RALEIGH — Rashad Hauter ’11 has made history by being appointed district court judge in the Wake County Judicial District Court.
The online publication Yemenis of America has announced that Hauter is the first Yemeni American to become a judge in the United States. Hauter was appointed by Gov. Roy Cooper (D-NC) to fill the vacant seat of former Judge Michael Denning, who resigned from his post.
“I want to thank Governor Cooper for entrusting me with this sacred opportunity to serve the people of Wake County,” Hauter wrote in a Facebook post.
Hauter previously worked as a criminal defense and immigration attorney in private practice. He began his legal career serving in the Wake County District Attorney’s office as an assistant D.A. According to his CV, Hauter has tried more than 1,500 bench trials and more than 50 jury trials, and prosecuted cases in 17 counties.
According to the online publication, Hauter is a first-generation immigrant, whose family moved to the U.S. from the remote village of Gatham, Yemen, fleeing poverty and unrest. They lived in a modest one-bedroom apartment in Brooklyn, New York, as Hauter’s father worked hard to save for a small business in North Carolina.
Hauter grew up working at that small business in Vance County, where he later graduated valedictorian from Southern Vance High School. He was first in his family to graduate college, earning his undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2007 and graduating cum laude from Campbell University School of Law.
While in law school, Hauter was a member of the Order of the Barristers, participated in the Trial Advocacy Track, advanced to the octo-finals of the Prince Evidence Moot Court Court Competition and the Top 16 if the Frederick Douglass Regional Moot Court Competition. He also participated in the Campbell Intramural Moot Court Competition, Campbell Intramural Negotiations Competition, Campbell Intramural Client Counseling Competition and served as the Graduation Marshall in 2009 and 2010.
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