Local DA to step up, ?ll Superior Court slot

After serving more than 20 years as the district attorney for Orange and Chatham counties, UNC alumnus Carl Fox was appointed an N.C. Superior Court judge March 14.

Gov. Mike Easley selected the longtime Chapel Hill resident — who attended the University as an undergraduate and through law school — to fill the newly created judgeship, responsible for Orange and Chatham counties. He will be sworn in Wednesday.

Superior court judges oversee felony trials and civil cases in which more than $10,000 is in dispute.

Fox said a good judge has to be patient, fair and honest.

“A judge must be accessible, a good listener, fair, and he must be able to expect the unexpected,” he said.

“But I can’t forget what it’s like to be the lawyer on the other side.”

After working as assistant district attorney for six years, Fox was appointed as district attorney in 1984 by Gov. James Hunt.

He has been elected to five consecutive terms and prosecuted more than 2,000 capital cases and 360 jury trials.

“I’ve always maintained a very accessible office. I’ll sit down and listen to you,” Fox said. “I’ll consider your point.”

A press release from the governor’s office states that Fox’s community activism was a primary reason for his appointment.

Fox will be the area’s second Superior Court judge. Wade Barber Jr. currently serves as the resident Superior Court judge for both counties.

Easley announced last year that because of increasing case loads, a new judgeship was needed.

Local attorney Mark Dorosin and District Court Judge Joe Buckner both said they had applied for the position by the original deadline of Dec. 1.

While Fox said he would not rule out future advancement opportunities, he said his primary concern now is to adjust to the demands of his new position.

“I have a lot to learn in this job in the civil form, not just in the criminal form,” Fox said.

Fox emphasized the difference in duties between a district attorney and Superior Court judge.

A judge must weigh both sides equally, whereas a district attorney acts only as a prosecutor for criminal cases in both superior and district courts.

“A district attorney is an advocate for the state,” Fox said.

“The wishes of the victim aren’t really paramount.”

But James Woodall Jr., Fox’s senior assistant, who was appointed interim district attorney, said he was confident that his boss’s experience and interpersonal skills would make the transition easy.

“He knows not only how to deal with people, but also with situations,” he said.

“Carl will be a real asset to the community as Superior Court judge.”

When asked if his stint as a prosecutor would influence his decisions as a judge, Fox said his 26 years of trial experience will outweigh any pressures to favor one side more than another.

Fox will face an election in 2006. Superior Court terms last eight years.

Fox said that though he will have a new office, he will continue to interact with the community.

“I will continue to speak to university and high school students,” he said.

“If you go and speak to kids when they’re heading in the right direction, then many problems can be avoided.”

 

Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.