Former Chief Judge Martin Inducted Into Council of Chief Judges of the State Courts of Appeal Hall of Fame
Chief Judge Martin presides over the 40th anniversary of the N.C. Court of Appeals in 2008.
John C. Martin, former Chief Judge of the N.C. Court of Appeals, was recently inducted into the Council of Chief Judges of the State Courts of Appeal Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony was held during the organization’s 42nd Annual Conference, which took place October 24-30 in Boston.
The honor came as a surprise to Martin, who served as president of the Council of Chief Judges of the State Courts of Appeal in 2014 and brought the annual conference to North Carolina in 2016.
“It was a complete surprise,” said Martin, who attended the event virtually. “It meant so much to me because there are a lot of people in that organization who do a lot of good work. I was extremely honored.”
“We have about 100 members who attend these conferences and are actively involved in the group,” Martin said. “It attracts some of the best judicial and legal talent in the country to come to our meetings and speak to us and help determine better ways to administer the intermediate courts.”
Martin served on the N.C. Court of Appeals from 1985-88 and 1993-2014, and served as chief judge from 2004-14. He also served as a Superior Court judge, and chaired the N.C. Judicial Standards Commission from 2001-14.
Chief Judge John C. Martin, center, accepts the NCBA’s John J. Parker Award in 2013 from President Mike Wells, right, and Immediate Past President Martin Brinkley.
Martin received the NCBA’s highest honor, the John J. Parker Award, in 2013. He is a graduate of Wake Forest University and Wake Forest University School of Law.
John Connell, who served as Clerk of the N.C. Court of Appeals throughout Martin’s tenure as chief judge, lauded the efforts of his former boss and his induction into the hall of fame.
“John Martin was more engaged with the clerk’s office than any of the chiefs, all of whom were great and each of whom had his or her own style,” Connell said. “As an example, one of the first things he undertook when he became chief judge was to get long overdue pay raises for everyone on my staff. That is very telling about the sort of person that he is.
“He was fully engaged in everything that happened with the court during his watch, including the complete renovation of the building. He not only had to relocate the clerk’s office but the entire court. It was a huge logistical challenge, and he was integral in overseeing every aspect of the project, from figuring out how to hear cases while we didn’t have a courtroom to the reconfiguration of all of the offices within the court.”
Connell also praised Chief Judge Martin’s commitment to expediting opinions.
Chief Judge Martin cuts the ribbon on the newly renovated N.C. Court of Appeals Building in 2010.
“Within a year or two after he became chief judge,” Connell said, “he had cut in half the turnaround time that the Clerk of Court, collectively, was filing opinions. He used to say, ‘These cases don’t belong to us and they don’t belong to the attorneys, they belong to the parties. And hardship follows from our not getting these turned around with dispatch – we’ve got to do this.’ He was there every day setting that example because he felt like we owed it to the taxpayers to come to work and do the work.
“Every aspect of what he did on the court when he was on top of it made it better. And in addition to that, he is a fine person and a great friend, and anybody lucky enough to call John Martin a friend is better for it. I don’t know the specifics of everything he did for the Council of Chief Judges, but I know it was significant and I know he was venerated by that group. It is no surprise to me that they have acknowledged him in this way; the honor is highly appropriate and probably long overdue.”
NCBA Past President John R. Wester of Charlotte concurred wholeheartedly with the decision to honor Chief Judge Martin.
“Those of us who practice in our state’s courts have the frontline, recurring opportunity to witness our state’s blessing in those who serve our citizens as judges,” said Wester, who was a featured speaker at this year’s conference. “I have full confidence that John Martin exemplifies our blessing in the finest respect.
“During his 30-plus years on the bench, Judge Martin combined scholarship with collegiality and dedication to upholding the rule of law. He was more than an exemplary member of the bench. He chaired the Judicial Standards Commission, a guardian of the conduct of our judges, and he volunteered for committee service for the North Carolina Bar Association.
“It is gratifying to see that his fellow chief judges from across the nation have seen fit to recognize him with this most recent honor.”
Russell Rawlings is director of external affairs and communications for the North Carolina Bar Association.