N.C. Supreme Court Chief Justice Martin to deliver Campbell Law’s 2016 commencement address

RALEIGH, North Carolina – North Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice Mark Martin will deliver the commencement address at Campbell Law School’s 38th annual hooding and graduation ceremony on Friday, May 13. The celebration is scheduled for 10 a.m. at Meymandi Concert Hall at the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Raleigh.

“I look forward to addressing tomorrow’s leaders in the legal field,” said Chief Justice Martin. “Campbell Law School has a proud tradition in North Carolina of turning out the best and brightest students who will strengthen and advance the rule of law while upholding high judicial ethics and standards.”

Chief Justice Martin is the only active member of the North Carolina judiciary with experience on the state Supreme Court, the Court of Appeals, and the Superior Court. When elected to an open seat on the Supreme Court in November 1998 at age 35, he was the youngest Supreme Court Justice in North Carolina history. Prior to his judicial service, Chief Justice Martin served as legal counsel to Governor James G. Martin (no relation), practiced law at the McNair Law Firm in Raleigh, and clerked for United States District Court Judge Clyde H. Hamilton.

“Chief Justice Martin is a visionary and tireless leader determined to improve the quality of justice in North Carolina,” said Campbell Law Dean J. Rich Leonard. “As a member of our Board of Visitors, he is also a staunch supporter of Campbell Law.”

Chief Justice Martin is dedicated to strengthening and advancing the rule of law. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Conference of Chief Justices and as Chair of its Professionalism and Competence of the Bar Committee. Chief Justice Martin recently served as Chair of the American Bar Association Judicial Division. He has also served in leadership roles within the Appellate Judges Conference, the Appellate Judges Education Institute, the North Carolina Bar Association, the Carolina Law Alumni Association, and the Wake County Bar Association. He has taught law courses at the University of North Carolina, Duke University, and North Carolina Central University.

Martin earned a B.S., summa cum laude from Western Carolina University, a J.D., with honors, from the University of North Carolina School of Law, and an LL.M. from the University of Virginia. He is a recipient of the Order of the Long Leaf Pine and an inductee into the Warren E. Burger Society of the National Center for State Courts.