It’s the “Judges in the News” edition today on our blog.

Pamela Harris will join the Fourth Circuit to replace Judge Andre Davis, who took senior status earlier this year.  Judge Harris was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on Monday, clearing the way for her to fill the last open seat on the appellate court.  The once desperately understaffed court now boasts a full complement of 15 judges and 2 active senior judges.

Also, former Supreme Court of North Carolina Justice Patricia Timmons-Goodson was appointed to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights over the weekend.

Today, the North Carolina Court of Appeals issued a handful of opinions in cases for which Chief Judge John Martin sat on the panel.  While it is exceedingly rare for the court to issue opinions three times in one month, today’s batch was made necessary by the Chief’s retirement scheduled for later this week.  No word yet on who will be appointed to fill the seat or who is running for the seat in November.

Finally, Chief Justice Parker has designated Judge Linda McGee as the new Chief Judge of the North Carolina Court of Appeals, effective August 1.

We wish all four jurists the best in their new positions.

–Matt Leerberg