Cheri Beasley
Encyclopedia
Cheri L. Beasley is a North Carolina lawyer and jurist who sits on the North Carolina Court of Appeals
. She was elected to the court in 2008
, defeating incumbent Douglas McCullough
. Beasley is the first black woman to win election to statewide office in North Carolina without first being appointed by a governor.
Beasley previously served as a state district court judge, serving District 12 (Cumberland County
). A graduate of Rutgers University
and of the University of Tennessee
College of Law, Judge Beasley was appointed to the bench by Governor Jim Hunt
in 1999, and then elected in a 2002 election. She was re-elected without opposition in 2006.
North Carolina Court of Appeals
The North Carolina Court of Appeals is the only intermediate appellate court in the state of North Carolina. It is composed of fifteen members who sit in rotating groups of three...
. She was elected to the court in 2008
North Carolina judicial elections, 2008
One justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court and six judges of the North Carolina Court of Appeals were elected to eight-year terms by North Carolina voters on November 4, 2008. This coincided with the presidential, U.S. Senate, U.S. House, gubernatorial, and Council of State elections.North...
, defeating incumbent Douglas McCullough
Douglas McCullough
J. Douglas McCullough is an American lawyer and judge of the North Carolina Court of Appeals.-Education and career:After earning a history degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1967 and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of South Carolina in 1970, McCullough served...
. Beasley is the first black woman to win election to statewide office in North Carolina without first being appointed by a governor.
Beasley previously served as a state district court judge, serving District 12 (Cumberland County
Cumberland County, North Carolina
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 302,963 people, 107,358 households, and 77,619 families residing in the county. The population density was 464 people per square mile . There were 118,425 housing units at an average density of 181 per square mile...
). A graduate of Rutgers University
Rutgers University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
and of the University of Tennessee
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...
College of Law, Judge Beasley was appointed to the bench by Governor Jim Hunt
Jim Hunt
James Baxter Hunt Jr. is an American politician who was the 69th and 71st Governor of the state of North Carolina . He is the longest-serving governor in the state's history.-Early life:...
in 1999, and then elected in a 2002 election. She was re-elected without opposition in 2006.