Candidate Biography (submitted by campaign):

I have lived in Greensboro since 1957.  After graduating with honors from Vassar College, I received my law degree from UNC-CH School of Law.  I began practice as an Assistant District Attorney in Guilford County.  After trying over one hundred jury cases to verdict, I became an Assistant United States Attorney.

In 1986, I was appointed United States Attorney for the Middle District of North Carolina by the President.  I was responsible for representing the United States in the central part of North Carolina and personally prosecuted complex cases such as international heroin smuggling and public corruption.  I also briefed and argued appeals before the United States Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.

In 1993, I joined the Greensboro firm of Stern & Klepfer as a partner.  While there, I went through the review and testing process to become a board certified Specialist in State and Federal Criminal Law and, a year later, a Specialist in Criminal Appellate Practice.  I earned the highest rating from Martindale-Hubbell, the standard attorney reference.

In 1998, North Carolinians elected me to the Court of Appeals.  In 2000, I was elected to the Supreme Court of North Carolina.  I have written opinions on such diverse subjects as taxation, constitutional law, criminal procedure, contracts, workers compensation, and utilities regulation.  In 2004, I earned an LLM (Master of Laws in the Judicial Process) from the University of Virginia.

The late United States Chief Justice Rehnquist appointed me to be the only state judge on the Federal Criminal Rules Committee and Chief Justice Roberts reappointed me to that position.  In addition, I have been appointed by the president of the American Bar Association to chair the Judges' Advisory Committee to the ABA's Ethics Committee.

My wife and I have been married since 1979.  We have two adult sons. 

Candidate Statement:

Why does this judicial race matter to you?  Because the Supreme Court hears cases and issues opinions that affect every citizen.  You deserve the best and most experienced Justices.  As Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes wrote, "The life of the law has . . . been experience."  He was right.  Experience matters.

In this race, I am the only candidate who:

1.  Has ever been a judge.  I have been on the bench for a decade, including eight years on the Supreme Court.

2.  Has been a partner in a law firm.  I understand the process of earning a living by the practice of law.

3.  Is a board certified specialist.  I am board certified in criminal law and criminal appeals.  Criminal matters make the largest category of cases that come before the Supreme Court.

4.  Has an advanced degree in law.  After completing the coursework and a thesis, I was awarded a LLM (Master of Laws in the Judicial Process) in 2004 by the University of Virginia School of Law.

5.  Has served in the armed forces.  I was commissioned as a line officer in the United States Navy.

These experiences have uniquely qualified me to deal with the many issues that come before the Supreme Court.  Service on the state's highest court is not an entry level position.  I know what goes on in the trial courts and in a practitioner's office.   As a result, North Carolina lawyers see me as a fair, diligent, impartial and courteous Justice whose opinions are easily understood and readily applied.  I am honored to have the bipartisan support of attorneys across the State. 

Serving as an elected Justice has been the greatest honor of my professional career.  I respectfully ask your support as I seek re-election. 

Please visit my web site:  www.ReelectJusticeEdmunds.com