news-record.com

BLOGS

Off the Record

Samet, Troutman and O'Hale

The Guilford County Bar yesterday nominated Jan H. Samet, Michael K. Troutman and Susan Yu O'Hale for the District Court judge seat being vacated by Patrice Hinnant.

Gov. Bev Perdue must appoint one of the three.

Last month, Perdue appointed Hinnant to the Superior Court bench, replacing retired Judge Henry Frye Jr.

Approximately 500 lawyers registered for Tuesday's meeting, President Richard Manger said -- more than a third of the Guilford County Bar. The vote totals were as follows:

Jan Samet, 275

Michael Troutman, 92

Susan O'Hale, 85

Lonnie Albright, 74

William Davis, 65

Angela Liverman, 60

Joyce Terres, 46

Linda Falls, 30

Lisa Johnson-Tonkins, 27

Cyrus Brown, 22

Moshera Mills, 21

Margaret Dudley, 20

Mary Katherine Nicholson, 18

Jeffrey Berman, 5

The really strong vote for Samet, a High Point attorney with more than 30 years in private practice, should get the governor's attention. But, obviously, Troutman and O'Hale also are respected by their peers.

All in all, I found this to be a very good process for selecting a judge. Members of the Bar know, better than the general public, who would and would not make the best judges.

Permalink

Posted by Doug Clark on Wednesday, October 28, 2009 at 10:17 am

This article has been closed to new comments. Comments are generally closed after 14 days. However, comments may be closed earlier at the discretion of the News & Record.

Inappropriate content? Please report abuse.

Advertisement | Advertise with Us

Spag

October 28, 2009 - 9:20 pm EDT

I think Lonnie Albright might have received more votes if he was a Democrat instead of a Republican. I think the bar understood that the chances of our Democratic governor appointing a Republican (even though it was the Democratic Party that made these races "non-partisan") were slim and none.

Doug

October 28, 2009 - 10:19 pm EDT

Gov. Perdue appointed Eric Levinson, a Republican, to the Superior Court bench in Mecklenburg County, so I'd say she's not 100 percent opposed to nonpartisanship when it comes to the judiciary.

Jan Samet is a registered Democrat but he's not political. He told me today he has no real political connections. I don't know how there's any sort of political advantage for Democrats in his potential appointment.

Spag

October 29, 2009 - 5:08 pm EDT

I'd have to say that you are in the minority in your thinking on the subject. Jan isn't a political actor, but trust me, this appointment is a partisan affair.

Spag

October 30, 2009 - 10:51 am EDT

That said, Jan was my top choice anyhow. Even though I think the appointment process is political, I don't believe that any of our District Court judges inject politics into their job. Jan would be no exception.