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The New COA

By Sean E. Andrussier

As we enter the new year, we'll see a different Court of Appeals.

Three judges (Tyson, McCullough, and Arrowood) are out, so we'll see three new judges: Beasley, Hunter, and Ervin.

The Court will have two Bob Hunters, which may be quite confusing.

The Court will consist overwhelmingly of Democrats (60%).

And most notably, the Court will have its first female majority ever (8-7), with Judge Beasley joining Judges McGee, Bryant, Calabria, Geer, Jackson, Stephens, and Stroud.

That's an amazing stat considering this: before the 1995 appointment of Judge McGee, only four women had ever served on the Court of Appeals in the first 28 years after the Court's formation in 1967 (those four included current N.C. Chief Justice Sarah Parker and Fourth Circuit Judge Allyson Duncan).

Indeed, in 2009 our entire appellate bench, both the Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court, will be split evenly among men and women, 11-11, under the leadership of a female Chief Justice.

Full post as published by North Carolina Appellate Blog on December 29, 2008 (boomark / email).