Cheri Lynn Beasley (born February 14, 1966) is an American attorney and jurist who served as the chief justice of the
North Carolina Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of the State of North Carolina is the state of North Carolina's highest appellate court. Until the creation of the North Carolina Court of Appeals in the 1960s, it was the state's only appellate court. The Supreme Court consists ...
from 2019 to 2020; she was appointed an associate justice in 2012. Beasley had previously served on the
North Carolina Court of Appeals
The North Carolina Court of Appeals (in case citation, N.C. Ct. App.) is the only intermediate appellate court in the state of North Carolina. It is composed of fifteen members who sit in rotating panels of three. The Court of Appeals was created ...
and as a district court judge in
Cumberland County, North Carolina
Cumberland County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 334,508, making it the List of counties in North Carolina, fifth-most populou ...
.
Beasley was the
Democratic nominee in the
2022 United States Senate election in North Carolina. She lost to Republican nominee
Ted Budd
Theodore Paul Budd (born October 21, 1971) is an American businessman and politician who has served as the U.S. representative for since 2017. A member of the Republican Party, his district covers the north-central part of the state.
Budd was ...
.
Education
Beasley earned a Bachelor of Arts in
political science
Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...
and
economics
Economics () is the social science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services.
Economics focuses on the behaviour and intera ...
at
Douglass College
Douglass Residential College, is an undergraduate, non degree granting higher education program of Rutgers University-New Brunswick for women. It succeeded the liberal arts degree-granting Douglass College after it was merged with the other und ...
of
Rutgers University–New Brunswick
Rutgers University–New Brunswick is one of three regional campuses of Rutgers University, New Jersey's public research university. It is located in New Brunswick and Piscataway. It is the oldest campus of the university, the others being in ...
in 1988 and a
Juris Doctor
The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law
and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...
from the
University of Tennessee College of Law
The University of Tennessee College of Law is the law school of the University of Tennessee located in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1890, the College of Law is fully accredited by the American Bar Association and is a charter member of the Ass ...
in 1991. She also earned a
Master of Laws
A Master of Laws (M.L. or LL.M.; Latin: ' or ') is an advanced postgraduate academic degree, pursued by those either holding an undergraduate academic law degree, a professional law degree, or an undergraduate degree in a related subject. In mos ...
from
Duke University School of Law
Duke University School of Law (Duke Law School or Duke Law) is the law school of Duke University, a private research university in Durham, North Carolina. One of Duke's 10 schools and colleges, the School of Law is a constituent academic unit th ...
in 2018.
Judicial career
Beasley spent her first years after law school as an assistant public defender in
Cumberland County, North Carolina
Cumberland County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 334,508, making it the List of counties in North Carolina, fifth-most populou ...
.
She was first appointed to the bench as a state
district court judge by Governor
Jim Hunt
James Baxter Hunt Jr. (born May 16, 1937) is an American politician and retired attorney who was the List of governors of North Carolina, 69th and 71st Governor of North Carolina (1977–1985, and 1993–2001). He is the longest-serving governo ...
in 1999, and then elected in a 2002 election. She was reelected without opposition in 2006. She served as a Judge in District 12 (Cumberland County) until her election to the Court of Appeals.
Appellate court
In
2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
, Beasley was elected to the
North Carolina Court of Appeals
The North Carolina Court of Appeals (in case citation, N.C. Ct. App.) is the only intermediate appellate court in the state of North Carolina. It is composed of fifteen members who sit in rotating panels of three. The Court of Appeals was created ...
, defeating incumbent
Douglas McCullough
J. Douglas McCullough is an American lawyer and former judge of the North Carolina Court of Appeals. McCullough retired in 2017.
Education and career
After earning a history degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1967 and ...
by a 15-point margin. In that election, she became the first Black woman to win election to statewide office in North Carolina without first being appointed by a governor. In December 2012, after four years on the Court of Appeals, Beasley was appointed to the
North Carolina Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of the State of North Carolina is the state of North Carolina's highest appellate court. Until the creation of the North Carolina Court of Appeals in the 1960s, it was the state's only appellate court. The Supreme Court consists ...
by Governor
Beverly Perdue, filling the vacancy created by Justice
Patricia Timmons-Goodson
Patricia Ann "Pat" Timmons-Goodson (born September 18, 1954) is an American judge and politician who served on the North Carolina Supreme Court from 2006 to 2012. She previously served on the United States Commission on Civil Rights and is a form ...
's retirement. She was elected to a full eight-year term in
2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
.
On February 12, 2019, Governor
Roy Cooper
Roy Asberry Cooper III (born June 13, 1957) is an American attorney and politician, serving as the 75th governor of North Carolina since 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 49th attorney general of North Carolina from 20 ...
appointed Beasley to the position of
chief justice after
Mark Martin
Mark Anthony Martin (born January 9, 1959) is a retired American stock car racing driver. He has the second most wins all time in what is now the Xfinity Series with 49. He scored 40 Cup Series wins. He finished second in the NASCAR Cup Series st ...
retired, making her the first African-American woman to serve as chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court.
Beasley ran for a full term as chief justice in the
2020 election, losing by 401 votes to
Associate Justice
Associate justice or associate judge (or simply associate) is a judicial panel member who is not the chief justice in some jurisdictions. The title "Associate Justice" is used for members of the Supreme Court of the United States and some state ...
Paul Martin Newby. After leaving office, she joined
McGuireWoods
McGuireWoods LLP is a US-based international law firm. Their largest offices are in Richmond, Virginia, Charlotte, North Carolina and Chicago, Illinois.
History
1800s–1960s
McGuireWoods traces its origins to two lawyers, Egbert R. Watson and ...
as a
partner
Partner, Partners, The Partner, or, The Partners may refer to:
Books
* ''The Partner'' (Grisham novel), by John Grisham, 1997
* ''The Partner'' (Jenaro Prieto novel), 1928
* ''The Partners'' (book), a 1983 book by James B. Stewart
* ''Partner'' (m ...
in the law firm's Raleigh office.
2022 U.S. Senate campaign
In February 2021, various media outlets reported that Beasley was considering running in the
2022 U.S. Senate election in North Carolina. ''
The News & Observer
''The News & Observer'' is an American regional daily newspaper that serves the greater Triangle area based in Raleigh, North Carolina. The paper is the largest in circulation in the state (second is the '' Charlotte Observer''). The paper has be ...
'' reported in March 2021 that Beasley had decided to enter the race for the Senate seat being vacated by retiring Senator
Richard Burr
Richard Mauze Burr (born November 30, 1955) is an American businessman and politician who is the senior United States senator from North Carolina, serving since 2005. A member of the Republican Party, Burr was previously a member of the United ...
.
She launched her campaign on April 27, 2021. On May 17, she won the Democratic primary election. She lost the general election to Republican nominee
Ted Budd
Theodore Paul Budd (born October 21, 1971) is an American businessman and politician who has served as the U.S. representative for since 2017. A member of the Republican Party, his district covers the north-central part of the state.
Budd was ...
.
Personal life
Beasley is married to Curtis Owens, a scientist. They have twin sons. In 2014, Beasley was the featured speaker at
Saint Augustine's University
Saint Augustine's University is a private historically black Christian college in Raleigh, North Carolina. It was founded by Episcopal clergy in 1867 for the education of freed slaves.
History
Founded in 1867 as Saint Augustine's Normal ...
's Lyceum Leadership Speaker Series. She was the
commencement speaker to the 2018 class of
University of Tennessee College of Law
The University of Tennessee College of Law is the law school of the University of Tennessee located in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1890, the College of Law is fully accredited by the American Bar Association and is a charter member of the Ass ...
. Beasley was also the keynote speaker at
Samford University
Samford University is a private Christian university in Homewood, Alabama. In 1841, the university was founded as Howard College by Baptists. Samford University describes itself as the 87th oldest institution of higher learning in the United Sta ...
’s
Cumberland School of Law
Cumberland School of Law is an American Bar Association, ABA accredited law school at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama, United States. It was founded in 1847 at Cumberland University in Lebanon, Tennessee and is the 11th oldest law schoo ...
Black Law Students Association's 24th Annual Thurgood Marshall Symposium.
In 2019, she was the undergraduate commencement speaker for nearly 900 graduates at
Fayettesville State University and the commencement speaker for
Elon University's School of Law.
See also
*
Joe Biden Supreme Court candidates
With the advice and consent of the United States Senate, the president of the United States appoints the members of the Supreme Court of the United States, which is the highest court of the federal judiciary of the United States. Following his vi ...
*
List of African-American jurists
This list includes individuals self-identified as African Americans who have made prominent contributions to the field of law in the United States, especially as eminent judges or legal scholars. Individuals who may have obtained law degrees or ...
*
List of female state supreme court justices Female state supreme court justices
First female justices
Below is a list of the names of the first woman to sit on the highest court of their respective states in the United States.
The first state with a female justice was Ohio; Florence E. ...
*
List of justices of the North Carolina Supreme Court
References
External links
Cheri Beasley for North Carolinacampaign website
*
, -
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Beasley, Cheri
1966 births
21st-century American judges
21st-century American women judges
African-American judges
Chief Justices of the North Carolina Supreme Court
Living people
North Carolina Court of Appeals judges
North Carolina Democrats
Justices of the North Carolina Supreme Court
Rutgers University alumni
University of Tennessee College of Law alumni
Women chief justices of state supreme courts in the United States
Public defenders
21st-century African-American women
21st-century African-American people
20th-century African-American people
20th-century African-American women
Duke University School of Law alumni
Candidates in the 2022 United States Senate elections