Madam Chief Justice
From Gov. Easley's office:
RALEIGH – Gov. Mike Easley today named Sarah Parker as Chief Justice of the N.C. Supreme Court. Parker is currently serving her second term as an Associate Justice on the Court. Parker will replace I. Beverly Lake Jr. who is retiring at the end of the month.“As a former prosecutor, attorney general and as governor, I can say that Sarah Parker is one of the most well respected justices on the bench,” said Easley. “She is highly regarded in the law enforcement, legal and business community. She is well known for her fairness and independence which is necessary for an effective judiciary. I am confident in her ability to lead the Supreme Court at this time.”
“Sarah is the logical choice and I think highly of her,” said Chief Justice I. Beverly Lake. “She is an excellent jurist with a keen analytical mind. She will do an exceptional job.”
Parker, a native of Charlotte, earned her undergraduate and her law degrees at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She served as an attorney in private practice for 15 years before being appointed to the N.C. Court of Appeals in 1984. She served on the Court of Appeals until 1993 when she joined the N.C. Supreme Court.
N+R editorial board member Doug Clark has some analysis of the political ramifications of this over at his "Off the Record" blog.