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’s law library. 

In his remarks, Newby shares the context in which the Mecklenburg Declaration was signed, and the controversy over its authenticity. 

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 Education during desegregation. In the interview, Harris shares about attending college and law school immediately following the Great Depression, having former Chief Justice Susie Sharp as a contemporary, and balancing life as a mother and attorney.

"You're making a big commitment when you determine to be a lawyer and it becomes a major part of your life, but shouldn't be all of your life," said Harris on the podcast. "You still have your family and your community to which you still have a responsibility. I think you need to face this fact and make sacrifices where necessary."

This interview was conducted by former Executive Director of the Chief Justice's Commission on Professionalism Mel Wright for the Commission's Historical Video Series. A full version of the interview can be found on the NCcourts Youtube channel.

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, the different levels of our courts, and expressed sincere appreciation for their time serving people through their court positions. The panel was recorded before a live audience in March 2024.

"One of the things that made me want to be a part of our court system is that it's the last place left where we can get Republicans and Democrats working quietly together trying to solve people's problems," said Mangum on the podcast. "You have elected public servants who care about what they do and you never hear their names, which is the way it ought to be."

Franklin Freeman was a senior assistant to Governor Mike Easley. Prior to that position, he served as an associate justice on the North Carolina Supreme Court and as chief of staff to Governor Jim Hunt. In addition, Freeman served as director of the North Carolina Administrative Office of Courts and as secretary of the North Carolina Department of Corrections.

Ned W. Mangum served as a Wake County district court judge for over 16 years, including over two years as Wake County chief district court judge. Before that, he served as Wake County district attorney and as an assistant district attorney. 

Colon Willoughby's 27-year career as Wake County’s district attorney ranks him as one of North Carolina's longest-serving district attorneys. In addition, Willoughby served as president of the Wake County Academy of Trial Lawyers, director of the Wake County Bar Association, president of the North Carolina Conference of District Attorneys, and a member of the National District Attorney’s Association board of directors.

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, his legal career in Charlotte, and outlines what professionalism means for lawyers in North Carolina’s legal community.

"A lawyer cannot have his or her ethics determined by the client, even it it means losing the client," said Parker on the podcast. "If a lawyer purports to be his client's lacky, and engage in activities that he ought not to, sooner or later he's going to be in real trouble."

This interview was conducted by former Executive Director of the Chief Justice's Commission on Professionalism Mel Wright for the Commission's Historical Video Series. A full version of the interview can be found on the NCcourts Youtube channel.

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, District Court Judge for Pitt County. This episode is hosted by Mike Silver, Training and Services Director for the North Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts.

"This idea of ACEs and being trauma-informed in our courtrooms is a novel concept ... it hasn't really been (holistically) applied anywhere else in this country," said D.A. Banks on the podcast. "This Task Force was really at the cutting edge and I'm thankful for the leadership for pointing us in that direction."

The term "ACEs" refers to "adverse childhood experiences" and "adverse community environments." The Task Force's mission is to understand the impact of ACEs on children and develop strategies for addressing adverse childhood experiences within our court system.

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 interview was conducted in 2009 when he was awarded the Chief Justice's Professionalism Award from the Chief Justice's Commission on Professionalism.

"I always thought you ought to try to be an example, you ought to try to do it right, you ought to try to live to the standards of the profession at it's best," said Davis on the podcast.

Davis attended Davidson College and the University of North Carolina School of Law. He began his legal career in the U.S. Army J.A.G. Corps in Alabama before becoming President of the Van Winkle Law Firm in Asheville, NC. This interview was conducted by Attorney Philip J. Smith for the Chief Justice's Commission on Professionalism. A full version of the interview can be found on the NCcourts Youtube channel.

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 common theme that runs through the lives of the criminal defendants that she has prosecuted during her 25-year career. 

"In my experience the most common denominator of my defendants are that they have dropped out of high school and that they have been born and live in poverty," said Martin on the podcast. "I know that poverty can be a factor but it is not the defining moment of your life. Poverty does not mean crime." 

Chief A.D.A. Martin has served in the Forsyth County District Attorney's Office from 1999 to the present, and teaches as a member of the extended faculty at Elon University School of Law and High Point University School of Law. She graduated in 1996 with a B.A. in English from Wake Forest University and earned a J.D. from the Wake Forest University School of Law in 1999.

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 important aspects of serving as the district attorney is ensuring that each victim's voice is heard in court.

"I don't have all the answers to the ills of the justice system but I do think it is important that people are met with a sense of empathy," said Merriweather on the podcast. "It's important that people know that someone in their government is fighting for them." 

During his tenure as D.A., Merriweather has prioritized the prosecution of dangerous offenses by establishing and later expanding the Violent Crimes Team. In addition, he created a trauma-informed unit known as the Special Victims Team that works to seek justice for victims of domestic violence, child abuse, sexual assault, and human trafficking. 

Merriweather was sworn into office in 2017 and was subsequently elected in 2018.

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 March 2019 through December 2023 and was succeeded by Lenoir County attorney Jimbo Perry.

"Professionalism is important because it deals with things such as competency, ethics, and how you represent clients the best way you know how," Wright said on the podcast. "We have ethical rules that we have to abide by and that is the minimum. Professionalism is a step higher I think."

This interview was conducted in 2023 by the current Executive Director of the Chief Justice's Commission on Professionalism Jimbo Perry. A video of this interview can be found on the NCcourts YouTube channel.