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Office you seek
Judge, North Carolina Court of Appeals  

Date of birth
March 30, 1947  

Occupation
Attorney in Private Practice with Hunter, Higgins, Miles, Elam & Benjamin, PLLC

Address
Business: Suite 500, 101 West Friendly Avenue, Greensboro, N.C. 27401 

Web site/e-mail address
www.hunterforjudge.com  

Education
University of North Carolina B.A. (1969); University of North Carolina School of Law J.D. (1973)  

Elective experience
None      

Professional credentials (specialized training or experience) 
Private practice of law 1976 to present; "a.v."(highest level of professional excellence") rated by Martindale-Hubble, Deputy Attorney General North Carolina Department of Justice (1976); Chairman State Board of Elections (1985-1989); Member North Carolina Criminal Justice Training & Standards Council (1976); Member, Advisory Council for Public Campaign Financing Fund (2003-2005); Superior Court Mediator (1992 to present); Family Financial Mediator (1999 to present); District Court Arbitrator; Public Administrator for Guilford County (1983 to 1994); Financial Industry Regulatory Authority Arbitrator; Adjunct Professor of Law Wake Forest Law School (2006, 2008) Adjunct Professor of law Elon University School of Law (2008);  Joseph Branch Inn of Court (1996 to present).  Admitted to practice in North Carolina State Courts, Western, Middle and Eastern United States District Courts for North Carolina, 4^th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, and United States Supreme Court; Member American Bar Association, N.C. Bar Association, Chairman  NCBA Section on Constitutional Rights and Responsibilities (2000);Greensboro Bar Association; Vice-President of BarCares, Inc.

Family
Married to Susan Awbrey Hunter together we have 3 sons, two daughters in law and one grandchild.  

Why have you chosen to run for this office?
I am running for this office because I appreciate the opportunities that the state and my community have afforded me in my professional and private life and would like to end my career in public service paying back to the state and community for these opportunities.  

What about your training and experience most qualifies you for this position?
This August, I will observe my thirty-fifth year as a member of the bar. Early in my career, I served in state government including a brief time as Deputy Attorney General.  For rest of the thirty-two years, I have practiced law in private practice as a solo practitioner, a member of a small firm, and as a partner in an international large firm based in Washington, D.C.   As a general practitioner I have handled commercial and residential real estate transactions, complex civil litigation, criminal cases-including a MAR death penalty representation, contested estates matters, and voting cases.  I have also served as an adjunct faculty teaching Business Law at the University of North Carolina Greensboro and Election Law at Wake Forest University and Elon University School of Law. During this time, I have tried hundreds of cases to a jury or the bench. These experiences, in my judgment, have prepared me for and are an asset for service on the N.C. Court of Appeals.  

What do you see as a particular strength of our court system?
The men and women who serve as court officials and public servants who seek to administer the law under difficult circumstances with courtesy and efficiency. 

Where does it fall short?
The resources which the court system is given to operate has fallen below that which a modern, efficient organization should operate.  For example, the salaries paid to our Supreme Court Chief Justice and other judicial officials are a fraction of that which is paid to attorneys in private practice.  Some associate attorneys starting at large private firms are paid more than our Superior Court judges.  Often young attorneys cannot afford to work for legal aid or public agencies because the starting salaries will not allow them to pay their loans back for the costs of law school.  This is a problem in attracting qualified and dedicated people to seek public service as a life long career.  

What can be done to help the public better understand the role of our appellate courts?
While electing appellate judges has many drawbacks, election campaigns give candidates the opportunity to explain the role of appellate courts to the public and to educate them regarding the rule of law. 

How can you make a distinct impact on the quality of decisions rendered by the court?
The court of appeals consists of fifteen judges who hear cases in panels of three.  Sometimes one panel's opinion will conflict with another panel's opinion on the same issues. As a regular reader of these opinions, I am troubled by these conflicts because journeymen attorneys and judges who must apply these opinions will have difficulty understanding the law.  If elected it would be my aspiration in the opinions I author or participate to write clear opinions which are of use to this audience of practitioners and the public. 

To what extent should judges or judicial candidates express their views about political and social issues of the day?
A sitting judge should not express their views about issues which have the potential to come before him as a judge. For sitting judges, the public can read their opinions determine their ability to set aside their political or social bias in reaching decisions.  Judicial candidates, who are not sitting judges, should refrain from expressing their views on similar issues other than to pledge to be fair and evenly apply the law, regardless of their political and social views.  

Who would be the one current state or federal judge you most admire, and why?
Wake County Superior Court Judge Howard Manning is the judge I most admire for the Leandro work he is doing to assure that all children in North Carolina receive a "sound basic education" as assured by the state constitution.