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Judge, NC Court of Appeals ("Wynn" seat)

Date of birth

March 17, 1954 in Martin County, North Carolina 

Occupation

Senior Associate Judge, NC Court of Appeals     

Address

P.O. Box 1091; Raleigh, N.C.   27602 

Web site/e-mail address

www.judgewynn.com

Education

• Robersonville High School, Robersonville, North Carolina
• UNC-Chapel Hill, Journalism (B.A.)
• Marquette University Law School, Juris Doctorate (J.D.)
• University of Virginia School of Law, Master of Laws in Judicial Process,(L.L.M.)
• Naval Justice School, Newport, RI, UCMJ Art. 27(b) Certification; UCMJ Arts 42(a) and (b) Military Judge Certification.

Elective experience

Eighteen years as a Judge in North Carolina on the Supreme Court and Court of Appeals; elected three times to the North Carolina Court of Appeals.  Appointed to the Supreme Court for three months in 1998.  Nominated twice by the President of the United States to serve on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.  Elected Chair of the 4000-member Judicial Division of the American Bar Association.

Professional credentials (specialized training or experience)

·         Senior Associate Judge, NC Court of Appeals

·         Associate Justice, NC Supreme Court (1998)

·         Military Judge, U.S. Navy, Certified under Articles 42(a) of Uniform Code of Military Justice

·         Immediate Past Chair, Judicial Division, American Bar Association (ABA)

·         Former Chair, ABA Appellate Judges Conference

·         Executive Board, Division Chair, National Conference of Uniform State Laws

·         Vice Chair, Board of Directors, Justice At Stake Campaign

·         Past Vice President, North Carolina Bar Association

·         Former Trustee, North Carolina Interest on Lawyer Trust Account (IOLTA) Committee

·         Judicial Council, North Carolina Association of Black Lawyers

·         Former Trustee, Pitt Community College, Greenville, N.C.

·         Fitch, Butterfield & Wynn, Attorneys at Law, Wilson and Greenville, NC, 1984-90

Honors and Awards:

• Marquette University, "All University Alumni Merit Award"
• Marquette University School Of Law, "Hallows Fellow and Visiting Scholar"
• National Bar Association Raymond Pace Alexander Award
• UNC Alumni Harvey Beech Achievement Award
• General Baptist Convention Martin Luther King Achievement Award
• Warren Burger Scholarship for John Marshall Harlan Symposium on Comparative Law in England and Scotland
• N.C. Academy of Trial Lawyers Appellate Judge of the Year
• Commanding Officer, Navy Reserve Trial Judiciary Unit
• Commanding Officer, Navy Reserve Legal Service Office, Jacksonville, Florida
• Commanding Officer, Navy Reserve Civil Law Support, Atlanta, GA
• Captain, JAG Corps, U.S. Navy Reserve

Family

Wife, Jacqueline Dee (Rollins) Wynn -- Associate Director of Area Health Education Center, UNC-Chapel Hill; Three sons:  Javius (third year  Harvard Law School); Conlan (second year Old Dominion University), and Jaeander (Middle School).                

Why have you chosen to run for this office?

I have been honored to serve the people and justice system of our great State as an appellate judge for almost eighteen years, and I have worked hard to apply the law fairly and to treat everyone with respect.  My highest priorities as a judge have been, and if reelected will remain, to serve as a fair and impartial judge; to ensure that our Courts are open and provide access to justice for all of our citizens; to be accountable to the Constitution and law; and to ensure that individual rights of our citizens are protected by upholding the Constitution. 

I seek to remain on this Court to continue the privilege of serving the people of the State of North Carolina.  It has been my honor to also serve our country for the past twenty-nine years as a Navy Reservist with the current rank of Navy Captain.

What about your training and experience most qualifies you for this position?

I am currently the Senior Associate Judge on the North Carolina Court of Appeals, where I have served for almost eighteen years.  I also served briefly on the North Carolina Supreme Court and was twice nominated for a seat on the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.  I believe in the critical importance of public service to one's community, and I seek to remain on this Court to continue the privilege of acting as a public servant to our State.

In addition to sitting on the Court of Appeals, I have served our country for over twenty-nine years in the United States Navy Reserves, including my current duty as a Captain in the Navy JAG Corps and a Certified Military Trial Judge.  I also served as the 2007-08 Chair of the Judicial Division of the American Bar Association, where I appointed numerous North Carolina judges and justices to serve on ABA committees and to chair Judicial Division Committees.  Additionally, as Chair of the Judicial Division and a member of the World Justice Commission, I and other leaders in North Carolina convened a pilot Rule of Law Conference in July 2007 that brought together leaders from many career disciplines to discuss the importance of adhering to the rule of law.  That conference has now become a model for facilitating Rule of Law Conferences throughout the United States.

What do you see as a particular strength of our court system? 

Our court system, while not perfect, is a model for other countries who aspire to achieve the highest ideals of justice.  Our constitution and laws provide for due process of the law and access to justice for all citizens.  Our strength as a country depends on our continued efforts to enhance the public's confidence and trust in the integrity of our judicial system. 

Where does it fall short?

Last year, the Court of Appeals wrote 1,596 opinions.  Additionally, over 6,000 records, motions, and petitions were filed during that time.  In my years on this Court, I have written over 2,500 opinions.  This Court is one of the busiest in the nation, and relatively small for a state of our size.  We are challenged to maintain high-quality legal analysis in the face of a demanding workload.  We can best meet this challenge by selecting experienced judges with demonstrated legal skills in research and writing, and those who are committed to serving as fair and impartial jurists.

Diversity is another important challenge facing our Court of Appeals.  It is important that our courts reflect diversity of viewpoints, thought, and composition.  Such diversity helps to promote the public's confidence and trust in the integrity of the judiciary.

What can be done to help the public better understand the role of our appellate courts?

Each judge owes a duty to help to educate the public on the role of our courts and the judiciary.  Specifically, we should seek to speak in our schools and before organizations and groups to help promote the value of our judicial process.  A judge should also seek to continue learning about the judicial process by participating in seminars, lectures and events with other judges. 

How can you make a distinct impact on the quality of decisions rendered by the court?

Maintaining an open mind and working to ensure that our courts are fair and open to all citizens are the hallmarks of a good judge.  It is important that a judge remains humble in dispensing justice; after all, the courts belong to our citizens, not individual judges.  Judges should learn from experience and build upon the past decisions to ensure that our system of justice is fair, consistent, and applied equally to all.  Judges also should treat all persons in the courtroom with respect and accord the highest degree of dignity towards the decision-making process.   

To what extent should judges or judicial candidates express their views about political and social issues of the day?

While the United States Supreme Court recently held that a State may not prohibit judges from expressing their views on disputed legal subjects as a matter of their First Amendment right, it is important to note that the Court also held that judges are not compelled to do so.  In fact, the Code of Judicial Conduct admonishes judges to work to uphold the integrity of the judiciary.  I adhere to the belief that a judge should refrain from announcing his or her views on disputed legal issues that may come before the court. 

Who would be the one current state or federal judge you most admire, and why?

I greatly admire Justice Patricia Timmons-Goodson on our Supreme Court.  I have known her since our days at UNC-Chapel Hill during which time she lost her father, who was a career Army soldier.  Steadfastly, with the strength of her mother and younger siblings, she kept working hard and eventually became one of the youngest judges in the State of North Carolina. 

Her early years, like mine, were spent in a segregated society.  That experience, coupled with her achievements, has given her a richness of view-point and insight on many of the issues that confront North Carolinians daily.   As a judge, she represents the very finest our citizens can offer.  She is scholarly, courteous, and fair.  She is a model for other judges in our state to follow.