Woodall to step in for Fox

James Woodall Jr., senior assistant to Orange-Chatham District Attorney Carl Fox, was appointed as the interim replacement for his longtime boss March 14 by Gov. Mike Easley.

Woodall is set to fill the vacancy Fox will create when he starts his new position as a Superior Court judge representing both counties.

As a UNC undergraduate and law school alumnus, Woodall has served in the Hillsborough branch of the district attorney’s office for the last decade.

District attorneys represent the state in all criminal cases filed in superior and district courts and are elected every four years.

Woodall’s seat will be up for election in 2006.

Both men will be sworn into their new positions Wednesday.

“Jim has more experience than I had when I began,” Fox said. “I have complete confidence in him as district attorney.”

Easley stated in a March 14 press release that Woodall has vast courtroom experience and is well qualified to replace Fox, the district attorney since 1984.

The governor said Woodall’s experience in prosecuting hundreds of criminal cases aided the decision.

“I have tried thousands of felony cases and literally tens of thousands of misdemeanor cases,” Woodall said.

But Fox said Woodall’s management experience would be most important in his new job, which places him at the helm of seven assistant district attorneys.

“The administrative part is the most difficult, and he has this experience already,” he said.

Woodall said that the office is well-organized right now but that there is always room for improvement.

“By the end of my first 90 days, I’d like to explore some ways to make the office more efficient,” he said.

While no specific plans to address efficiency are now in place, Woodall expressed concern over the rising number of cases facing the district attorney’s office.

“As case loads increase, the staff size remains the same. It’s an issue of money and space. We occupy every corner of this office,” he said, adding that similar funding problems are burdening district attorney offices throughout the state.

Another priority for Woodall will be to increase communication with Chatham County citizens.

He said he has worked primarily with Orange County for the last decade.

“When I first began, I worked in Chatham County very often,” he said. “One of my key priorities is getting to know citizens (in Chatham.)”

Fox said being accessible and having an open office to all citizens is paramount to the administrative duties of a district attorney.

“It really isn’t about how many people you put in jail.”

 

Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.