three member panels to hear cases. Rulings of one panel are binding upon other panels of the court and lower courts and can only be overruled by the Supreme Court.

## Current judges

| Seat | Name | Born | Joined | Term ends | Mandatory retirement | Law school | Party affiliation |
| 6 | Chris Dillon, Chief Judge | 1965 (age 59–60) | January 1, 2013 | 2028 | April 30, 2041 | North Carolina | Republican |
| 9 | Donna Stroud | (1964-06-28) June 28, 1964 (age 60) | January 1, 2007 | 2030 | June 30, 2040 | Campbell | Republican |
| 10 | John M. Tyson | (1953-07-14) July 14, 1953 (age 71) | January 1, 2015 | 2030 | July 31, 2029 | Campbell | Republican |
| 14 | Valerie Zachary | 1962 (age 62–63) | July 31, 2015 | 2032 | August 31, 2038 | Harvard | Republican |
| 1 | John S. Arrowood | (1956-11-04) November 4, 1956 (age 68) | April 24, 2017 | 2026 | November 30, 2032 | North Carolina | Democratic |
| 3 | Allegra Collins | (1972-01-13) January 13, 1972 (age 53) | January 1, 2019 | 2026 | January 31, 2048 | Campbell | Democratic |
| 2 | Toby Hampson | (1975-12-20) December 20, 1975 (age 49) | January 1, 2019 | 2026 | December 31, 2051 | Campbell | Democratic |
| 7 | Jeff Carpenter | 1972 (age 52–53) | January 1, 2021 | 2028 | August 31, 2048 | Campbell | Republican |
| 4 | April C. Wood | 1973 (age 51–52) | January 1, 2021 | 2028 | 2049 | Regent | Republican |
| 5 | W. Fred Gore | 1974 (age 50–51) | January 1, 2021 | 2028 | 2050 | Appalachian | Republican |
| 13 | Jefferson Griffin | (1980-10-07) October 7, 1980 (age 44) | January 1, 2021 | 2028 | October 31, 2056 | NC Central | Republican |
| 8 | Julee T. Flood | (1961-07-07) July 7, 1961 (age 63) | January 1, 2023 | 2030 | July 31, 2037 | New Hampshire | Republican |
| 11 | Michael J. Stading | (1981-01-24) January 24, 1981 (age 44) | January 1, 2023 | 2030 | January 31, 2057 | Campbell | Republican |
| 12 | Tom Murry | (1977-05-08) May 8, 1977 (age 47) | January 1, 2025 | 2032 | May 31, 2053 | Campbell | Republican |
| 15 | Chris Freeman | (1977-08-05) August 5, 1977 (age 47) | January 1, 2025 | 2032 | August 31, 2053 | Regent | Republican |
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.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000013-QINU`"'
* ↑ Previously elected to Seat 13 in 2000, and took office January 1, 2001 – December 31, 2008.
* ↑ Previously appointed to Seat 12 and took office September 7, 2007 – December 31, 2008.

## Former judges

A partial list of former judges is listed below:
* 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