NC Business Court gets new top judge

North Carolina Business Court Judge Adam Conrad takes over as the court’s chief judge effective Saturday. He takes over from current Chief Judge Michael Robinson, who is retiring.

Business Court Judge Julianna Theall Earp also retires effective Saturday. In her last week on the job, Earp ruled that state Attorney General Jeff Jackson could proceed with his lawsuit against HCA Healthcare over its management of Asheville’s Mission Hospital.

State Supreme Court Chief Justice Paul Newby announced Conrad’s appointment earlier this month.

“I am grateful for Chief Judge Robinson and Judge Earp who have served North Carolina with distinction, bringing exceptional legal expertise, fairness, and integrity to the Business Court,” Newby said in a news release. “I have overwhelming confidence in Judge Adam Conrad’s breadth of experience and sound judgment to continue the Judicial Branch’s constitutional mandate to administer justice without favor, denial, or delay.”

Conrad has served on the Business Court since 2016. He works out of Charlotte. Before joining the court, his private practice focused on “intellectual property, constitutional, and other civil matters,” according to the news release. He clerked for Justice Clarence Thomas at the Supreme Court of the United States, and Judge David Sentelle at the United States Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit.

Robinson and Earp are the second and third judges to retire from the Business Court this year. Judge Todd Brown retired in March. Newby replaced Brown with Judge Graham Shirley.

“Judge Todd Brown has had a distinguished legal career and has served the people of North Carolina with integrity and distinction,” Newby said in a news release. “We are grateful for his dedicated service. With his years of relevant experience in private practice and on the Superior Court bench, I am confident that Judge Graham Shirley will continue the Business Court’s tradition of excellence.”

The Business Court, established in 1996, “hears complex cases involving corporate and commercial law,” according to the news release. “The court serves businesses and litigants across North Carolina by providing timely, consistent, and expert resolution of significant business disputes.”

“NC Business Court gets new top judge” was originally published on www.carolinajournal.com.