Mark Martin (judge)
Encyclopedia
Mark D. Martin is the Senior Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of North Carolina. With over fifteen years of service in the North Carolina judiciary, Martin is the only active member of the state judiciary with experience on the Supreme Court of North Carolina, the North Carolina Court of Appeals
, and the North Carolina Superior Court
. At the time of his installation in 1999, he was the youngest Supreme Court Justice in North Carolina history. He was also the youngest person ever elected to the state Court of Appeals.
degree, with honors, at the University of North Carolina School of Law
and received a B.S. degree, summa cum laude, from Western Carolina University
. He also has a Master of Laws (LL.M.) Degree in Judicial Process from the University of Virginia
. During law school, Martin served as Editor-in-Chief of the North Carolina Journal of International Law & Commercial Regulation and was inducted into the Davis Society.
. Following his clerkship, Martin practiced law at the McNair Law Firm in Raleigh, North Carolina
. He then served as Legal Counsel to James G. Martin
, the Governor of North Carolina
, until his appointment in 1992 as Resident Superior Court Judge in Pitt County, North Carolina
. From 1994 to 1999, he served as a Judge on the North Carolina Court of Appeals. He has served as an Associate Justice on the Supreme Court of North Carolina since January 1999, and has served as the Senior Associate Justice since February 2006. He was re-elected to an eight-year term in November 2006
.
Martin has served on the adjunct faculty at Duke University
School of Law, University of North Carolina School of Law
, and North Carolina Central University
School of Law.
(ABA), including the Advisory Commission to the World Justice Project, the Executive Committee of the Appellate Judges Conference, the Coalition for Justice, the Commission on State Court Funding, the John Marshall Award Review Committee, and The Judges’ Journal Editorial Board. He served as Chair of the ABA Judicial Division Program Committee in 2007-08. Martin has also been active within the Appellate Judges Education Institute (AJEI), serving as both a member and Chair of the Program Planning Committee.
Martin has assisted the North Carolina Bar Association in a number of ways, serving as Vice-President from 2000 to 2001 and participating as a member of the Litigation Section Council, the Strategic Planning and Emerging Trends Committee, the Minorities in the Profession Committee, the Committee for the Brown v. Board of Education
50th Anniversary Program, and the Multidisciplinary Practice Task Force.
Martin has served on various boards and commissions, including as Chair of the Chief Justice’s Commission on the Future of the North Carolina Business Court, Secretary of the North Carolina Judicial Conference, and Co-Chair of the North Carolina Judicial Conference Legislative Liaison Committee. He also served as a member of the Legislation and Law Reform Committee of the North Carolina Conference of Superior Court Judges, the North Carolina Council for Women, and the Board of Directors of the University of North Carolina Law Alumni Association.
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...
, and the North Carolina Superior Court
Superior court
In common law systems, a superior court is a court of general competence which typically has unlimited jurisdiction with regard to civil and criminal legal cases...
. At the time of his installation in 1999, he was the youngest Supreme Court Justice in North Carolina history. He was also the youngest person ever elected to the state Court of Appeals.
Education
Martin received his J.D.Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
degree, with honors, at the University of North Carolina School of Law
University of North Carolina School of Law
The University of North Carolina School of Law is a professional school within the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Established in 1845, Carolina Law is among the oldest law schools in the nation and is the oldest law school in North Carolina. It is consistently ranked in the top-tier...
and received a B.S. degree, summa cum laude, from Western Carolina University
Western Carolina University
Western Carolina University is a coeducational public university located in Cullowhee, North Carolina, United States. The university is a constituent campus of the University of North Carolina system....
. He also has a Master of Laws (LL.M.) Degree in Judicial Process from the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
. During law school, Martin served as Editor-in-Chief of the North Carolina Journal of International Law & Commercial Regulation and was inducted into the Davis Society.
Career
After graduating from law school, Martin served as a judicial law clerk to United States District Judge Clyde H. HamiltonClyde H. Hamilton
Clyde H. Hamilton is a United States federal judge.Born in Edgefield, South Carolina, Hamilton received a B.S. from Wofford College in 1956 and a J.D. from George Washington University Law School in 1961. He was in the United States Army Reserve Captain from 1956 to 1958. He was in private...
. Following his clerkship, Martin practiced law at the McNair Law Firm in Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh is the capital and the second largest city in the state of North Carolina as well as the seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's 2010 population was 403,892, over an area of , making Raleigh...
. He then served as Legal Counsel to James G. Martin
James G. Martin
James Grubbs "Jim" Martin is the 70th Governor of the state of North Carolina. He served from 1985 to 1993. He was the second Republican elected to the office after Reconstruction, and the fifth overall. He is also the only Republican to serve two full terms as governor.-Early Life &...
, the Governor of North Carolina
Governor of North Carolina
The Governor of North Carolina is the chief executive of the State of North Carolina, one of the U.S. states. The current governor is Bev Perdue, North Carolina's first female governor.-Powers:...
, until his appointment in 1992 as Resident Superior Court Judge in Pitt County, North Carolina
Pitt County, North Carolina
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 133,798 people, 52,539 households, and 32,258 families residing in the county. The population density was 205 people per square mile . There were 58,408 housing units at an average density of 90 per square mile...
. From 1994 to 1999, he served as a Judge on the North Carolina Court of Appeals. He has served as an Associate Justice on the Supreme Court of North Carolina since January 1999, and has served as the Senior Associate Justice since February 2006. He was re-elected to an eight-year term in November 2006
North Carolina judicial elections, 2006
Justices of the North Carolina Supreme Court and judges of the North Carolina Court of Appeals are elected to eight-year terms in statewide judicial elections. In 2006, allthese races were non-partisan...
.
Martin has served on the adjunct faculty at Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
School of Law, University of North Carolina School of Law
University of North Carolina School of Law
The University of North Carolina School of Law is a professional school within the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Established in 1845, Carolina Law is among the oldest law schools in the nation and is the oldest law school in North Carolina. It is consistently ranked in the top-tier...
, and North Carolina Central University
North Carolina Central University
North Carolina Central University is a public historically black university in the University of North Carolina system, located in Durham, North Carolina, offering programs at the baccalaureate, master’s, professional and doctoral levels....
School of Law.
Professional involvement
Martin has served on a number of entities within the American Bar AssociationAmerican Bar Association
The American Bar Association , founded August 21, 1878, is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. The ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of academic standards for law schools, and the formulation...
(ABA), including the Advisory Commission to the World Justice Project, the Executive Committee of the Appellate Judges Conference, the Coalition for Justice, the Commission on State Court Funding, the John Marshall Award Review Committee, and The Judges’ Journal Editorial Board. He served as Chair of the ABA Judicial Division Program Committee in 2007-08. Martin has also been active within the Appellate Judges Education Institute (AJEI), serving as both a member and Chair of the Program Planning Committee.
Martin has assisted the North Carolina Bar Association in a number of ways, serving as Vice-President from 2000 to 2001 and participating as a member of the Litigation Section Council, the Strategic Planning and Emerging Trends Committee, the Minorities in the Profession Committee, the Committee for the Brown v. Board of Education
Brown v. Board of Education
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, 347 U.S. 483 , was a landmark decision of the United States Supreme Court that declared state laws establishing separate public schools for black and white students unconstitutional. The decision overturned the Plessy v. Ferguson decision of 1896 which...
50th Anniversary Program, and the Multidisciplinary Practice Task Force.
Martin has served on various boards and commissions, including as Chair of the Chief Justice’s Commission on the Future of the North Carolina Business Court, Secretary of the North Carolina Judicial Conference, and Co-Chair of the North Carolina Judicial Conference Legislative Liaison Committee. He also served as a member of the Legislation and Law Reform Committee of the North Carolina Conference of Superior Court Judges, the North Carolina Council for Women, and the Board of Directors of the University of North Carolina Law Alumni Association.