Three of five judge nominees from Goldsboro
By Steve Herring
Published in News on October 11, 2015 1:50 AM
Five candidates have been nominated by 8th Judicial District Bar members for consideration to complete the unexpired term of the late Judge Tim Finan.
The appointment will be made by Gov. Pat McCrory.
The nominees, listed in order of most votes, are William Curtis Stackhouse of Goldsboro, Annette W. Turik of Kinston, William W. Bland of Goldsboro, Christopher Rogerson of Kinston and James W. "Will" Spicer III of Goldsboro.
Attorneys Paul T. Cleavenger of Kinston, Kevin F. MacQueen of LaGrange and Paige R. Rouse of Goldsboro had also been in the running.
The actual vote totals are not being released, bar President Tonya Barber said.
Ms. Barber said the names will be sent to the governor's office by the first of the week. Ms. Barber said she does not know how long it will take McCrory to make the appointment.
The governor can select a replacement from the five or make his own, she said. However, the governor traditionally picks from the list, Ms. Barber said.
Finan, 62, died June 30, and under state law, it is the responsibility of the judicial district bar to nominate five candidates who are residents of the district, and authorized to practice law in the district, for consideration by the governor.
The term ends in 2016 and the district includes Wayne and Lenoir counties.
* Stackhouse of Goldsboro has worked in the District Attorney's Office since September 2009. He has a bachelor's degree from N.C. State University and earned his law degree from the North Carolina Central University School of Law.
* Ms. Turik of Kinston is a partner in the Kinston law firm of Wooten and Turik. She earned her law degree from the North Carolina Central University School of Law.
* Bland of Goldsboro has been a partner in the firm of Bland, Heekin & Stanley in Goldsboro since 2003. He was an assistant district attorney from 1993 to 1999. Bland received his bachelor's degree from Duke University and his master's of accounting from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he also earned his law degree.
* Rogerson of Kinston ran for judge in 2008 when Judge Joe Setzer retired. He is a graduate of the Campbell University Law School and has worked for the Christopher Rogerson law firm since 2002.
* Spicer of Goldsboro received his bachelor's degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and his law degree from Samford University's Cumberland School of Law in Birmingham, Ala. He served as Pikeville town attorney from July 2008 to February 2015 and currently works with the state treasurer's office as in-house counsel for the unclaimed property division.