Paul Martin Newby (born May 5, 1955) is an American judge, who was first elected to a seat on 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 ...

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

. He was elected Chief Justice in 2020.

Early life and education

Newby was born in

Asheboro, North Carolina Asheboro is a city in and the county seat of Randolph County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 25,012 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Greensboro–High Point metropolitan area of the Piedmont Triad and is home of the sta ...

. He graduated from

Ragsdale High School Lucy Ragsdale High School, commonly known as Ragsdale High, is a public high school in Jamestown, North Carolina. Opened in 1959, Ragsdale is one of 26 high schools in Guilford County Schools. The areas that are zoned to Ragsdale's district includ ...

Jamestown, North Carolina Jamestown is a town in Guilford County, North Carolina, Guilford County, North Carolina, United States. It is a suburb of the nearby cities of Greensboro, North Carolina, Greensboro and High Point, North Carolina, High Point. The population was ...

. He is an

Eagle Scout Eagle Scout is the highest achievement or rank attainable in the Scouts BSA program of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). Since its inception in 1911, only four percent of Scouts have earned this rank after a lengthy review process. The Eagle Sc ...

and former

Scoutmaster A Scout leader or Scouter generally refers to the trained adult leader of a Scout unit. The terms used vary from country to country, over time, and with the type of unit. Roles There are many different roles a leader can fulfill depending on t ...

. A resident of

Raleigh, North Carolina Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the List of North Carolina county seats, seat of Wake County, North Carolina, Wake County in the United States. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, second-most ...

, Newby earned a bachelor's degree in Public Policy Studies from

Duke University Duke University is a private research university in Durham, North Carolina. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco and electric power industrialist James ...

in 1977 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 ...

degree from the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...

in 1980.

Career

After four years in private practice in

Kannapolis Kannapolis () is a city in Cabarrus and Rowan counties, in the U.S. state of North Carolina, northwest of Concord and northeast of Charlotte and is a suburb in the Charlotte metropolitan area. The city of Kannapolis was incorporated in 1984. Th ...

, a year as a counsel to a real estate developer, Vice President and General Counsel of

Cannon Mills The Cannon Mills Company was an American textile manufacturing company based in Kannapolis, North Carolina, that mainly produced towels and bed sheets. Founded in 1887 by James William Cannon, by 1914 the company was the largest towel and sheet ...

Realty and Development Corporation, Newby was appointed Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

in 1985, a post he held for almost twenty years. Following the resignation of North Carolina Supreme Court Justice Robert F. Orr, Newby was one of eight candidates, four Republicans and four Democrats, who filed in a special election to fill the vacant seat; he won that race with 23% of the vote for an eight-year term on the court in the statewide judicial elections. In the officially non-partisan race, Newby was endorsed by the

North Carolina Republican Party The North Carolina Republican Party (NCGOP) is the affiliate of the Republican Party in North Carolina. Michael Whatley has been the chair since 2019. History Nineteenth century Although Republicans first nominated a candidate for President o ...

—the

North Carolina Democratic Party The North Carolina Democratic Party (NCDP) is the North Carolina affiliate of the Democratic Party. It is headquartered in the historic Goodwin House, located in Raleigh. Governor Roy Cooper is a North Carolina Democrat. Since the 2010 passage of ...

refused to endorse any candidate in the race. He is an adjunct professor at the

Campbell University Campbell University is a private Baptist university in Buies Creek, North Carolina. It is affiliated with the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina (Southern Baptist Convention). Southern Baptist ConventionColleges and Universities sbc.net ...

Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law The Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law (also known as Campbell Law School or Campbell University School of Law) is a private law school in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1976, the law school is one of six graduate programs ...

, and the co-author of a book on the

North Carolina Constitution The Constitution of the State of North Carolina governs the structure and function of the state government of North Carolina, one of the United States; it is the highest legal document for the state and subjugates North Carolina law. All U.S. st ...

. In November 2012, he won re-election to a second eight-year term, defeating Sam Ervin, IV. On November 3, 2020, Newby was elected North Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice, for an eight-year term beginning Jan. 1, 2021. He was sworn in as the 30th Chief Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court shortly after midnight.

Awards and associations

James Iredell James Iredell (October 5, 1751 – October 20, 1799) was one of the first Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States. He was appointed by President George Washington and served from 1790 until his death in 1799. His son, James Iredel ...

Award,

Phi Alpha Delta Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity, International ( or P.A.D.) is the largest professional law fraternity in the United States. Founded in 1902, P.A.D. has since grown to 717 established pre-law, law, and alumni chapters and over 330,000 initiated m ...

*Honorary Doctor of Laws,

Southern Wesleyan University Southern Wesleyan University is a private Christian university in Central, South Carolina. It was founded in 1906 by what is now the Wesleyan Church. The institution is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on ...

*Heroism Award, Boy Scouts of America *God and Service Award, Boy Scouts of America *Former Vice President, North Carolina Bar Association *Scoutmaster, Emeritus of Troop 11,

Boy Scouts of America The Boy Scouts of America (BSA, colloquially the Boy Scouts) is one of the largest scouting organizations and one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with about 1.2 million youth participants. The BSA was founded i ...

Electoral history

Notes

References

"Watauga Democrat" article - Newby Seeks Second Term

External links

The North Carolina Court System, Paul Martin Newby

Paul Newby's Official Website

Project Vote Smart, Associate Justice Paul M. Newby (NC)

''Star News Online'', "State Supreme Court rules eyeballing not enough proof for drug evidence", June 21, 2010

, - 1955 births 20th-century American lawyers 21st-century American lawyers 21st-century American judges Assistant United States Attorneys Chief Justices of the North Carolina Supreme Court Justices of the North Carolina Supreme Court Living people North Carolina Republicans People from Asheboro, North Carolina Sanford School of Public Policy alumni Southern Wesleyan University alumni University of North Carolina School of Law alumni {{NorthCarolina-politician-stub