Parker Appointed Supreme Court Chief

Associate Justice Sarah Parker has been tapped for the Supreme Court’s top post.
Last week, Gov. Mike Easley named Parker as chief justice to replace I. Beverly Lake Jr., who has reached mandatory retirement age and will step down at the end of the month.
“As a former prosecutor, attorney general and as a governor, I can say that Sarah Parker is one of the most well-respected justices on the bench,” Easley said in a press release. “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.”
A Charlotte native, she earned her undergraduate and law degrees from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She was in private practice for 15 years before being appointed to the state Court of Appeals.
She joined the Supreme Court in 1993.
Parker serves on the Governor’s Crime Commission, and has served on the UNC-Chapel Hill board of visitors and the N.C. Courts Commission. She is a member of the National Association of Women Judges, the N.C. Association of Women Attorneys and the Institute of Judicial Administration.